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Often appears with: geography and the description of places · conquest, plunder, and captives · trade, markets, and merchants · custom and the manners of a people · religious persecution and toleration · fate, destiny, and necessity · history and the writing of history · the customs of foreign peoples · myth and the gods of the nations · exile, wandering, and banishment · empire and the rule of provinces · agriculture and the land
Usually: curiosity (69) · narrative (68) · detachment (66) · argument (34) · description (28) · commentary or gloss (20) · wonder (18) · the fall of the great (15) · list or catalogue (12) · reflection (12)
“If you wish to ride with me you must come into the “Jim Crow Car.” W. E. B. Du Bois (William Edward Burghardt Du Bois), The Souls of Black Folk · observation
“But when numerous and opulent societies were established in the great cities of the empire, in Antioch, Alexandria, Ephesus, Corinth, and Rome, the reverence which Jerusalem had inspired to all the Christian colonies insensibly diminished.” Edward Gibbon, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · observation
“No event can be compared with this continuous removal of the human race, except perhaps those irruptions which preceded the fall of the Roman Empire.” Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America — Volume 1 · observation
“It is self-evident that a person following up the course of a stream, will always ascend at a greater or less inclination: Mr. Gill, therefore, was much astonished, when walking up the bed of this ancient river, to find himself suddenly going down hill.” Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle · insight
“By night he prayed the moon to run fast about her sphere; by day he reproached the tardy sun — dreading that Phaethon had come to life again, and was driving the chariot of Apollo out of its straight course.” Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems · vivid
“Therefore, while thinking that your design is commendable, I consider the site as not commendable; but I would have you stay with me, because I mean to make use of your services.” Vitruvius Pollio, The Ten Books on Architecture · insight
“This being granted, it is not improper, in narrow quarters or where the space is enclosed, to use in a building columns of somewhat slender proportions, since we can help out by a duly proportionate number of flutings.” Vitruvius Pollio, The Ten Books on Architecture · insight
“Men act either of necessity or from choice, and merit may seem greater where choice is more restricted.” Niccolò Machiavelli, Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius · insight
“Wide-reaching is the power of wealth, whensoever a mortal man hath received it at the hands of Fate with pure virtue mingled, and bringeth it to his home, a follower that winneth him many friends.” Pindar, The Extant Odes of Pindar · insight
“Things of a day--what are we, and what not? Man is a dream of shadows.” Pindar, The Extant Odes of Pindar · insight
“A heifer,” Phœbus says, “will meet thee in the lonely fields, one that has never borne the yoke, and free from the crooked plough.” Ovid, The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books I-VII · precept
“The colony settled its own form of government, enacted its own laws, elected its own magistrates, and made peace or war with its neighbours, as an independent state, which had no occasion to wait for the approbation or consent of the mother city.” Adam Smith, An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth · observation
From Salisbury Pepys tours Salisbury Cathedral and local sights with his wife and company, then rides to Stonehenge, pays excessive fees, and writes to excuse himself before heading onward.
since it to be that that is called Old Sarum. Come to the George Inne, where lay in a silk bed; and very good diet. To supper; then to bed. 11th. Thursday. Up, and W. Hewer and I up and down the town, and find it a very brave place. The river goes through every street; and a most capacious market-place. The city great, I think greater than Hereford. But the minster most admirable; as big, I think, and handsomer…
He rides into Somersetshire to Philips-Norton, views a reputedly ancient tomb of the Fair Maids of Foscott, reaches Bath, and tours the baths without supper that evening.
Salisbury I wrote by the post my excuse for not coming home, which I hope will do, for I am resolved to see the Bath, and, it may be, Bristol. 12th. Friday. Up, finding our beds good, but lousy; which made us merry. We set out, the reckoning and servants coming to 9s. 6d.; my guide thither, 2s.; coachman advanced, 10s. So rode a very good way, led to my great content by our landlord to Philips-Norton, with great…
Pepys tours the Medway region, visiting Maidstone and seeing a Saxon monument near Aylesford, before returning to Chatham and Captain Allen’s place.
of great antiquity, and I am mightily glad to see it: it is near to Alesford, where Sir John Bankes lives. So homeward to Chatham, Captain Allen's, and there light. 25th. Up, and by and by, about eight o'clock, came Rear-Admirall Kempthorne and seven captains more, by the Duke of York's order, as we expected, to hold the Court-martiall about the loss of "The Defyance." And so presently we by boat to "The Charles,"…
Thucydides argues that early Greece lacked stable populations, commerce, walls, and coordinated action, so migrations prevented large cities and greatness, with Attica as an exception that later needed colonization to Ionia.
