27 JULY 1895, Page 24

A History of England. By Charles Oman. (Edward Arnold.)— Mr.

Oman progresses fast in his mighty task. In the fullness of time he has been born to rewrite our text-books for us, and so he is conquering kingdom after kingdom, forgetting, doubtless, more than most historians know, and steadily building for himself the green monument of a historical Todhunter. The " History of Europe from 476 to 918" was a very difficult book to follow up. In many ways it was a perfect text-book, and we have often thought that the fierce undergraduate must have blessed Mr. Oman now and then on the hot summer days for delivering him from the respectable dullness of spirit in which the Middle Ages have been usually approached. It required a bold hand to deal as Mr. Oman did with the early Middle Ages. This gaiety, one might almost call it such, of treatment was not exactly necessary in writing of the History of England, so we do not get it. But we have a wonderfully good textbook for our older boys at a good school, and those at the Universities who want to get a thorough grip of English history. No beginner ought to start with it. Mr. Oman very skilfully divides his chapters, not following the absurd A B C system of dividing a book up into as many chapters as there are kings, if only a king reigned long enough. How much better it is to begin for instance a fresh chapter at 1471, and to end it at 1485. His estimates of character are incisive, and will be of great value to a student who has been fed on the heavier food with which the books which Mr. Oman will send to the wastepaper man, were stuffed full. He is very skilful in the use of genealogy, notably in speaking of Richard II., on p. 260„ and in analysing Henry VIII.'s character. But we find Mr. Oman rather severe in his handling of Shaftesbury, who requires, it is true, a fine touch, but for that very reason might have come a little better through. We have noticed one or two other trifles to which we should take exception, but they are only trifles. The style is clear and readable,—neither dull nor eloquent.