GUIZOT’S best work as an essayist belongs to the undefined middle ground between the essay proper and the oration. His greatest book, “The History of Civilization in Europe,” is made up of a series of lectures delivered at the Sorbonne (1828–39), each treating a distinct phase of the larger subject in such a way as to awaken in the mind of the hearer the sense of satisfaction incident to the idea of completeness. Some of the best essays of the nineteenth century, including not a few of the most noted of Emerson, Carlyle, and Ruskin, were developed thus by the demands of the lecture platform.

  Guizot was born at Nîmes, France, October 4th, 1787. During his long life of eighty-seven years, he was not less active in politics than in literature. For eight years he was Prime Minister of France. After his fall from power, February 23d, 1848, he lived in retirement until his death, September 12th, 1874. Among his works are “The History of Civilization in Europe,” “The History of Civilization in France,” “Democracy in France,” “A Discourse on the History of the English Revolution,” “Meditations and Moral Studies,” “Love in Marriage,” “Shakespeare and His Times,” and several volumes of miscellaneous essays and studies.