bewildering country to a traveller who, before he set out, had never heard of any but the county towns. He set out to see the towns of England; but here are other towns of which no notice is taken in his Guide-Book. "Surely," he would say, I ought to have heard of Manchester as well as Lancaster, of Birmingham as well as Warwick. The Guide-Book I studied was a most defective one." case of the historical student is somewhat similar. Give him a meagre compendium, and, when he commences a larger history, he is discouraged he is undertaking an entirely new study; but let him be tolerably furnished beforehand, and he cheerfully fills up a drawing of which he has already sketched the outline. The And an answer is thus applied to the second question, Why are no more events, and persons, and places mentioned, than occur in these pages? The history is written for youthful students, of whom two things must be said; 1st, Their memory must not be taxed unreasonably; and 2ndly, They must be left to fill in their history for themselves. The young like to make discoveries-to compose, in fact— and to feel that they are doing so. This they can never do, if every thing that can be said on a subject is laid before them at once. They love to add something here and there for themselves-to complete, by degrees, their knowledge of an event or course of events, or their conception of an historical personage. They like (if we may borrow an analogy from the fine arts) to have laid before them, at first, Wilkie's original sketch of one of his celebrated pictures; then, his second draught, containing perhaps some new figure, and bringing out some exquisite trait of character not visible before; then his more matured drawing with nicer touches still; and last of all, his finished effort of art. It is hoped that this will account for, if not excuse, the occasional want of detail, which, after all, a compendium like the present must obviously exhibit. 7. No effort has been made to write an original history, or to display learning and research. The aim both of the Author and of the Reviser has been to exhibit simply and plainly the leading outlines of the History of a Land, in which God has graciously planted the Church wherein they labour. They will be satisfied, if, while they have performed their task faithfully, they have sometimes and in some degree directed their readers to "the Most High," who "ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.” March 21, 1849. P.S. The Reviser has nothing to add to his statement made above, save an expression of thankfulness that the Revised Edition has been called for year by year since 1849, and a hope that it may continue to be useful to the young. Feb. 10, 1853. 1 LAND. ANS. 9. h of our blessed |