Feudal Statistics 



109*7 



Feudal System either in America or England : there are A recent 

 (and it can scarcely be otherwise with a vol. written so far American 

 from original sources) many demonstrable errors, and also a the^ Feudal 

 rather too conspicuous tendency to combine the opinions of System. 

 English writers (named). But the subject has been well 

 laboured from printed works, and the author, having a clear 

 conception of his own views, is intelligible enough to the 

 reader : a certain well known historical method, is to attempt 

 to consign to oblivion, all intrusive works, at the same time 

 quietly making use of their references (occasion arising), as 

 suitable novelties. There is another citation of servitium 

 miiitum (t. Wm. /., p. ix., ut sup.), and should his occasions 

 permit, it is to be hoped, this writer will continue his 

 investigations in English History, for readers both of his 

 own, and this country. 



It is not, of course, to be inferred that the mere fact ofAm^gmtm 

 residence on a Western continent confers a particular im- ^ c f^ lt 

 munity on historical writers, for I would not suppose that, Britain. 

 even the most ingenious of our own artificers of History 

 could hope to surpass, and scarcely to equal, Ancient Britain 

 in the light of modern Arch ecological Discoveries. This magnum 

 opus states that "albeit the true character of the false Saxon Extracts 



chronicles have (sic) been frequently exposed, they still con- ^j" " 1 - an j* 

 , , - n . 3 .'..'. _. design of 



tmue to colour our popular histories, and to injuriously afreet J(M -rf W ork. 



our national policy" (p. ix) ; that its design is "to restore to the 

 pages of British history those circumstances of which forgery 

 and imposture have deprived it, and which archaeology has 

 found safely preserved in the pure bosom of the earth " (p. x) ; 

 that the A. S. chronicles are " patched forgeries of the 

 eleventh or twelfth centuries, probably done in Rome, and 

 wholly unworthy of credit'' (p. 74); that "ancient trash 

 piled . . . accepted by the modern world as the groundwork 

 for a history of Britain and the construction of its national 

 policy " (p. 74) ; that " so far as books go, the Sacred College 

 of Rome had the entire making of European history . . . 

 until the invention of printing put an end- to its monopoly" 

 (p. 180) ; that Bcda's information concerning the Anglo- 

 Saxons "was hopelessly wrong and defective" (p. 73), and 

 terminates by bringing "to book" "the theory" of Beda 

 (p. 181). 



