SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF J. A. FROUDE.
Selections from the Writings of J. A. Froude. Edited by P. S. Allen. (Longinans and Co. 3s. 6d.)—It is surprising that an anthology was not made long ago from the works of Mr. Froude, for there is no writer who more easily lends himself to the process of selection. Not one of his works but is brilliant with purple patches. Indeed, to read half a-dozen episodes or characters from his pen is to gain a far more favour- able impression of his talent than a study of his large history would impart. For Mr. Fronde possessed neither the genius of research, nor the faculty of taking sane and sound views. His method was to start from a fixed point of opinion, and to bend such facts as he gathered to his necessity. In knowledge and honesty he is not for one moment comparable to Bishop Stubbs or Dr. Gardiner ; but he has one merit which neither of these erudite historians can claim, ho writes English like a master. We should be very sorry to contemplate an array of passages selected from the works of his patient rivals ; but there is no lack of entertainment in the spirited passages from Mr. Froude's works which Mr. Allen has edited with so much care. Even though Mr. Froude had no exaggerated reverence for facts, though he was always more con- cerned to justify an opinion than to present the naked truth, his style is always elegant and lucid. His skill in narrative might have made him a first-rate novelist. Especially is he an adept in historical portraiture. The personages of the drama are always living and visible in his brilliant pages. Whether we agree with his judgment or not, we must confess that his Henry VIII. and Thomas Cromwell (to cite two instances) aro real men and masterful rulers; while, though his judgment of Elizabeth seems harsh, it is warranted by the strange meanness and caprice of that ereat Queen. But even where Mr. Fronde condemns he pronounces sentence with an irony to which justice has not been done. There is a delicacy even in his disapproval. Nor do we know any better model for the historians of to-day—dry, for the most part, as the parchments of the Ecole des Chartes —than the lively pages of Mr. Fronde. He, at any rate, can be read, even though he is careless of the truth. Wherefore we cordially recom- mend Mr. Allen's Selections, which neglects no side of Mr. Fronde's talent, and proves with what skill and concision he can draw a character or present an episode.
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