Fifteenth-Century England 1399–1509 ed. by S.B. Chrimes, C.D. Ross, R.A. Griffiths

210 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW not uncritically. One greatvirtueof thebookisitsfrequently dryand realistic appraisal of manycontemporary changes. Thoughusuallyinclinedtowardthe progressive position, it triesto givea balancedand intelligenttreatmentof the consas well as the pros.Nevertheless, opinionsare opinions,and Professor Fieming's co.me throughmostunguardedly in hisexcessive enthusiasm for the free-choice curriculum,hisimpatience with Hilda Neatby's So Little For The Mind, hisscantregardfor the anti-progressive EducationMinisterDunlop of the z95os. The tension between the author'ssincere conviction andhisstriking fairnesshas somecuriousresults,as for examplein his tacit assumption that 'innovation' isa GoodThing,despite pointed admissions thatmanyinnovations do asmuchharmasrigid traditionalism. Evenmoresurprising ishisassertion thatprogressive and essentialist approaches cannotbe combined, that a choice mustbemade.Surelyeducational experience shows that theymustbecombined, and in practicealwaysare. The book'sown even-tempered and informative examination ofthetwoapproaches wouldseem tobearthisout. The excellence of thewholestudyissomewhat marredbyunsatisfactory indexinganda brieffinalchapter whichshould eitherhavebeengreatlybroadenedin scope or left out altogether. Comparedto the restof the book,it only trifleswith the subject. And onehasto add that a bettertitle wascalledfor. It is misleading, sincethe wholebookmakesclear that, until very recently, Ontariowasnot in theleastpreoccupied with education. These,however, are minorcriticisms whenplacedagainstthevirtuesof this lucidand knowledgeable work,a worksomuchbetterthanonemightexpect in the currenteducational atmosphere. Avoidinganytrace. of jargonor educationese , it is veryvaluableindeed,eitheras an introductionfor thosenew to thesubject, or asan analytical summary for those alreadyacquainted with this crisis-ridden educational system. JAMES DALY McMaster University GREAT BRITAIN Fi[teenth-Century England•399-•5o9. Editedby s.B.ClHRIMES, C.D.ROSS, and R.A.ORXFI*XTHS. Manchester,ManchesterUniversityPress,x972. Pp. vi, x92. œ2.76. The essays in thisuseful volume arejustified notonlybecause theyareunited abouta single theme,theusualapology for suchcollections, but because they introducethat theme,'studies in politicsand society' in fifteenth-century England ,in theonlywayin whichit canbedoneresponsibly at themoment. We arenotreadyfor a newsynthetic treatment of thelast'mediaeval' century in England, andwe are in debtto the organizers of the Cardiffcolloquium of •97o, Professors Ross andGriffiths, andto thewriters whohavesubsequently revised andexpanded theiroriginal papers, for a bookthatdeserves to beread REVIEWS 211 widely.Behindthevolumetherestands themassive ghostly presence of Bruce McFarlane,the posthumous publication of whose papers is perhaps the most importantsingle undertaking in fifteenth-century studies justat themoment. There are sevenessays here,whosesubjects rangefrom the stateof the marches of Scotland (R.L. Storey)andWales(R.A. Griffiths)to thereigns of thevarious Kings,HenrysIv, vI, andvii and Edwardiv, andthegeneralcondition of 'The magnates, knightsand gentry' (T.B. Pugh). Intellectualand culturalmattersarenot dealtwith,nor (whichismoresurprising) iseconomic history. Giventhose limitations, however, theindividual chapters areall at least competently done,and someare of outstanding interest. T.B. Pugh's chapter on the landedclasses is the longest in the collection and oneo.fthe mostimportant , containing a majorcriticism o.fH.L. Gray's influential study about the landedwealthof the late mediaeval gentry.Pugh's essay develops into a general thesisabout the relations between the landed classes and the crown in the years before Bosworth, andreinforces Professor Wolffe's conclusions aboutthe centralimportance of the personal policyof HenryvI. Wolffe's chapter,the second in thebook,isanother valuable contribution, andintroduces oneof the leitmotive of currentstudy,the criticalimportance of the last Lancastrian reign. Another such theme appears in these twoessays andemerges also in the chapter by Professor Storey-thatof thecomplex relations notonlybetween the crownand baronage, but between the crownconsidered as a baronial power andthedivided interests of individual magnates andtheirallies. A.L. Brown's opening chapter ontheestablishment of theLancastrian regime isa detailed examination of themenuponwhomheholds Henryiv actually relied, theirnames takenchiefly fromwitness lists. C.D. Ross supplies a valuable critique ofChrimes's favourable reassessment ofthereign ofEdward iv,rectifying thebalance witha scrutiny of theking's deviousness andavarice, andpro.testingagainst thetendency tosee in him'a Mk. I version ofHenryvii.'Professor Chrimes himself writesaboutthe reignof Henryvii, devoting himselfmostly to a criticalappraisal of recent work,although hemaintains hisgeneral position that the firstTudor was'muchless originalor innovatory than usedto be supposed.' It musthavebeenaninteresting conference. JAMES K. MCCONICA Pontiiqcal Instituteo[Mediaeval Studies England andtheBaltic intheElizabethan Era.HENRYK ZINS. Translated from Polish byH.c.STWVV. NS.Manchester, Manchester University Press, •97•. Pp. xii, 347. œ4 .8oThisistheEnglish translation ofawork published originally inPolish in •967 . It isessentially a study oftheearly history oftheEastland Company, dealing withtheperiod immediately preceding thatcovered byR.W.K.Hinton. Mr Zins' principal thesis isthatthere aretwomain reasons why thefoundationof theEastland Company in i579 isof crucial importance forwhathe rather whiggishly refers toas'theEnglish historical process.' First it signified ...