Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/126

 1 1 6 Reviews of Books elusions being based largely on the evidence of survivals in the form of place-names (pp. 315-316). From Dr. Hodgkin's excellent account of Alfred's life and achieve- ments we pass at once to the most unsatisfactory part of the work : England in the tenth century. Though the author makes an effort to trace the expansion of Wessex somewhat carefully, the reader will hardly obtain a clear idea of the territorial gains and losses of each particular period or reign. In the controversy over the claims of the Saxon kings to the overlordship of Scotland, Dr. Hodgkin favors the English con- tention, though he cheerfully admits that the Scottish submission was of no practical importance (pp. 324-326, 356-357). An interesting sug- gestion is made with respect to the battle-field of Brunanburh : the author locates it in southern Scotland, at Brunswark in Dumfriesshire (pp. 334- 335). The collapse that came in the reign of Ethelred he attributes only in part to the incompetency of that king. " Had Edgar left the country a really strong, well-organized state, it could hardly have gone down so speedily before the assaults of the sea-rovers " (p. 398). On the institutional side Dr. Hodgkin's work shows very little inde- pendent research. In matters of government and land-tenure he follows the " tradition of the elders " as modified by the studies of more recent writers such as Maitland and Vinogradoff. On a few subjects, par- ticularly the origin of the sheriff's office and the formation of the Mercian shires, he inclines toward the views recently put forth by Mr. Chad- wick. The suggestion that the hundred may have originated in the "need of grappling with agrarian crime" (cattle-theft) seems original and is at least interesting (p. 427). To identify the staller with the chamberlain (p. 450) is an evident error; on the whole, the author does not seem to realize how extensively Saxon institutions were modified by the Danish conquest. The narrative is written in Dr. Hodgkin's usual charming and easy, though somewhat dift'use style; his work will delight the general reader, but to the student it will prove a disappointment. On some subjects it is remarkably clear and suggestive; but, in general, too little space is devoted to difficult problems and too much to materials that have little value in serious study. All the old anecdotes that we have read so often are again related and a few more are added from foreign sources, ex- cellent tales, but tales nevertheless. In his attitude toward the sources the author shows that he still retains his sublime faith in the written word; he even displays a kindly feeling toward the Old Norse sagas, though of these he seems to have used only the translation of Snorre's history. In his estimate of men he is charitable and generous, too gen- erous it would seem, particularly in his treatment of such ambitious characters as St. Dunstan and Godwin and Cnut. L.URENCK 1I. L.RS0N.