the Eighty Years’ War, which secured the civil and religious independence of the Dutch Commonwealth and of Europe, was the great event of that whole age.

The whole work will therefore cover a most remarkable epoch in human history, from the abdication of Charles Fifth to the Peace of Westphalia, at which last point the political and geographical arrangements of Europe were established on a permanent basis,—­in the main undisturbed until the French Revolution. . . .

I will mention that I received yesterday a letter from the distinguished M. Guizot, informing me that the first volume of the French translation, edited by him, with an introduction, has just been published.  The publication was hastened in consequence of the appearance of a rival translation at Brussels.  The German translation is very elegantly and expensively printed in handsome octavos; and the Dutch translation, under the editorship of the archivist general of Holland, Bakhuyzen v. d.  Brink, is enriched with copious notes and comments by that distinguished scholar.

There are also three different piratical reprints of the original work at Amsterdam, Leipzig, and London.  I must add that I had nothing to do with the translation in any case.  In fact, with the exception of M. Guizot, no one ever obtained permission of me to publish translations, and I never knew of the existence of them until I read of it in the journals. . . .  I forgot to say that among the collections already thoroughly examined by me is that portion of the Simancas archives still retained in the Imperial archives of France.  I spent a considerable time in Paris for the purpose of reading these documents.  There are many letters of Philip ii. there, with apostilles by his own hand. . . .  I would add that I am going to pass this summer at Venice for the purpose of reading and procuring copies from the very rich archives of that Republic, of the correspondence of their envoys in Madrid, London, and Brussels during the epoch of which I am treating.

I am also not without hope of gaining access to the archives of the
Vatican here, although there are some difficulties in the way.

With kind regards . . . 
I remain very truly yours,
J. L. Motley.

XV.

1860.  At. 46.

Publication of the first two volumes of the “History of the united Netherlands.”—­Their reception.

We know something of the manner in which Mr. Motley collected his materials.  We know the labors, the difficulties, the cost of his toils among the dusty records of the past.  What he gained by the years he spent in his researches is so well stated by himself that I shall borrow his own words:—­