The State of Greece from the earliest Times to the Commencement of the Peloponnesian War Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the history of the war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. This belief was not without its grounds. The preparations of both the combatants were…
After the Trojan War, Greeks were still resettling, leading to revolutions and exiles founding cities; later waves like Boeotians moving to present Boeotia and Dorians/Heraclids taking Peloponnese delayed lasting peace.
be pronounced on the evidence of what it effected to have been inferior to its renown and to the current opinion about it formed under the tuition of the poets. Even after the Trojan War, Hellas was still engaged in removing and settling, and thus could not attain to the quiet which must precede growth. The late return of the Hellenes from Ilium caused many revolutions, and factions ensued almost everywhere; and it …
Continuing the Sicilian settlement history, the text lists founding Greeks from Chalcis, Corinth, Megara, Rhodes and Crete, including Naxos, Syracuse, Leontini, Catana, Thapsus, Hyblaean Megara, Selinus, Gela, Acragas, Zancle, and Messina, and explains Phoenician relocations.
in Motye, Soloeis, and Panormus, near the Elymi, partly because they confided in their alliance, and also because these are the nearest points for the voyage between Carthage and Sicily. These were the barbarians in Sicily, settled as I have said. Of the Hellenes, the first to arrive were Chalcidians from Euboea with Thucles, their founder. They founded Naxos and built the altar to Apollo Archegetes, which now stand…
Thucydides sketches several Sicilian colonies’ origins and political character, then explains why Athens is preparing to invade Sicily, prompted by envoys from Egesta urging aid against Syracuse.
their turn not long afterwards by Anaxilas, tyrant of Rhegium, the town was by him colonized with a mixed population, and its name changed to Messina, after his old country. Himera was founded from Zancle by Euclides, Simus, and Sacon, most of those who went to the colony being Chalcidians; though they were joined by some exiles from Syracuse, defeated in a civil war, called the Myletidae. The language was a mixture…
Du Bois defends the distinct purpose of Black colleges like Atlanta, Fisk, and Howard, portraying them as New England-rooted social settlements, then cites data from Atlanta University’s 1900 study of bachelor’s graduates’ work.
conviction. We must not forget that most Americans answer all queries regarding the Negro a priori, and that the least that human courtesy can do is to listen to evidence. The advocates of the higher education of the Negro would be the last to deny the incompleteness and glaring defects of the present system: too many institutions have attempted to do college work, the work in some cases has not been thoroughly done…
Du Bois narrates historical and travel geography through Georgia’s slave trade growth and the Jim Crow train, then describes the approach to the Black Belt and the later stopping point at Albany in Dougherty County.
earnest were the prayers of Whitefield, that by the middle of the eighteenth century all restrictions were swept away, and the slave-trade went merrily on for fifty years and more. Down in Darien, where the Delegal riots took place some summers ago, there used to come a strong protest against slavery from the Scotch Highlanders; and the Moravians of Ebenezer did not like the system. But not till the Haytian Terror o…
Moses recalls God’s mighty acts in Egypt and His voice from fire, urges Israel to understand that the LORD alone is God, and then introduces the selection of cities of refuge east of the Jordan.
For ask I pray thee of the days that are past which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth and from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether anything hath been like unto this great thing or whether any such thing hath been heard as it is, that a nation hath heard the voice of God speaking out of fire as thou hast heard, and yet lived? either whether God assayed to go and take him a …
After a long siege of Nequinum, two men dig a mine to Roman guards, a night entry captures the city, a Narnia colony is founded, and Etruscans try to renew war with Gaulish aid.
general survey was performed, this year, by Publius Sempronius Sophus and Publius Sulpicius Saverrio, censors; and two tribes were added, the Aniensian and Terentine. Such were the occurrences at Rome. 10. Meanwhile, after much time had been lost in the tedious siege of Nequinum, two of the townsmen, whose houses were contiguous to the wall, having formed a subterraneous passage, came by that private way to the Roma…
War proceeds with provinces divided: Scipio fights near Volaterra against Etruscans, then ravages the Faliscian lands, while Fulvius wins battles near Bovianum and storms Aufidena; colonies follow and Fulvius triumphs.
