THE appearance of Mr. Paton's book on Servia has given us real pleasurenot so much from the intrinsic merits of the work itself, as from its being symptomatic of an awakening curiosity in matters of cotemporary history, whose importance a later period will, probably, have cause to estimate far higher than this present.

The efforts by which Servia freed herself from the withering influence of a foreign despotism-by which she shook off the cramping weight of an inferior order of civilization, and struggled into the purer atmosphere of European life-these efforts, occurring among co-religionists, and in our own day, have hitherto remained almost unnoticed among us; and yet, there was in them enough to awaken the interest of noble and generous mindsthere was in them much of the heroism which springs from man's higher nature; there was something, too, of that divine instinct which esteems life's worthiness, before life's worth; there was self-sacrifice, true-heartedness, faith-firm, earnest, and longsuffering. And even for minds less open to warm impulses-even for those whose reason has been pampered at the expense of the heart-for the mere politician, and the mere philosopher, that struggle presents a high interest. It presents this interest in its character of a revolution-the profoundest study of the politician, as of the philosopher, no matter under what latitude, what shade of civilization, or

what form of government it may occur; since, in its stronger emotions, humanity is ever true to itself, and the question here is still the ever-renewed strife between self-love and selfrespect, between justice and injustice, between the oppressor and the oppressed.

Nevertheless, all these grave claims to attention have hitherto proved but feeble for us. True, this Servian affair may possess certain romantic attractions-may, perhaps, have shown humanity under some of its finest, or, as they say, poetic aspects-but what then? It did not affect our commercial position, it offered us no new field for speculation, no important market for our manufacturing produce. In the community of nations, Britain represents the practical man; and to the practical man, what signification had all this? None! and yet the practical man is not always the far-seeing.

While practical Britain was too much engaged to give more than a passing thought to the Servian war of freedom, Germany, the theoretical, made a different estimate of the same events; she found them worthy of gravest note, worthy to occupy the time and talents of one of her most deep-thinking men-of Leopold Ranke; and Leopold Ranke has produced a work on the subject, which, brief as it necessarily is, must take an unquestioned place among the chefs d'œuvre of modern historic composition.

A history is simply the biography of

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a nation; a good history, therefore, like a good biography, will discover not only the external, but the internal life of its "hero;" will show not only the form and the manner, but also the motive of his actions; will lay before us, as far as may be, not only the idiosyncracy of the individual, but also the influences, moral and physical, among which this idiosyncracy has developed itself-for, without knowing these, what true judgment can we form either of the man or of the nation? How know through what either has struggled-how measure the inner strength, otherwise speaking, the worth of either? In the nation more especially, where the biography is but of an epoch, how, if this knowledge be wanting, may we presume to estimate its endurance for the future-the life which lies within-the destiny which lies before?

It is almost superfluous to say, that Ranke's history fulfils all these requisites of goodness.

In a former number of this periodical, (March, 1843,) the reader will find a summary of the leading events of the Servian Revolution-a sketch unshaded, but accurate, of the external life of Servia during that critical period. Referring him to this, we shall avoid, as far as possible, treating our subject from a similar point of view, and shall endeavour to present rather the inner life, of which those events were but, as it were, the sign, and the expression.

Here Professor Ranke's admirable work must be our text-book.

The

The Serves, as every one knows, are a branch of the Slavonic family, the most formidable of the later barbarian invaders of the empire. epoch of their abandoning their nomadic habits, and entering on a political existence, seems doubtful, and the solution of the doubt, is not, perhaps, of material importance. It is certain, however, that in the latter half of the ninth century, they were established as a nation under their their own rulers, (Zupans,) in nearly the same territory which they occupy at the present day. This territory (the ancient Mæsia superior) being Roman, they did not hesitate to acknowledge the supremacy of the empire, adhering still to its eastern division on the restoration of the

western, by Charlemagne, and em bracing Christianity towards the end of the ninth century, through the mission of Methodius and Cyrillus.

We must not conclude, however, from this, that they yielded entire submission either to the empire, or to the Church of the Greeks.

The common characteristic of the barbarian tribes which inundated Europe, during the earlier centuries of our era, was a sentiment of independence, merely personal in their nomadic state, but gradually expanding, as they settled down to a political existence, into that safeguard of nations, the love of liberty. When, therefore, the Servians decided upon acknowledging the supremacy of Constantinople, they did so under the express condition of never being subjected to an administration emanating from thence, thus rendering their apparent vassalage a mere matter of form.

