Six men, Seeley (1834-95), Lecky (1838 1903), Freeman (1823-92), Stubbs (1825-1901), Creighton (1843-1901), and Gardiner (1829 1902), were the most conspicuous representa tives of the tendency to pursue in history the methods of scientific accuracy. The order in which the names are placed here indicates the progressive ascendancy of specialization in historical research. The six men's modes of work differed in detail among themselves. See ley and Lecky sought to graft a broad phil osophic tone on their historical investigations. Freeman, Stubbs, Creighton and Gardiner rarely suffered their minds to stray from their en deavors to accumulate and to test the facts which illustrated the evolution of politics or political institutions. As a consequence the writings of Seeley and Lecky assimilated a finer literary spirit than those of their asso ciates. While the permanent value of the scientific treatment of history is now admitted, there is risk of repelling students by too severe a presentation of the results of research, and it may be that the new method stands in need of a greater infusion of literary art before its credentials will be accepted universally. Gard iner, the latest of the 19th century historians to pass away (d. 23 Feb. 1902), labored with rare self-denial within a narrow range of English political history, the early and middle years of the 17th century. He made small endeavor to cultivate the literary graces.
Another indication of the progress of scien tific method in the province of literature is found in the energy which has of late years been applied to textual criticism of standard authors and to the publication of historic docu ments. The British government has undertaken
the issue of state papers, of the muniments of great families and of official records. Private voluntary societies have co-operated in such endeavors, and with their aid local archaeology has especially been investigated with an unex ampled thoroughness. Other private literary societies, like the Early English Text Society, and numerous private publishing firms, follow ing the examples set by the presses of the great universities of Oxford and Cambridge, have placed at the disposal of the public, ac curate texts of the great literary monuments of the country. In undertakings like the Dic tionary of National Biography and the Oxford English Dictionary, efforts have been made to co-ordinate and codify on a large scale the hitherto scattered fruits of historical, literary and philological research. All these enter prises are tributes to the ascendancy of scien tific method. They bear testimony to the trend of 19th century thought and literature, which shows during the last half, decay of the purely imaginative impulse, and advance of the purely scientific. But there is nothing in the nature of the present situation to preclude the revival in due time of such imaginative energy, as distinguished the first half of the century. Scientific and imaginative achievements are complementary fruits of the intellect. They need not be mutually exclusive. The future is likely to bring to light an accommodation of their respective pretensions to mastery in the realms of thought. There is small reason why science and pure literature should not flourish in perfect development side by side.