No. CCCCXXXVI. FEBRUARY, 1852. Vol. LXXI.
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EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.
No. CCCCXXXVI. FEBRUARY, 1852. Vol. LXXI.
Mr Alison's Life of the Duke ofMarlborough is an enchaining romance—theromance of a dazzlingbut stern reality; and Marlboroughis its equally stern and dazzling hero.It is, moreover, a romance equallyexciting and instructive to both soldierand civilian; told, too, with thescrupulous truthfulness befitting reality,and by one of sagacity sufficientto perceive that, by so doing, hewould preserve the ethereal essenceof the romance, rendering it intenseto the reader for mere excitement,(whose name, alas! is now legion,)while irradiating the path of the ploddinginquirer after mere matter offact. We assert that in these volumesare to be found many essential elementsof the most enthralling romanceof actual life.[2] Hairbreadth personal'scapes of the hero, from