DB. TAYLOR'S HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE PROGRESS OF EUROPEAN SOCIETY.
TEE title of this work, like that of Lady CHATTERTON'S, does not accurately indicate its character. The "revolutions" " of Europe, in the popular sense of the word revolution, are not so much de- scribed as the causes of the gradual changes in society ; the only "insurrections" treated of in Dr. TAYLOR'S book are those of the Jacquerie in France, WAT TYLER and JACK CADE in England, and the wars of the Flemish burghers against the Earls of Flanders during the fourteenth century ; and we have met with no con- spiracy in its pages. The work' in reality is a good deal better than its claptrap sort of title would induce any one to suppose ; and, though not entitled to take rank among classical histories, is a fluent, popular, and readable survey of the most influential circumstances, since the earliest traces of decline in the Roman Empire, which have contributed to build up the present European system. In one sense it is more useful than the original and classical works which have so greatly assisted Dr. TAYLOR in its production : written in the spirit or fashion of the age, it will be read by numbers who never think of looking into the works of a preceding period, still less of studying them,—for their complete view and their condensed matter require study, which perhaps Dr. TAYLOR does not.
After a brief sketch of the character of ancient Paganism and its decline with the decline of the Roman Republic, the author pro- ceeds to trace the rise and progress of Christianity ; observing its secular effects as an institution, and pointing out the difference of its reception in the Eastern and Western Empire, with the different policy this fact enforced even upon the same sovereign. The Saracen invasion of Spain, the more fresh and romantic parts of Moorish story, and the battle of Tours, where CHARLES MARTEL rolled back for ever from Western Europe the tide of Mahometan conquest, are next surveyed, rather perhaps from the author's familiarity with the subject, and the matter being ready to his hands, than from any connexion so isolated an event as the Moorish conquest of Spain has with the general condition of Europe. The Norman invasions of France, England, Italy, and Greece, are then treated of; to part of which a similar remark applies : the conquests in Normandy and England have had a direct influence on the modern system of society—the invasions of Italy, Sicily, and Greece, were wars, or at best incursions, produ- cing no extensive or permanent effects. A disquisition on the Papal and Feudal system, with a brief sketch of the Crusades, follows ; and then an account of the peasant insurrections against the nobles in France, and against taxation and the Feudal system in England. The burgher wars in Flanders, or, as Dr. TAYLOR calls them, "the insurrections of the middle classes against Feudal- ism," complete the work, if it is to be considered as completed.
Of these sections, the view of the effects of Christianity on the Roman Empire appears to us to possess most originality of remark : not, of course, that the facts or many of the conclusions are new, but Dr. TAYLOR throws out some striking observations, which seem to set old knowledge in a new light, and argue both reflection and familiarity with his theme. The sketch of the Moorish invasion of Spain may be praised both as a readable narrative of an event which generally appears as a legend, or a cumbrous disquisition, and as an ingenious attempt to deduce the tedium quid of truth from Moorish chronicle and Spanish poetry. As a mere story, the Norman invasions are the most interesting ; but the peasant in- surrections and the burgher wars of Flanders are the most valuable for the political principles they contain or the reflections they suggest, whilst they possess spirit in the descriptions and variety in the incidents.
The book is a compilaticn : that is, its materials have not been derived from original research among original authorities, fused by long meditation into one homogeneous whole, but have been chiefly drawn from such works, or from books readily accessible. GIBBON, SISMONDI, and Faorssawr, have been the principal guides of Dr. TAYLOR; though he has bad recourse to other writers of a kindred character if of an inferior genius. We have no doubt of the accuracy of his statement—that he has often verified the references, and had recourse to the original authorities ; but we suspect his inquiries have been directed by the two historians we have named, and that his researches have been limited to the more complete and popular of the originals. At the same time, The Revolutions, In- surrections, and Conspiracies of Europe, is very much superior to a common compilation. The previous works of Dr. TAYLOR have carried him over much of the ground he now travels, rendering him familiar with its features, and affording him more time for reflec- tion than if he had taken up the subject for the nonce. There is therefore both freshness and mastery in his views ; and his style has vigour, fluency, and the facility which arises from practice. He has also a good eye for effects, and not only does be skilfully select the most striking circumstances in an incident or story, but he sometimes marks the omissions of his guides, and heightens the narrative of which they furnish the groundwork. With these merits there are several faults, beyond the general fault of an in- complete view and a somewhat superficial narrative. The book in several places smacks of the " article" ; as the long quotations of FROISSART, sometimes on minor manners, taken for the picturesque narrative and not for the importance of the results, suggests the idea of the " review." The narrative of the burgher wars is pointed by passing reflections on monopoly, and the contempt of the noble for the trader, which, though not unjust in themselves, look like the Anti-Corn-law Leaguer; and long quotations from the drama of Philip Van Artevelde, Mrs. HEMANS, and periodicals to which Dr. TAYLOR has contributed, rather distract attention than relieve it, besides lowering the dignity of the work. In case of a second edition, these blemishes should be removed.
A history, whether original or compiled, does not always furnish matter readily for extract ; but as Dr. TAYLOR has chiefly directed his attention to produce a popular book, there is no lack of popular matter in his pages.
RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EASTERN AND WESTERN EMPIRES.
The very different views which have been taken of the religious policy of Constantine, have arisen from a want of carefully distinguishing between the Eastern provinces, in which his administration was unchecked, and his Western dominions, where his course was checked by old constitutional precedents, and impeded by the only classes which he could employ to work the machinery of his government. While the ascendancy of the Christian church was esta- blished in one portion of the Roman dominions, the legal toleration of its ex- istence was the utmost that could be obtained in the other. All difficulties are removed by recognizing in Constantine two distinct characters, that of an Emperor of the East and that of an Emperor of the West; the former being Christian from choice, tLe latter being Pagan, or at least in- different, from necessity. When Constantine declared himself in favour of Christianity, nearly the entire Western Empire was opposed to the new faith ; the Roman senate and nobility, all the trading corporations, the municipal magistracies of the other cities, the great bulk of the civil and military authorities, were all devoted to polytheism ; ar.d the Christians, living for the most part unknown and concealed in the towns, diet not amount to one-twelfth, and probably not to one-twentieth of the entire population. Fanaticism itself would have been daunted from entering on a contest with such perilous odds; but Constantine was no fanatic—indeed, to the last he was not a very zealous Christian. The closing years of his life were spent in indo- lent luxury, which not unfrequently degenerated into scandalous debauchery ; and neither he nor the Eastern Bishops by whom he was surrounded appear to have bestowed the slightest attention on Western Christianity.
A DERIVATION OF "GENTLEMAN."
In the age of Valentiniau, the converts to Christianity in the Western Empire consisted chiefly of the middle classes in the towns. The agricultural population still adhered to the traditions and superstitions of their ancestors with such tenacity, that the word "Pagans," which literally signifies the in- habitants of rural districts, became a generic name for all classes of idolators. In the higher ranks, the Christians acre chiefly found among the officers of state and the ministers of the Imperial court, who were for the most part un- connected with the patrician body, and owed their elevation either to their military services or to imperial favour. The old patrician families, who affected to trace their descent to the great aristocratic houses of the ancient republic— the "Gentiles," as they loved to call themselves—adhered to polytheism, which now alone afforded any external evidence of their hereditary rank ; and hence "gentile-man," or "gentle-man," came to he used indifferently for a man of exalted birth or polished manners, and for one who rejected the truths of Chris- tianity.
Dr. TAYLOR omits to say how the ancient Romans, or even the barbarians, came to speak good English.
ORIGIN OF THE POLITICAL CHARACTER OF THE CLERGY.
Many circumstances contributed to impress episcopacy more and more with a temporal character. The firm adherence of the old Roman aristocracy, and of a very large proportion of the most influential families in the Eastern Em- pire, to polytheism, rendered it difficult for the Christian Emperors to provide Governors for the provinces, and Prefects for the cities, in whom they could place entire confidence ; hence they were frequently obliged to look to the Bishops for aid in the civil administration of the empire ; and thus Prelates, in spite of themselves, were forced to become politicians. When equality of reli- gions worship was established, the heathen Governors, especially in remote pro- vinces, were slow in yielding obedience to edicts which granted favours to the enemies of their faith ; the Christians, who suffered under the old persecuting laws, naturally complained to their spiritual father, who of course felt it his duty to make an appeal either to the local or supreme government, and in most cases to both. This was a second source of infusing a political character into Christian episcopacy ; and the history of the churches in Northern Africa contains abundant evidence that the interference of the Bishops was equally beneficial and unavoidable.
The change in the character of the Christian system of episcopacy, which we have just described, has been most unfairly attributed to ambition, and other worldly motives, in the Bishops themselves ; but the circumstances above stated show that political power was to a great extent forced upon them by unavoid- able necessity. In Western Europe their case is still stronger : Christianity and polytheism in Italy were engaged in a struggle for life and death; the political system of the Roman aristocracy required the utter extermination of a religion which threatened to deprive them of all their sacerdotal privileges by annihilating the priesthood to which they belonged; the Christian Prelates could not avoid becoming the political enemies of the Pagan Senate, and advo- cates for the absolute despotism of a Christian Emperor. To act otherwise would have been nothing better than a tacit consent to the abolition of that religion which they had undertaken to defend.
A NORMAN'S BAPTISM.
Louis-le-Debonnaire pursued a new course of policy : be proffered largesses and estates to those Pagans who should embrace Christianity; and, as religion generally sat lightly on the corsair, his zeal could soon boast of a great number of converts. An anecdote related by the Monk of St. Gall may serve to illus- trate the value of these interested conversions. It was the custom of the time that adult candidates for baptism should present themselves at the font in white robes. On one occasion, so many Norman neophytes came together, that a proper supply of robes could not be obtained, and it was necessary to make them of such coarse stuffs as came readiest to hand. One of these was presented to a Norman nobleman who offered himself for baptism ; but he re- jected it with indignation. " Keep," said he, " your sackcloth for clowns : this is the twentieth time that I have been baptised, and I never was insulted by being offered such rags before."
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