THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF ENGLAND. BY THOMAS KEIGHTLEY. REVISED AND EDITED, WITH NOTES AND ADDITIONS, BY JOSHUA TOULMIN SMITH, AUTHOR OF "COMPARATIVE VIEW OF ANCIENT HISTORY," "NORTHMEN IN NEW ENGLAND," ETC. NEW YORK: THE WORLD PUBLISHING HOUSE, 139 EIGHTH STREET. 1876. HISTORY OF ENGLAND. BY THOMAS KEIGHTLEY. REVISED AND EDITED, WITH NOTES AND ADDITIONS, AUTHOR OF BY JOSHUA TOULMIN SMITH, COMPARATIVE VIEW OF ANCIENT HISTORY," "NORTHMEN IN TWO VOLUMES IN ONE. VOL I. NEW YORK: THE WORLD PUBLISHING HOUSE, 139 EIGHTH STREET. IN presenting this work to the public, some remarks are owing from the Editor explanatory of the office which he has discharged in reference to it. In the two former Histories of this series, (the Histories of Greece and Rome of the same author,) the chief labor has been confined to a careful revision of notes and authorities, the correction of any casual errors, the omission of any doubtful expressions of opinion, and the careful preparation of an assistant table of contemporary history. The work now before us requires, however, something more of editorial labor, which it is only fair to the Author and Reader to point out. I. Histories of Greece and Rome allude to matters concerning which the inhabitants of England and America have equal means of information. That which, in its allusions, is adapted to one country, is, therefore, equally so to another. This is not the case, however, with respect to a history of England. Such a history, written in England, must necessarily contain allusions familiar to every inhabitant of that country, but which will not be thus familiar to others. Notes or alterations are then sometimes necessary, in order to make these allusions clear. II. Mr. Keightley is, in general, remarkable, above all other historians, for his candor, his freedom from party bias. He generally gives the facts on each side with equal fairness and freedom, and his expressions of opinion in respect to agitated or party questions are usually equally unbiased and independent. But there are, as it is impossible there should not be, occasional instances in which a prejudice or bias is apparent. As it is most important that history should comprise a rigidly strict adherence to facts, without any biased interpretation of those facts by the historian, the Eartor has thought it his duty to prune all such exhibitions of prejudice or bias. It will be observed that opinions, not facts, are here spoken of. No fact has ever been altered, for Mr. Keightley |