Literature.

Literature .

EEVIEWS . The DevelopmenL of the Associative Principle during the Middle Ages . B y CHRISTOPHER BARKER . London : Longmans . THE above work is the substance of three lectures recently delivered to the Huddersfield Early Closing Association , aud they arc put forth as the popular addresses of a lecturerso that we

, do not look in them for very profound research ; but we find that to such stores as were accessible to him , Mr . Barker has turned in a sympathising spirit and has very judiciously selected such points as would be most likel y to make an impression on so mixed an assembly as a lecturer generally has to deal with . He treats of the " Economy of Monastic Life , " in the fust lecture ; " Trade Guildstheir object and government " in the

, , second ; and " The Military Brotherhoods of the Middle Ages " , in the third . The second lecture was , perhaps , the most interesting to his audience , which , as manufacturers , must have been more to their habits than the other two ; and although the lecturer was addressing a number of persons intimately connected with the theory and practice of modern manufacturing industry , he was not called upon to depreciate the social machinery

of mediaeval commerce , or to disparage its results . His summary of the trade guilds is a very good one , affording an ample insight into their government , and the stimulus they brought to bear upon manufactures in general . As a specimen of Mr . Barker ' s argument and treatment , we have selected the following : — " To this day the names , aud in some cases a portion of the functions , of tliese early societies exist . In London , more especially , tho stately tokens of ancient honour still

belong to them , with remnants of ancient wealths and patronage , aud power . Their charters , or such fragments of them as the mildew or vermin have spared , may still be read by the curious . Possessors of broad lands , of church preferments , surrounded by almost regal insignia , and at all times intimately associated with the honour and prowess of the realm , these associations may well claim from the annalist something more than a passing notice ; they are all which noiy remain of a vast organization which once penetrated the entire

trading life of England—an organization set on foot to realize that most necessary ( if most difficult ) condition of commercial excellence under which man should deal faithfully with his brother , to realize the desideratum that all wares offered for sale , of whatever kind , should honestly be what they pretend to be . These associations may not inaptly be compared to the then military organization of the country ; as so ninny

industrial regiments quartered in every town , each with their own selfelected officers , whoso duty ivas to exercise authority over all persons professing the business to which they belonged ; who were to see that no person undertook to supply articles which he had not been educated to manufacture ; who were to determine the prices at which such articles were to be sold ; above all , who wore to take care that the common people really bought at shops or stalls what they supposed themselves to be buyingthat cloth put for sale true clothof

; up was , honest texture , and lawful lengths ; that leather was sound and well tanned ; that wine was pure , and the measure jlist ; iu short , who were to look to it that in all contracts bctwocu man and man for the supply of man ' s necessities , what wc call honesty of dealing should be truly and faithfully observed . An organization for this purpose did once reall y exist in England , and generally throughout Europe ; really trying to do the work which it was intended to doIu London the metropolis

. , as , a central council sat for every branch of trade , and tliis council was in communication with the highest officials of the crown , and not unfrequeutly with royalty itself . Composed of the most experienced and respectable members of the profession , the office of this council was to determine prices , fix wages , arrange the rules of apprenticeship , and discuss all details connected with the business on which legislation might be required . Further , this council received the reports of searchers office in of

—an preserved some our old towns , where the names of trade companies are still retained—high officers taken from their own body , whose business was to inspect , in company with the mayor or nome other civic dignitary , the shops of the respective traders ; to receive complaints , and to examine into them . In each provincial town where these trade guilds existed , local councils sat iu connection with the municipal authoritiescharged with like dutiesand if

, , were , need required , the medium of communication between the privy council or the crown ; forwarding memorials , and proclaiming as law the statutes framed to meet such delinquencies or evasions as might require legislative interference . No person was allowed to open a trade or commence a manufacture , either in London or the provinces , unless he had first served his apprenticeship ; unless he could prove to the satisfaction of the authorities that ho ivas perfect in his Craftand

. ; unless he submitted as a matter of course to their supervision . " Mr . Barker is one who is not blinded to the faults of our modern management of businefs , and is certainly rather hard upon it , but at the same time lie does no more than expose some ol the too flagrant instances which ire are now in the habit of hearing of daily . For instance , he tells us

