For His Country's Sake. By L. IL P. Black. (Horace
Cox.) —Esca, a Prince of the British Kingdom of Damnonia, gives himself up to satisfy the Roman demand for a victim. (Hostages the Romans were wont to ask, but we feel doubtful about the victims. Esca is supposed to be doomed to die.) He is taken to Rome, suffering many things on the way, but befriended by a gallant young Roman whose life he has saved in battle. We shall not follow the story further than to say that his life is spared by Trajan,—so much our readers will have guessed, for the author could not have dispensed with the hero. We have a lively, and on the whole correct, picture of Rome as it was in Trajan's early days. The great Emperor himself is introduced, and we have also the interesting figures of Pliny (to whose country house Laurentum—though spelt here with an `i'—we are taken on a visit), Tacitus, Suetonius, Clement of Rome, and others. The book is decidedly interesting, and the details are carefully worked out, for the most part. We note a few points where correction is needed, "Porta Principia" (p. 77) should be "Porta Principalis," " Codgidumnus" has a superfluous "d," "Massalla Corvinus" should be " Messalla Corvinus.." The names, too, are somewhat strangely used. Esca's friend is one Caius Placidns. He is habitually spoken of as " Caius." That may pass ; but when we find this statement, " Amongst the dependents in Caius's house was an elderly man named Quintus," we must object. What is equivalent to the surname should have been used, as it would certainly be used in English.
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