284 A Century of /Science 



set instead of taking that last fatal journey to 

 Alicante. 



It was chiefly with the political aspects of history 

 that Freeman concerned himself ; not in the old- 

 fashioned way, as a mere narrative of the deeds of 

 kings and cabinets, but in scientific fashion, as an 

 application of the comparative method to the vari- 

 ous processes of nation-building. I do not mean that 

 his narrative was subordinated to scientific exposi- 

 tion, but that it was informed and vitalized by the 

 spirit and methods of science. In pure description 

 Freeman was often excellent ; his account of the 

 death of William Eufus, for example, is a master- 

 piece of impressive narrative. In description and 

 in argument alike Freeman usually confined his at- 

 tention to political history, except when he dealt in 

 his suggestive way with architecture and archeo- 

 logy. To art in general, to the history of philo- 

 sophy and of scientific ideas, to the development 

 of literary expression, of manners and customs, of 

 trade and the industrial arts, he devoted much 

 less thought. I believe he did not fully approve 

 of his friend Green's method of carrying along 

 political, social, and literary topics abreast in his 

 " History of the English People." Few will doubt, 

 however, that in this respect Green's artistic grasp 

 upon his subject was stronger than Freeman's. 



