Perhaps the most famous example of the "Whig interpretation of history"-the idea that the human story has been inevitably destined for enlightenment, progress, and scientific truth-this five-volume work instantly revolutionized the British understanding of history when its first volume was published in 1848. Though not without its detractors-Karl Marx called author BARON THOMAS BABINGTON MACAULAY (1800-1859), an English politician and historian, "a systematic falsifier of history"-it nevertheless became a standard text, and one that is today required reading for anyone who wishes to explore changing values and ideals in historical scholarship. Volume II explores the foreign and domestic policies of James II; the "aboriginal peasantry" and the "aboriginal aristocracy"; William, Prince of Orange; the influence of Oxford University on London; the English revolution of 1647-49; and more.