XIV INTRODUCTION

France sustained the advance it made between 1830 and 1850; but prophecy is not the province of history: ‘L’histoire est un art, ce n’est pas une science ; on n’y réussit que par l’imagination” ; yet even M. Anatole France would admit the necessity for technical skill in art, and for this, no less than for the originality of his method, his high purpose, and his breadth of view, Tocqueville must ever remain a model for writers of history.

May, 1904.

Note. The Authors notes are referred to by an*, the Editor’s notes by an ?, placed in the text at the beginning or end of the passage commented on. :

AVANT-PROPOS . . : . 5 : s . se