hemence in slaughtering its foes. Such reviewing
cannot be fairly described as journalism. It was an historical
scholar speaking to scholars.
Another class of articles written by Mr. Green were articles on
towns in England, France, or Italy. I do not know whether it was
he or Mr. Freeman who introduced this custom of bringing into a
short space the historical aspect of a single town or of a famous
building, and showing how the town or the building recorded its
own history, and how it was linked to general history, but Mr.
Green, at least, began it very early in his articles on Oxford. At
any rate, it was his habit, at this time, whenever he travelled in
England, France, or Italy, to make a study of any town he
visited.
Articles of this kind--and he had them by fifties in his
head--formed the second line of what has been called his
journalism. I should prefer to call them contributions to history.
They are totally different in quality from ordinary journalism.
They are short historical essays.
As his duties at Lambeth made no great demands on his time, he was now
able to devote himself more steadily to historical work. His first
impulse in that direction seems, as I have said, to have been received
from Dean Stanley at Oxford. His next came from E. A. Freeman, who had
been impressed by an ingenious paper of his at a meeting of the
Somerset Archaeological Society, and who became from that time his
steadfast friend. Green was a born historian, who would have been
eminent without any help except that of books. But he was wise enough
to know the value of personal counsel and direction, and generous
enough to be heartily grateful for what he received. He did not belong
in any special sense to what has been called Freeman's school,
differing widely from that distinguished writer in many of his views,
and still more in style and manner. But he learnt much from Freeman,
and he delighted to acknowledge his debt. He learnt among other things
the value of accuracy, the way to handle original authorities, the
interpretation of architecture, and he received, during many years of
intimate intercourse, the constant sympathy and encouragement of a
friend whose affection was never blind to faults, while his
admiration was never clouded by jealousy. It was his good fortune to
win the regard and receive the advice of another illustrious
historian, Dr. Stubbs, who has expressed in language perhaps mo
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