REVIEWS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 9, 31 August 1910, Page 48

REVIEWS.

Aluisne Fro Nobis ? or, May Another Be Beaten for Our Fanlt ? Ry John Urquart. (Melbourne: George Robertson and Co., I<>7 to 113, KI izabvth-street. (id.) I i.- i»<»oklrt. written in dialogue form, i a •‘pirit -d ait 1 - iodarlv protest against the Xfw Theology, ami the New Revision, and should be cordially welcomed. : Cl bom. Viewed super1; oily, vi<ai ions atonement seems not only cowardly But op|MXsed to both human and divine justice. Considered individually, i: is rank injustice. But coneidercl collectively, and tin* scriptural atonement embodies the whole plan of •nivation, atonement is above justice, or so it seem* to us, since divine love is the source of all self sacrifice—indeed, it

is it.s highest expression. Therefore we are in whole-souled agreement with the “Roger’’ of this booklet, and wish its author the wide circulation its wellargued contents deserve. We are indebted to George Robertson and Co. for our copy of “Aluisne Pro Nobis.” The Black Prince : By R. P. DunnFattison, M.A. (Methuen.) The author, who has already gained some reputation as a historian by his work on "Napoleon’s Marshals,” does not profess to have exhausted the material available for his subject, or to have ransacked many original sources of information. But he has at least produced a readable and intertaining book, which appears to be both impartial and accurate, and, in any case, throws a great deal of light upon one of the most interesting and picturesque periods of our history. Mr. Dunn-Pattison deals at some length with the chief debatable points in his hero’s life, more especially the question of the Black Prince’s misgovernment of Aquitaine; and out of the many contradictory accounts of the Battle of Poietiers he evolves something like a coherent description of that great strug-

gle. But apart from controversial points, the book is chiefly interesting as a picture of Chivalry and Feudalism, and even in this respect alone it will reward perusal. We get vivi.l descriptions of the Free Companies, those adventurous mercenaries of the early Middle Ages; of all the great knights and warriors of the time from Chandos and du Guesclin downward, of fierce fights by land and sea. Crecy and Poietiers and Suy and Najera; of jousts and tournaments and single combats; and, in fact, all the details of ehivalrie life that have long since become familiar to students of Scott and Conan Doyle. Readers of the “White Company” in particular should be interested to see how closely its author has followed the authentic records in his romance. But in all this, the student who has already followed th<Thistory of the ago with any care will find little that is absolutely novel. Regarded as a serious contribution to history, the liest part of Mr. Dunn-Pattison’s book is hLs attempt to delineate the characters of Edward 111. ami the Black Prince. Ilie ordinary text book of English History gives very little idea of either of them. Our author, however, sketches with vigour and precision the salient characteristics which made Edward 111. ‘The most commanding personality in Europe.” We see the gallant warrior, “with Godlike face, strength and courage,” a fierce foe but a generous conqueror, displaying in every crisis of hi.s life the fiery impetuosity and the reek-

lessness of his Plantagenet forefathers. But he had, too, the worst Plantagenet weaknesses—extravagance, faithlessness, an uncontrollable temper, contempt for hie people’s rights, a natural love of despotism—and he was cursed with the fierce Plantagenet passions, which, after

the death of the “good Queen Philippa,” dogged him down till the once gallant conqueror relapsed into dotage and “his life tlickered feebly out under the nauseous rule of a baseborn mistress.” It is a tragic picture, and even more pathetic is the delineation of the Black Prince himself. Mr. Dunn-Pattison ranks Prince Edward even before his father as a soldier; for Edward, gallant knight though he was, could never have carried

an army of 00,000 men across the Pyrenees or planned the movements that led to Poietiers and Najera. The Black Prince was, of course, a splendid warrior, but he was more. “He had that quality which Wellington said was the greatest gift of generalship—the ability to profit by the mistakes of others.” Organisation, we are told, was his forte; while as a strategist he surpassed not only his father but all the other great soldiers of the day, even his great French rival, du Guesclin. Being a Plantagenet, he could hardiv fail to be ostentatious and

extravagent, a lover of pleasure, a good friend and a relentless foe: but in spite of his tendency to waste time and money, and the occasional outbursts of ferocious cruelty of which the sack of Limoges is the worst example, he well deserved the high place he won in the hearts of his people. “A great leader, the idol of his men —a man at bottom affectionate, kind-hearted, with a deep religious feeling and an exalted sense of duty”—such was the Black Prince, and few will read Mr. Dunn-Pattison’s record of his deeds down to the strikingly pathetic close without feeling that, on the whole, the instinct of his people was sound when they hailed him as a national hero and honoured him as the best type of the Chivalry of his day. Apart from the characterisation of Edward 111. and his gallant son, Mr. Dunn-Pattison’s book contains a great deal of interesting comment upon current historical events, among which may be noted the description of the terrible Black Death, the “plague” of the 14th century, the account of the Order of the Garter, its origin and character; and the discussion of the evil effects produced upon England’s fortunes in France by the capture and retention of Calais. In spite of an occasional barrenness of style and a rather limited vocabulary, Mr. Dunn-Pattison’s work is a valuable contribution to the literature of his subject, and 16 deserves the attention of all to whom the records of the past are living and real.