The Essay by the late M. Fustel de Coulanges, here translated,
appeared in the _Revue des Questions Historiques_ for April, 1889.
It seemed especially suitable for translation; since it presented in
a comparatively brief compass all the main arguments of that great
historian against the various attempts which have been made to support
the theory of primitive agrarian communism by an appeal to historical
records. The translation has been made with the consent of Madame
Fustel de Coulanges; and it has benefited by the suggestions of M.
Guiraud, an old pupil of the author, and now “Chargé de Cours” at the
Sorbonne. The presentation of the Essay in an English dress has been
deemed a suitable occasion to estimate the bearing of its arguments
on early English social history, and to review in the light of it the
evidence now accessible as to the origin of the English manor.
W. J. A.
M. A.
TORONTO,
_January 21, 1891_.