CAVALIER AND PURITAN This is an excellent book (Nelson, 7s.
6d.) in an excellent little series, each of which has been entirely revised and re-set, do that it counts almost as a new book. The first two, Professor C. H. Williams's The Growth of the Tudor Despotism, and Professor Browning's The Age of Elizabeth, covered the sixteen-pi century in our history ; and Professor Mackie's book—they are all Professors in this series—carries on the story to tile execution 'of Charles I. As might be expected, the 11, k js especially good—and this is its originality and its justificat_oa-r-- upon -Scottish affairs and in giving • the Scottish- angle upon , the crowded and stirring events of the -first Stuart period, in which indeed Scotland played a notable and, at times, !a decisive part. Professor Mackie is always stimulating and ; enlightens his narrative with many a quip at the expense of • the English. It is doubtful, however, whether they desemte to he 'charged With James I's failure, on the ground that he was such a humoriSt that he was bound to fail in England. iHis success in Scotland can hardly be due to his sense ?f humour ;' Professor Mackie allows, in another place, that it was partly, due to histheological disputatiousness, which seems more probable. True though it may be that it is a dia- ; advantage to have too much sense of humour in politics, it was a curious lack of it as regards the figure he cut that made ' James ,appear so comic and so undignified to the irrevererft English. :.-Theie and certain other too summary judgements aside, .the_ book is excellent ; it has a very just appreciation 6f both character and situation, is stimulating and lively, and can- be recommended as a .good text-book for all schools and even to ths general reader.
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