KING CHARLES AND THE CONSPIRATORS By Esme Wingfield-Stratford
The title of this book (Seeker and Warburg, as.) and a reference on the dust-cover to " capitalist oligarchy," tend to create suspicion of its historical sincerity : for history in terms of modem political dogma is usually unreadable. In fact, it is a serious and readable volume, though formidably long. In five hundred and fifty pages Mr. Wingfield- Stratford reaches the execution of Straf- ford : he foreshadows a second volume covering the later years. Mr. Wingfield- Stratford makes the best case for Bucking- ham, that brilliant and disastrous creature. Strafford nowadays scarcely needs any defence, so handsomely has history made amends to him. There are few who would doubt that, given the chance, he could have repeated in England the miracles of good administration that he achieved in Ireland. For Charles's own attempts at personal government, Mr. Wingfield-Stratford pleads justi- fication by results : " Not for generations was England to know such peaceful prosperity, or a government so mild in its incidence, and in the best sense national in its aims." Was all this over- thrown by the mere strength of a theory, or by an intrigue of self-seeking men ? Mr. Wingfield-Stratford contends that it was the latter ; that Pym was the leader of a conspiracy of rich men who cared nothing for representative govern- ment and everything for their own power over the Crown. Either way their methods were indefensible. Mr. Wing- field-Stratford builds up his indictment of Pym and his associates with care and skill. In his next volume he will have even better material to work upon, in coming to the actual fruits of Parlia- mentary tyranny. The finished work promises to be most interesting and convincing.
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