26 MARCH 1904, Page 23

strange results if applied to other histories. If the story

of the siege of Plataea, as Thucydides tells it, were found in the Old Testament, to what a destructive criticism would it be subjected ! Frankly, it is an impossible narrative, and yet, if we have to give it up, considering that the most exact of historians probably heard it from men who had borne a part in it, what will remain of ancient history? Still, a great deal of what Professor Skinner says is perfectly just, and no one can read his commentary without greatly increasing his knowledge of the subject.