Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington. By Violet Barbour. (H. till-
ford. 6s. 6d. net.)—Arlington, the favourite Minister of Charles II., was disliked and ridiculed in his own day, and luta perhaps been underrated by later generations. Miss ]3arbour's well-written biography, which is based on a careful examination of the abundant documentary evidence, puts Arlington in a favourable light, and describes very clearly his long rivalry with the clever but volatile Buckingham Arlington, with Clifford, negotiated the Secret Treaty of Dover, concluding an Anglo-French alliance against the Dutch and binding Charles to declare himself a Roman Catholic. Yet the author thinks that Arlington at heart remained faithful to the Triple Alliance with Holland and Sweden, and she questione whether he followed his master's example in religion until be was dying, a few months after Charles. The book does credit to American historical scholarship.
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