In the eleventh century, however, the Greeks, in spite of their engagements to the contrary, made an attempt to bring Servia under their direct rule, and actually dispatched a governor thither with that object; but his appearance was the signal for a general rising, and he was compelled to fly for his life. A numerous army sent by Constantine Monomachus, (1043,) with directions to force its way into the interior, and reconsolidate the tottering supremacy, was met by the Serves in their mountain defiles, and completely annihilated.

As in the individual, the consciousness of personality is elicited and fortified by the struggle, so to speak, with the foreign principles around him, so is it with nations: in the resistance which the Servians were, from that period, compelled continually to oppose to the attempted encroachments of the Greeks, they learnt to know their own strength to concentrate themselves to become, in short, an independent people; and the growth of this self-consciousness was favoured by indirect influences. Attached from the beginning to the oriental Church, Servia remained apart from the mortal contest then raging in the West, between the spiritual and temporal powers, and had thus increased opportunity for independent development. Accordingly, in the fourteenth century, "while Russia had fallen

under the dominion of the Mongols of the Golden Horde; while Poland, under the last Piasts, had, dreading a like subjugation, attached herself to the West; while Bohemia, with all the neighbouring states, was already become, under the house of Luxembourg, the actual seat of occidental civilization-the kings of the wooded mountain, on the contrary, the Servian Krales, remained unfettered, in proud independence."

Under Stephen Dushan, Servia reached her apogee.

"His rule extended from the district of the Upper Raschka, as far as the Save. Blessed by his priests, he sallied forth to encounter a formidable attack made by Hungary, then fiercely striving for power under Louis I., and returned successful; it is, moreover, highly probable, that he made the acquisition, at least for a time, of Belgrade. In 1347 we find him at Ragusa, where he is received with European honors, and acknowledged as Suzerain. The Skipitars in Albania followed his banners Arta and Joannina were in his possession. His Voyoodes spread themselves over the whole Romaic region on the Vardar and the Marizza, as far as Bulgaria, which he at the same time presumed to treat as a province of his empire."

Nay, he even assumed the title of emperor, calling himself "the Christloving Macedonian Czar," and actually wearing the Tiara. On his coins he appears with the terrestrial globe, surmounted by a cross, in his hand.

Such and so great was the Servian empire of Stephen Dushan. A structure rugged-semi-barbarous perhaps ; but still presenting to the eye a certain massive grandeur, impressing upon the mind an idea of power, a sentiment of durability.

That sentiment, however, vanishes before a closer inspection. The position of independence which Servia had assumed, however glorious and proud it may appear, had one most prejudicial effect by isolating her from the more advanced nations around, it closed the entrance to all beneficial influences from these, and thus deprived her of the strongest stimulus to the development of civilization. Hence, the social elements within were never properly amalgamated, never subjected to the graduated processes of assimila

tion, then actually going on in neighbouring countries. The hostile principles existing in these elements were, indeed, restrained by the genius of Dushan, but not neutralized. At his death they broke out with fiercer vigour. The sovereign power was split up by factious disputes among members of his own family, and these served as a pretext to the subordinate authorities for casting off all semblance of submission.

The moment of anarchy was unfortunately chosen-it was just that moment when the expansive energies of Islamism began to press against Europe; and the geographical position of Servia placed her in the van of the approaching conflict.

The result of this collision could not be long doubtful. The prominent characteristic of the Turkish nation was precisely that unity which we have indicated as the great flaw in the Servian political edifice. On one side, then, we have a strongly knit fraternity of warriors, all vassals of one lord, all inspired by a faith, whose young vigour rioted into fanaticisin; on the other, an ill-consorted assemblage of clans-valiant indeed, but still united by no closer tie than the common prospect of a danger, which each might estimate differently, according to the distinct interests at stake.

Dating from the defeat of Kossovo (1389), Servia gradually fell under the complete dominion of the Turks, and came finally to be treated by them as a conquered country.

"The peasantry were carried from Belgrade to Constantinople, in order to bring in the harvest, as serfs, from the meadows of the Grand Seignior. The land was portioned out among the Spahi, to whom the inhabitants were compelled to doservice, both personal and material, on the hardest terms. Every five years the tribute of boys was exacted, carrying off the flower and hope of the nation, and turning its forces against itself."

To support and serve the army of true believers settled among themsuch was in Servia, as indeed in all the provinces of the Porte, the iron task of the Christian vassals-the Rajahs. They had, moreover, to cultivate the land, and bear all its burdens. Let us see what these were.