I am aware that a little activity of imagination, and a slight exercise of metaphysical ingenuity, may amuse us, by showing how the chain of circumstances is so linked together, that the smallest skirmish, or the slightest occurrence of any kind, that ever occurred, may be said to have been essential, in its actual termination, to the whole order of subsequent events. But when I speak of Causes and Effects, I speak of the obvious and important agency of one fact upon another, and not of remote and fancifully infinitesimal influences. I am aware that, on the other hand, the reproach of Fatalism is justly incurred by those, who, like the writers of a certain school in a neighbouring country, recognise in history nothing more than a series of necessary phenomena, which follow inevitably one upon the other. But when, in this work, I speak of probabilities, I speak of human probabilities only. When I speak of Cause and Effect, I speak of those general laws only, by which we perceive the sequence of human affairs to be usually regulated; and in which we recognise emphatically the wisdom and power of the Supreme Lawgiver, the design of The Designer. MITRE COURT CHAMBERS, TEMPLE, June 26, 1851. CONTENTS. CHAP. I. THE BATTLE OF MARATHON Explanatory Remarks on some of the circumstances of the Battle of Marathon. Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Marathon, B.C. 490, and the Defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse, B.C. 413. CHAP. II. DEFEAT OF THE ATHENIANS AT SYRACUSE, B.C. 413. Synopsis of Events between the Defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse and the Battle of Arbela. CHAP. III. THE BATTLE OF ARBELA, B.C. 331. Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Arbela and the Battle of the Metaurus. CHAP. IV. THE BATTLE OF THE METAURUS, B.C. 207. Synopsis of Events between the Battle of the Metaurus, B.C. 207, and Arminius's Victory over the Roman Legions under Varus. A.D. 9. CHAP. V. VICTORY OF ARMINIUS OVER THE ROMAN LEGIONS UNDER VARUS, A.D. 9. Arminius. Synopsis of Events between Arminius's Victory over Varus and the Battle of Chalons. CHAP. VI. THE BATTLE OF CHALONS, A.D. 451. Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Chalons, A.D. 451, and the Battle of Tours, 732. CHAP. VII. THE BATTLE OF TOURS, A.D. 732. Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Tours, A.D. 732 and the Battle of Hastings, 1066. CHAP. VIII. THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS, A.D. 1066. Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Hastings, A.D. 1066, and Joan of Arc's Victory at Orleans, 1429. CHAP. IX. JOAN OF ARC'S VICTORY OVER THE ENGLISH AT ORLEANS, A.D. 1429. Synopsis of Events between Joan of Arc's Victory at Orleans, A.D. 1429, and the Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588. CHAP. X. THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA, A.D. 1588. Synopsis of events between the Defeat of the Spanish Armada A.D. 1588, and the Battle of Blenheim, 1704. CHAP. XI. THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM, A.D. 1704.