Edward Augustus Freeman 279 



local history, and how it is impossible to understand 

 the former correctly without paying much attention 

 to the latter. In further illustration of the same 

 point, Freeman projected the well-known series 

 of monographs on " Historic Towns," to which 

 he himself contributed the opening volume, on 

 Exeter " (1886). 



Having been called to the Regius Professorship 

 at Oxford in 1884, Freeman's next publications 

 were university lectures on " Methods of Historical 

 Study," " The Chief Periods of European History," 

 " Fifty Years of European History," " Teutonic 

 Conquest in Gaul and Britain," " Greater Greece 

 and Greater Britain," and " George Washington the 

 Expander of England" (1886-88). Meanwhile, 

 the colossal work on " Sicily" was rapidly assuming 

 its final shape. This topic obviously touched upon 

 Freeman's other two chief topics at two points. 

 Ancient Sicily was part of that Greek world which 

 he had so thoroughly studied in connection with the 

 beginnings of federal government. Mediaeval Si- 

 cily was one of the most important of the Norman's 

 fields of activity. But the thought of writing the 

 history of that fateful island did not come to Free- 

 man as an afterthought suggested by his other two 

 great works. On the contrary, the conception of 

 the historic position of Sicily was among the first 