This year a colony was carried out to Carseoli, into the territory of the Aequicolae. The consul Fulvius triumphed on his defeat of the Samnites. 13. When the consular elections were now at hand, a report prevailed, that the Etrurians and Samnites were raising vast armies; that the leaders of the Etrurians were, in all their assemblies, openly censured for not having procured the aid of the Gauls on any terms; and t…
News of Campanian depredations and Etruscan-Umbrian unrest alarms Rome; the senate shuts courts, levies men for defense, orders colonies at Minturnae and Sinuessa, and urges Decius and Fabius to cooperate as elections proceed.
and an abundance of spoil was found, and given up to the soldiers. Of the enemy seven thousand three hundred were slain; and two thousand one hundred and twenty taken. 20. While both the consuls, with the whole force of the Romans, pointed their exertions principally against the war in Etruria, a new army which arose in Samnium, with design to ravage the frontiers of the Roman empire, passed over through the country…
Jay describes geographic unity, common ancestry, language, religion, and the shared Revolutionary war leading to independence, then argues that the federal union was formed early and the Philadelphia convention recommended a better national arrangement.
war; as a nation we have vanquished our common enemies; as a nation we have formed alliances, and made treaties, and entered into various compacts and conventions with foreign states. A strong sense of the value and blessings of union induced the people, at a very early period, to institute a federal government to preserve and perpetuate it. They formed it almost as soon as they had a political existence; nay, at a …
Venus-huntress explains Carthage’s origin from Dido’s flight from Tyre and her brother’s tyranny, and then asks Aeneas who he is and what he seeks on Libyan land.
lawn, or in the forest stray’d? A painted quiver at her back she bore; Varied with spots, a lynx’s hide she wore; And at full cry pursued the tusky boar.” Thus Venus: thus her son replied again: “None of your sisters have we heard or seen, O virgin! or what other name you bear Above that style; O more than mortal fair! Your voice and mien celestial birth betray! If, as you seem, the sis…
Aeneas and his companions enter a rising Carthaginian city where Tyrians build walls, gates, temples, and laws, and Aeneas slips unnoticed into the busy crowd to meet Dido.
clime; Where garlands, ever green and ever fair, With vows are offer’d, and with solemn pray’r: A hundred altars in her temple smoke; A thousand bleeding hearts her pow’r invoke. They climb the next ascent, and, looking down, Now at a nearer distance view the town. The prince with wonder sees the stately tow’rs, Which late were huts and shepherds’ homely bow’rs, The gates and streets; and hea…
Aeneas narrates leaving ruined Troy, building a fleet, landing in Thrace, founding Aenos, and encountering a prophetic horror when he breaks myrtle and learns from a ghostly revelation that the land is polluted by Polydore’s blood.
THE ARGUMENT. Aeneas proceeds in his relation: he gives an account of the fleet with which he sailed, and the success of his first voyage to Thrace. From thence he directs his course to Delos and asks the oracle what place the gods had appointed for his habitation. By a mistake of the oracle’s answer, he settles in Crete. His household gods give him the true sense of the oracle in a dre…
Anchises leads Aeneas to view a procession of Trojan and Roman descendants, listing names and cities from Silvius and Alban rulers through Romulus and culminating in the prophecy of imperial Rome’s dominance.
flood, In large forgetful draughts to steep the cares Of their past labours, and their irksome years, That, unrememb’ring of its former pain, The soul may suffer mortal flesh again.” Thus having said, the father spirit leads The priestess and his son thro’ swarms of shades, And takes a rising ground, from thence to see The long procession of his progeny. “Survey,” pursued the sire, “this airy…
He tracks plague’s eastward movement during July 1665, showing how the city within the walls stayed relatively healthy longer than crowded out-parishes, while infection advanced through Clerkenwell, Cripplegate, Shoreditch, Bishopsgate, Aldgate, and Stepney.
as it were by a general consent, taken up the custom of not going out of doors after sunset; the reasons I shall have occasion to say more of by-and-by. In the retirement of this evening I endeavoured to resolve, first, what was my duty to do, and I stated the arguments with which my brother had pressed me to go into the country, and I set, against them the strong impressions which I had on my mind…
Ministers and physicians fail to change the populace’s audacity, many return from the countryside too soon, London’s bills rise in November, and Defoe recounts John Cock’s family dying after his hasty return.
their former cautions and care, and all the shyness which they used to practise, depending that the sickness would not reach them—or that if it did, they should not die. The physicians opposed this thoughtless humour of the people with all their might, and gave out printed directions, spreading them all over the city and suburbs, advising the people to continue reserved, and to use still the utmost…
Alexander’s learning continues alongside veneration and gifts; while Philip campaigns against Byzantines, Alexander governs Macedonia as a lieutenant, conquers the Maedi, founds Alexandropolis, and serves in the battle of Chaeronea.
never decayed; as appears by his veneration of Anaxarchus, by the present of fifty talents which he sent to Xenocrates, and his particular care and esteem of Dandamis and Calanus. While Philip went on his expedition against the Byzantines, he left Alexander, then sixteen years old, his lieutenant in Macedonia, committing the charge of his seal to him; who, not to sit idle, reduced the rebellious Maedi, and having ta…
The introduction and contents explain that The Cattle-Raid of Cualnge is the central Ulster heroic-cycle story, traditionally dated to the start of the Christian era, involving Medb and Ailill’s bull-quest and an invasion of Ulster led by Cuchulainn.
