CHARLES MERIVALE. 465 



tions, no glowing eulogies, no highly wrought descriptions of scenes 

 or of characters. His anxiety seems rather to have been to be just, — 

 to omit nothing essential, and to exaggerate nothing. In this spirit 

 he found it necessary to point out some redeeming bits of white in the 

 blackness of the bad Emperors whose doings he had to rehearse. 

 Even Domitiau finds, in his narrative, some mitigating touches in 

 abatement of the deep infamy to which his name has been commonly 

 assigned. This quality in Dean Merivale's work will not commend it 

 to the taste of those who want black to be black and white white. 



Again, his literary style is not marked by vivacity and polish. On 

 the contrary, it is often cumbrous and heavy. It strikes one as the 

 style of a man who was fonder of Latin literature than of English. 

 The matter-of-fact way of looking at things, as well as the forms of 

 expression and the structure of the sentence?, are all suggestive of the 

 Latin writers whose works must have been the author's daily bread 

 for many a year. 



Those who turn to history for relaxation or amusement will not 

 be likely to find the History of the Romans under the Empire just 

 what they desire. On the other hand, the scholarly few who wish 

 above all things to know the exact truth, so far as it can be known, 

 will always think of the late Dean of Ely with affectionate admiration ; 

 for he was himself a scholar to the tips of his fingers. He seems to 

 have loved the dry, clear light of accurate scholarship with his whole 

 heart. He has been called the " last of the great scholarly Deans." 

 The words, we must hope, are not prophetic. The Established Church 

 that finds room for such as he in its highest positions has something 

 to be said in its defence. It can never be narrow or sectarian. If the 

 new activity of the Church of England means that it has no longer 

 room for great scholarly Deans, the world will have cause for looking 

 on the change with some mixture of regret. 



1894. S. M. Mac vane. 



VOL. XXIX (n. S. XXI.) 30 



