Aunt Charlotte's Stories of Greek History for the Little Ones.
By Charlotte M. Yonge. (Marcus Ward.)—Miss Yonge's style is as bright and lively as usual, in this little volume. No one knows surer charms to attract young listeners, whether she has to deal with fact or fiction. Severe critics might say that in this book she does not distinguish clearly enough between the two, and that the "little ones "may carry away the idea that Theseus and Cadmus are as real personages as Themistocles and Epaminondas. Probably not much harm is done if they do. Our only complaint against Miss Yonge is of a certain want of thorough familiarity with the subject, which betrays itself now and then in trivial errors. Not even Gracia mend= ever asserted that Xerxes had a "million millions" of men; and even lilt had, this number would not have been expressed, as Miss Yonge thinks that it would, by the term "myriad." A "myriad" means ten thousand, and the army was numbered by filling an enclosure which was supposed to hold exactly this number. Herodotus says that it amounted to one million seven hundred thousand. It is rather startling to find it stated that Pindar was living at the time of the death of Epaminondas. Again, it was at a battle before Potidtea, not at Delium, that Socrates saved the life of Alcibiades. At Delium, Alcibiades, who was on horseback, offered to protect Socrates, but found the sturdy philosopher quite able to take care of himself. The stories of the cowardice of Demosthenes and the base means by which Callias was enriched are gossip which should not have been admitted into the book. The "y "in the name " Cynegyrus "is a barbarism. Some competent person should revise the new edition that will doubtless be asked for.
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