THE CATTLE-RAID OF CUALNGE (TAIN BO CUAILNGE) An Old Irish Prose-Epic Translated for the first time from Leabhar na h-Uidhri and the Yellow Book of Lecan by L. WINIFRED FARADAY, M. A. London Published by David Nutt At the Sign of the Phoenix Long Acre 1904 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION THE CATTLE-RAID OF CUALNGE (from Leabhar na h-Uidhri) Cuchulainn's Boyish Deeds The Death of Fraech The Death of Orlam …
Cuchulainn and his charioteer travel to Sliab Monduirn, where Cuchulainn identifies a white cairn and Mag Breg and is shown major chief forts between Temair and Cenandas, apparently through geographic instruction by name.
'"Sliab Monduirn," said the charioteer. '"Let us go and get there," said Cuchulainn. They go then till they reach it. When they had reached the mountain, Cuchulainn asked: "What is the white cairn yonder on the top of the mountain?" '"Find Carn," said the charioteer. '"What plain is that over there?" said Cuchulainn. '"Mag Breg," said the charioteer. He tells him then the name of every chief fort between Temair a…
It debates how nations originate, argues ancient Germany was not populated from already-formed colonies but emerged from gradual unions of Hercynian wandering groups, and criticizes fable-based genealogies like Rudbeck’s Noah-based explanations.
9 (return) [ In hos artus, in hæc corpora, quæ miramur, excrescunt. Tæit Germania, 3, 20. Cluver. l. i. c. 14.] 10 (return) [ Plutarch. in Mario. The Cimbri, by way of amusement, often did down mountains of snow on their broad shields.] 11 (return) [ The Romans made war in all climates, and by their excellent discipline were in a great measure preserved in health and vigor. It may be remarke…
Gibbon reports detailed dimensions and layout of Diocletian’s palace and its temples, explains its lack of windows and chimneys, then narrates how its ruins became Spalatro’s market and Christian sites.
author (p. 38) observes, that a taste for agriculture is reviving at Spalatro; and that an experimental farm has lately been established near the city, by a society of gentlemen.] Though Constantine, from a very obvious prejudice, affects to mention the palace of Diocletian with contempt, 118 yet one of their successors, who could only see it in a neglected and mutilated state, celebrates its magni…
Gibbon recounts the Jerusalem church’s shift: Jerusalem’s first bishops were circumcised Jews, the Nazarenes later moved to Pella, and under Hadrian the Romans rebuilt Jerusalem as Ælia Capitolina, pressuring Nazarenes to drop Mosaic law.
et exceptis sententiis, talia opera sabbatho non interdicta. Grotius de Veritate Religionis Christianæ, l. v. c. 7. A little afterwards, (c. 12,) he expatiates on the condescension of the apostles.] The history of the church of Jerusalem affords a lively proof of the necessity of those precautions, and of the deep impression which the Jewish religion had made on the minds of its sectaries. The firs…
Gibbon describes early Christian expansion in the eastern Roman provinces, listing prominent churches named in the Apocalypse, cities where Christian communities formed, and testimony from writers like Lucian and Pliny about Christian presence.
The rich provinces that extend from the Euphrates to the Ionian Sea were the principal theatre on which the apostle of the Gentiles displayed his zeal and piety. The seeds of the gospel, which he had scattered in a fertile soil, were diligently cultivated by his disciples; and it should seem that, during the two first centuries, the most considerable body of Christians was containe…
Gibbon describes Constantinople’s site as a defensible, commercially connected triangle bounded by the Bosphorus, harbor, and Propontis, detailing landmarks and fortifications, including mentions of Darius’ bridge of boats and Mahomet II.
iv. p. 423, edit. Casaubon. He observes that the peace of the Byzantines was frequently disturbed, and the extent of their territory contracted, by the inroads of the wild Thracians.] 2 (return) [ The navigator Byzas, who was styled the son of Neptune, founded the city 656 years before the Christian æra. His followers were drawn from Argos and Megara. Byzantium was afterwards rebuild and fortified …
He describes Constantine choosing Constantinople as divinely guided rather than merely political, recounting a nocturnal vision, the emperor’s procession and boundary tracing, and ending with a promise to describe the city’s extent and limits.
intended capital. They both suppose with very little probability, that the emperor, if he had not been prevented by a prodigy, would have repeated the mistake of the *blind* Chalcedonians.] We are at present qualified to view the advantageous position of Constantinople; which appears to have been formed by nature for the centre and capital of a great monarchy. Situated in the forty-first degree of …
Gibbon estimates Constantinople’s physical extent in the “actual state” of the city: the Seraglio on the eastern promontory, walls stretching toward the Propontis, growth after Constantine, and later Theodosius’s fortified enclosure.
