Book excerpt: This classic collection of historical readings offers a comprehensive overview of English and European history from ancient times to the 19th century. Edited by Elizabeth Sewell and Charlotte Yonge, this book features selections from primary sources as well as secondary literature, providing a wealth of insights into the key events, personalities, and themes that shaped European history. This book is an essential resource for students and scholars of history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.