PREFACE. Ir has been the design of the Author, in this Volume, to present to the reader the events of English and General History in a form hitherto unattempted in this country. By the method which he has employed, the eye is called to the aid of the memory, in accordance with the principle expressed in the well-known lines of Horace : "Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem Quam quæ sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus, et quæ There are Tables and Epitomes of English History in abundance; but the Author has felt the want of a work combining the interest of a continuous narrative with the clearness of the tabular form; and thus equally suitable for the general reader, the higher classes in schools, and the student preparing for examination. This want the Author has endeavoured to supply by the publication of the present volume. The first column in each page contains, in chronological order, a brief abstract of the leading events of the period under review. In the second column fuller details are given with reference to those points which require a more lengthened notice. The third column is occupied by a summary of the principal occurrences in contemporaneous History. By this classification, it is believed that the student will not only be assisted in remembering the order of our Sovereigns, and the chief characteristics of their reigns, but be enabled readily to trace the connection between the events of each epoch of English History, and those of the corresponding periods in the history of other nations. At the end of each Line of Kings a rapid sketch is given of important constitutional and legal changes. The last of these summaries exhibits a complete view of the present state of the British Empire and of the condition of its people. The Genealogies of the several lines are also given, and Tables of the Battles of the Civil Wars, and of the principal Treaties and Statutes, are appended to the Volume. In a work so elementary in its character, professing to treat only of subjects which belong to the common stock of History, it is unnecessary to refer to authorities. It is sufficient to say that no pains have been spared to render the narrative accurate. It is hoped that this volume will not only be found serviceable for the instruction of the young, but that it will prove a useful book of reference to the more advanced student. The health of the Author has precluded him from continuing the History beyond the reign of William IV. He is indebted to the kindness of a literary friend for the narrative of the events which have occurred during the reign of Queen Victoria, and for the "Remarks on the Hanoverian Line.” |