is supposed that popular opinion is always right. Thomas was certainly not the wisest and most admirable of men, though the popular opinion of Europe voted him such, and went on so voting for a couple of centuries. Popular opinion was not only wrong about this man, but was in absolute ignorance about his policy. Thomas by his action broke up the reforming party which under the guidance of Archbishop Theobald had been making for a revival of the Church of England on a definite spiritual basis.

In October he read a paper at the Wolverhampton Church Congress on 'The Church and History.''

In 1888 he was examiner for the Historical Tripos, and also adjudicator for the Prince Consort, the Norrisian, and the Thirlwall Historical prizes. This year saw the beginning of the agitation for conferring degrees upon women in Cambridge. Creighton's attitude on the subject was a disappointment to most of his Newnham friends, who had hoped that with his genuine interest in women's education he would certainly be in favour of granting them degrees. He considered the University to be a corporation founded for definite purposes, and that the admission of women to degrees would involve a fundamental change in the idea of the University, and would not really advance the cause of women's education. He was always anxious for educational experiments, and would have preferred to see women free to devise their own educational system, rather than be fettered with the limitations imposed on men in many cases by the traditions of the past. He did not take any active part in the struggle, and did not sign any of the various memorials presented to the Senate on the subject, but he was sympathetic with the suggestion that a new and independent authority should be formed to grant degrees to the women of both the Oxford and Cambridge Colleges; however, as this proposal did not commend itself to the women concerned, he thought it useless to press it.

In April 1888 his monograph on Cardinal Wolsey appeared in the series of Twelve English Statesmen published by Messrs. Macmillan. He had a great admiration for Wolsey's intellectual powers and force of character, and considered

him a notable exception to the great majority of English statesmen, who are 'generally opportunists or choose to represent themselves as such.' He speaks of him as probably the greatest political genius whom England has ever produced;' as 'greater than his achievements, to be estimated by what he chose to do rather than by what he did.'

He next undertook to write on his native city of Carlisle for Professor Freeman's series of Historic Towns; this book he wrote for the historical not for the antiquarian student. His object was to show how the life of the town developed amid the unrest produced by its position on the border. It was a subject to which his early memories attracted him. 'Much as I have learned from books,' he says in the preface, I feel that I have learned more from many wanderings on foot through the Border land.' His understanding of the character of the people of Carlisle, above all his sympathy with the fortunes of the fabric of its cathedral and his loving appreciation of its shattered beauty, show how permanent had been the influence of his early surroundings. The book was published in 1889.

In April of this year he had the pleasure of making the personal acquaintance of one of his historical correspondents, Count Ugo Balzani, of Rome. This acquaintance rapidly became a close friendship; the two men had many tastes and sympathies in common, and the friendship extended to their families. After this not a year passed in which we did not spend some time with the Balzanis either in Italy or England. The delight and ease of this intercourse increased Creighton's attraction to the Italian character, which he considered, in spite of such marked superficial differences, more really sympathetic to the English than either the French or German. He said that he found it easy to understand the Italians, and that the common sense which was the foundation of their character harmonised with the English disposition.

In September 1889 we were able to go abroad together. We went this time to Dalmatia; going down the coast from Trieste in one of the Austrian Lloyd steamers, and stopping at the most interesting towns. He had prepared himself for this journey by studying Mr. T. G. Jackson's admirable book on the architecture of that district.

The strange beauty of the coast, the varied costumes of the people, and the exceeding attraction of the buildings, made it a most interesting journey. He felt that much was to be learnt from the study of the architecture which showed an unbroken tradition from the time of the Romans till the end of the sixteenth century, and made clear the steps by which classical architecture passed into Gothic.

We went as far as the enchanting Bocche di Cattaro, and from Cattaro ascended the Montenegrin mountain and visited Cettigne. We had only a day for this excursion, as we had to catch a returning steamer, and in order to accomplish it had to leave Cattaro at four in the morning. In the mysterious darkness we mounted the marvellous road which zigzags up the face of the almost perpendicular mountain that overhangs Cattaro.

The dawn broke in incomparable beauty as we reached the top of the ascent, and the blue waters of the Bocche lying far below looked as if we could have dropped a stone into them. Thence through a sea of tossing limestone peaks and stony valleys we drove to Cettigne, the desolate village which ranks as one of the capitals of Europe. The drive back down the mountain was made in glorious moonlight, and my husband never forgot the late supper at the little inn at Cattaro, where we were allowed to join some of the natives in eating what he considered the best dish he ever ate in his life, a great stew of quails and rice.

We lingered a few days at Venice on our way back, and then went into the mountains, first to join Mr. Horatio Brown at Possagno, and thence to Bassano, Marostica, Castelfranco, Conegliano, and Belluno, where we refreshed ourselves with some lovely mountain walks.

To Sir Edward Grey

'Cambridge: October 25, 1888.

'We kicked our heels in September and the beginning of October in a very interesting way, by visiting Dalmatia, Montenegro, and the Venetian territory. I quite lost my heart to the Slavonic peoples with their magnificent costumes, their primitive habits, and their simple ways. I went with an open mind into their complicated politics; but Montenegro did not convince me that small independent states were desirable. Montenegro is a mere Russian dependency sub

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