Current Literature [pp. 482-488]

CURRENT LITERATURE.
United States are not as fortunate as the Na- ues which bigotry and tyranny had broken
huas in possessing a collective adjective de- and mutilated, and, as they hoped, had buscriptive of their aggregate unity. ried beneath the ground forever.
The division of this territory into the re- In this he is neither the rival nor competi.
gions called respectively tierra caliente, tier- tor of Prescott, for neither his plan nor his
ra temjplada, tierrafria, and tierra frigida, field is the same. Prescott wrote the history
with the other features of physical geography of the conquest of Mexico, of the conquest
which so greatly influence the history and of a portion of the Nahuas, and of the overconditions of nations, are boldly and rapidly throw of some of their monarchies. Mr.
delineated (pages 87-89, etc.), and the plan Bancroft reconstructs the history and the
of the volume is thus indicated: body politic of two great families of the ab "My treatment of the subject is essentially original race, and in order to pervade himas follows: The civilized peoples of North self with the ethnic spirit of the race, and to
America naturally group themselves into two supply himself with most abundant materials
great divisions, which for convenience may for generalization, he extends his researches
be called the Nahuas and the Mayas respect- to the equator on the one side, and to the
ively; the first representing the Aztec civil- pole on the other. He sometimes differs
ization of Mexico, and the second the Maya- with Prescott, although he does not always
Quich6 civilization of Central America. In state the fact, and when he does so we aldescribing their manners and customs, five ways find ourselves of his opinion. He is
large divisions may be made of each group. familiar with the historic theories of Hume,
The first may be said to include the sys- Buckle, Spencer, Mill, Draper, and the othtems of government, the order of succession, er great leaders in modern thought, but he
the ceremonies of election, coronation, and is not afraid to decline to accept their conanointment, the magnificence, power, and clusions, or even to reject them altogether.
manner of life of their kings; court forms He seems to delude himself with the notion
and observances; the royal palaces and gar- that he is only recording facts, and does not
dens. The second comprises the social sys- express any opinions, while he is remarkable
tem - the classes of nobles, gentry, plebe- for the boldness of his thought, and the freeians, and slaves; taxation, tenure, and dis. dom of its expression. The magnanimity
tribution of lands; vassalage and feudal ser- with which he does justice to the zeal, pervice; the inner life of the people; their fam- severance, learning, and other admirable
ily and private relations, such as marriage, qualities of Brasseur de Bourbourg, (pages
divorce, and education of youth; other mat- 780-78I), after the latter had made a conters, such as their dress, food, games, feasts, fession which drew upon himself the ridicule
and dances, knowledge of medicine, and of the literary world, would have taxed the
manner of burial. The third division includes courage of an older and more experienced
their system of war, their relations with for- writer than Mr. Bancroft.
eign powers, their warriors and orders of One of the great difficulties which a writer
knighthood, their treatment of prisoners of must encounter who endeavors at this late
war, and their weapons. The fourth divis. time to reconstruct any portion of the native
ion embraces their system of trade and com- civilized races of Central America, is the un merce, the community of merchants, their certain testimony of the ancient historians.
sciences, arts, and manufactures. The fifth And this uncertainty does not come from one
and last considers their judiciary, law-courts, cause, but from many causes. The difficulty
and legal officials." (Page I24.) is notwith the relation of incredible things, for
This plan he has carried into execution these may be rejected altogether, such as the
with remarkable success. For he has reha- assertions that the Aztecs could shoot with
bilitated and restored to a historic position three or four arrows at a time; or throw an
in the list of nations two great families ear of corn into the air, and pierce every
that had never received the place which be- kernel with an arrow before it reached the
longed to them. He has resurrected and ground; or throw up a coin into the air, and
placed on their pedestals two historic stat- keep it suspended there as long as they
1875.]
483