;" I was , in the preparation of this paper , strongly tempted to offer at some length a plea for a kindly verdict for these interesting institutions of a bygone day . I might have urged that they provided against undue competition—that they afforded a guarantee to the public and to themselves against quackery and deception—that there was exhibited iu them a perfect spirit of equality , combined with a due gradation o £ rank , each member regarding his fellow as a brother , and feeling that ho to

was subject no regulations but what had been framed for the interest of all , _ and which he might be called upon one day to supervise and administer ; that the apprentice looked up to the workman , and the workman to the master ; that all regarded the council of administration with that respect which is duo to talent when invested with authority , each acting under the conviction that his own safety was best insured by the joint co-ordination and mutual assistance of all . But upon these subjects I must not enter . If feel inclined to smile at some of the

you puerilities which tliese early corporations exhibit , do justice to their honesty , their industry , their public spirit , and their munificence . If you are prepared to contend that the system was iu direct contradiction to sound political aud social economy , do so with charity , if not with hesitation . In this our own day , when ive are periodically subjected to convulsions in almost all branches of our commerce—when our legislature and our chambers of commerce are utterly powerless to devise or construct means to check the hideous and scandalous frauds in our

bankruptcy and insolvent courts—when the very question ' Is British commerce really sound at tho core ? ' is asked in all seriousness—we may well pause when we feel disposed to break down the few remaining protective , or rather regulative , barriers left us by our forefathers . Bather let ns whisper to ourselves , may not something worthy of imitation be gathered from the study of tho characters of these honest and sturdy old traders ; and may not some useful ( though to our self-conceit miplcasaut ) lessons be leaned from an examination into the modes and

g principles upon which they conducted their not inconsiderable commercial transactions ; and really , my friends , I much fear that the result of such an inquiry , honestly and impartially gone into , would not be more damaging to our boasted superiority than it would be condemnatory of that spirit of recklessness and imprudence which , unfortunately , is but too prevalent among us . "

We should have liked to have entered upon the lecture on the " Military Brotherhoods , " but as that subject has already been elucidated more fully than our author attempts , in those excellent papers "On Chivalry" which appeared in the last scries of the Freemasons ' Magazine , wc forbare to touch upon the subject . For pleasant reading , modelled upon some amount of research , and interesting in itself , we know no better little work than this .

NOTES ON LITERATURE , SCIENCE AND ART . MESSRS . LONGMAN are preparing for publication a work to be entitled "Greek History , from Tliomistoclcs to Alexander , iu a series of Lives from Plutarch . " The author is Mr . Clough , formerly Fellow of Oriel , to whom we are indebted for the excellent revision of the translation of Plutarch commonly known as Drydon ' s , recently published by

Messrs , Sampson Low and Son , Mr . Akorman is retiring from his post of secretary to the Society of Antiquaries on account of failing health . The place is , therefore , open . Two or three candidates arc iu the field : but the council , wo understand , have agreed to recommend Mr . Watson , of Trinity College , Cambridge , to the choice of the fellows . We regret to hear of the death of Mr . IT . IT . Wilson , Bodeu Professor

of Sanscrit , aud Historian of India . He died iu AVimpole-streot , on Tuesday week , in his seventy-fifth year . Mr . Wilson was one of our few really great Oriental scholars ; but ho had nobly done his noblo work , aud he has passed away from us full of years and service . At a recent meeting of the Massachusetts Historical Society , the now volume of the transactions of the society was presented . It contains many interesting pajiers , rich in historic matter , and several

commemorative addresses made before the society upon the occasions of the deaths of Prescott , Hallam , Macaulay , Choatc , Humboldt , and Irving . At the same meeting was brought forward the second volume of the catalogue , which has been long in preparation . The two volumes of the catalogue of the society's present collection occupy 13 S 2 closely printed pages , in which aro not included their many valuable MSS . A catalogue of the latter is iu preparation . This collection is tho most

important one in America . The annual meeting of the Dramatic Authors' Society took place the other day—writes a correspondent in Paris—and the results are now published . The Society itself is not over rich , its rest amounting only to 0 , 450 francs ; but the account of the sums derived by dramatic authors from the various theatres is truly magnificent , It seems that