They may then, like
Homer's _Iliad_, Shakespeare's _Macbeth_, and some of Irving's and Cooper's
work, be, in Celtic phrase, "more historical than history itself." History
of this latter type lives, and is a treasure in the literature of any
nation.
WILLIAM H. PRESCOTT (1796-1859).--Like Washington Irving, Prescott was
attracted by the romantic achievements of Spain during the years of her
brilliant successes, and he wrote four histories upon Spanish subjects: a
_History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella_ (1837), a _History of the
Conquest of Mexico_ (1843), a _History of the Conquest of Peru_ (1847), and
a _History of the Reign of Philip II_. (1855-1858), the last of which he
did not live to complete.
He was a careful, painstaking student. He learned the Spanish language, had
copies made of all available manuscripts and records in Europe, and closely
compared contemporary accounts so as to be certain of the accuracy of his
facts. Then he presented them in an attractive form. His _Ferdinand and
Isabella_ and the part he finished of _Philip II_. are accurate and
authoritative to-day because the materials which he found for them are
true.
Pages:
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336