compared with the Metaurus: and, on the same principle, the subsequent great battles of the Revolutionary war appear to me inferior in their importance to Valmy, which first determined the military character and career of the French Revolution.

I am aware that a little activity of imagination, and a slight exercise of metaphysical ingenuity, may amuse us, by showing how the chain of circumstances is so linked together, that the smallest skirmish, or the slightest occurrence of any kind, that ever occurred, may be said to have been essential, in its actual termination, to the whole order of subsequent events. But when I speak of Causes and Effects, I speak of the obvious and important agency of one fact upon another, and not of remote and fancifully infinitesimal influences. I am aware that, on the other hand, the reproach of Fatalism is justly incurred by those, who, like the writers of a certain school in a neighbouring country, recognise in history nothing more than a series of necessary phenomena, which follow inevitably one upon the other. But when, in this work, I speak of probabilities, I speak of human probabilities only. When I speak of Cause and Effect, I speak of those general laws only, by which we perceive the sequence of human affairs to be usually regulated; and in which we recognise emphatically the wisdom and power of the Supreme Lawgiver, the design of The Designer.

MITRE COURT CHAMBERS, TEMPLE, June 26, 1851.

CONTENTS

PREFACE.

THE FIFTEEN DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE WORLD.

CHAPTER I.—THE BATTLE OF MARATHON.

CHAPTER II. — DEFEAT OF THE ATHENIANS AT SYRACUSE, B.C.413.

CHAPTER III. — THE BATTLE OF ARBELA, B.C. 331.

CHAPTER IV. — THE BATTLE OF THE METAURUS, B.C. 207.

CHAPTER V. — VICTORY OF ARMINIUS OVER THE ROMAN LEGIONS UNDER VARUS,

CHAPTER VI — THE BATTLE OF CHALONS, A.D. 451.

CHAPTER VII. — THE BATTLE OF TOURS, A.D. 732,

CHAPTER VIII. — THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS, 1066.

CHAPTER IX. — JOAN OF ARC'S VICTORY OVER THE ENGLISH AT ORLEANS, A.D.

CHAPTER X. — THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA, A.D. 1588.

CHAPTER XI. — THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM, 1704.

CHAPTER XII. — THE BATTLE OF PULTOWA, 1709.

CHAPTER XIII. — VICTORY OF THE AMERICANS OVER BURGOYNE AT SARATOGA,

CHAPTER XIV. — THE BATTLE OF VALMY.

CHAPTER XV. — THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO, 1815.

DETAILED CONTENTS.

CHAP. I.
THE BATTLE OF MARATHON
Explanatory Remarks on some of the circumstances of the Battle of
Marathon.
Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Marathon, B.C. 490, and the
Defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse, B.C. 413.
CHAP. II.
DEFEAT OF THE ATHENIANS AT SYRACUSE, B.C. 413.
Synopsis of Events between the Defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse and
the Battle of Arbela.
CHAP. III.
THE BATTLE OF ARBELA, B.C. 331.
Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Arbela and the Battle of the
Metaurus.
CHAP. IV.
THE BATTLE OF THE METAURUS, B.C. 207.
Synopsis of Events between the Battle of the Metaurus, B.C. 207, and
Arminius's Victory over the Roman Legions under Varus. A.D. 9.
CHAP. V.
VICTORY OF ARMINIUS OVER THE ROMAN LEGIONS UNDER VARUS, A.D. 9.
Arminius. Synopsis of Events between Arminius's Victory over Varus and
the Battle of Chalons.
CHAP. VI.
THE BATTLE OF CHALONS, A.D. 451.
Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Chalons, A.D. 451, and the
Battle of Tours, 732.
CHAP. VII.
THE BATTLE OF TOURS, A.D. 732.
Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Tours, A.D. 732 and the Battle
of Hastings, 1066.
CHAP. VIII.
THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS, A.D. 1066.
Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Hastings, A.D. 1066, and Joan
of Arc's Victory at Orleans, 1429.
CHAP. IX.
JOAN OF ARC'S VICTORY OVER THE ENGLISH AT ORLEANS, A.D. 1429.
Synopsis of Events between Joan of Arc's Victory at Orleans, A.D. 1429,
and the Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588.
CHAP. X.
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA, A.D. 1588.
Synopsis of events between the Defeat of the Spanish Armada A.D. 1588,
and the Battle of Blenheim, 1704.
CHAP. XI.
THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM, A.D. 1704.
Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Blenheim, 1704, and the Battle
of Pultowa, 1709.
CHAP. XII.
THE BATTLE OF PULTOWA, A.D. 1709.
Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Pultowa, 1709, and the Defeat
of Burgoyne at Saratoga, 1777.
CHAP. XIII.
VICTORY OF THE AMERICANS OVER BURGOYNE AT SARATOGA, A.D. 1777.
Synopsis of Events between the Defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga, 1777, and
the Battle of Valmy, 1792.
CHAP. XIV.
THE BATTLE OF VALMY.
Synopsis of Events between the Battle of Valmy, 1792, and the Battle of
Waterloo, 1815.
CHAP. XV.
THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO, 1815.

THE FIFTEEN DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE WORLD.