64. Est in Europa; habet in conspectu Asiam, Egyptum. Africamque a dextrâ: quæ tametsi contiguæ non sunt, maris tamen navigandique commoditate veluti junguntur. A sinistra vero Pontus est Euxinus, &c.] The prospect of beauty, of safety, and of wealth, united in a single spot, was sufficient to justify the choice of Constantine. But as some decent mixture of prodigy and fable has, in every age, been…
He continues with measurements and comparisons, asserting Constantinople’s length and circumference, criticizing exaggerations that stretch its limits into nearby villages, and discussing inclusion of Pera and Galata.
series of very nice observations, he reduced the extravagant proportion of the scale, and instead of 9500, determines the circumference of the city as consisting of about 7800 French *toises*.] In the actual state of the city, the palace and gardens of the Seraglio occupy the eastern promontory, the first of the seven hills, and cover about one hundred and fifty acres of our own measure. The seat o…
Gibbon cites sources arguing that Sassanian Persia revived an older Iranian glory, while notes on places along the Tigris try to locate the sites of Sumere (Samara) and Dura.
Irocopius, that the Immortals, so famous under Cyrus and his successors, were revived, if we may use that improper word, by the Sassanides. Brisson de Regno Persico, p. 268, &c.] 105 (return) [ The obscure villages of the inland country are irrecoverably lost; nor can we name the field of battle where Julian fell: but M. D’Anville has demonstrated the precise situation of Sumere, Carche, and Dura, …
After Hun power declines, Gibbon distinguishes two emigrations: Huns near Sogdiana and the “white Huns,” and another group moving toward the Volga, with references to Great Hungary and shifting seasonal migrations.
is placed, by the Chinese, 1210 years before Christ. But the series of their kings does not commence till the year 230, (Hist. des Huns, tom. ii. p. 21, 123.)] The fate of the vanquished Huns was diversified by the various influence of character and situation. 44 Above one hundred thousand persons, the poorest, indeed, and the most pusillanimous of the people, were contented to remain in their nati…
Gibbon describes Goth settlement in Aquitania after crossing the Pyrenees, the growth of cities like Bourdeaux, Burgundian and Frankish dominion in Gaul, and doubts about the historic foundation of the French monarchy under Pharamond.
Sidon. Apollinar. in Panegyr. Anthem. 363 p. 300, edit. Sirmond.] 164 (return) [ This supply was very acceptable: the Goths were insulted by the Vandals of Spain with the epithet of Truli, because in their extreme distress, they had given a piece of gold for a trula, or about half a pound of flour. Olympiod. apud Phot. p. 189.] 165 (return) [ Orosius inserts a copy of these pretended letters…
He explains how resistance persisted beyond the Severn, with Britons retreating to Wales and Cornwall, and with refugees forming settlements in Gaul (Armorica), including claims about a Bretagne state tied to France.
refused the customary tribute, subdued the neighboring dioceses of Vannes, Rennes, and Nantes, and formed a powerful, though vassal, state, which has been united to the crown of France. 137 135 (return) [ Cornwall was finally subdued by Athelstan, (A.D. 927-941,) who planted an English colony at Exeter, and confined the Britons beyond the River Tamar. See William of Malmsbury, l. ii., in the Script…
After meeting Rosas, Darwin departs for Bahia Blanca, describes the Indian toldos (hide-covered round shelters) along the route, the fertile alluvial valley versus drier thicketless plains, and the geological shift toward the Pampas deposits north of the Colorado.
so I killed him." At the end of a week the murderer was at liberty. This doubtless was the act of the general's party, and not of the general himself. In conversation he is enthusiastic, sensible, and very grave. His gravity is carried to a high pitch: I heard one of his mad buffoons (for he keeps two, like the barons of old) relate the following anecdote. "I wanted very much to hear a certain piece of music, so I…
Darwin surveys Indian ruins in the Cordillera (especially Ruinas de Tambillos in the Uspallata Pass), speculates on climate change and ancient habitation, and argues for long human presence in South America.
human skeletons in the caves of Brazil, the appearance of which induced him to believe that the Indian race has existed during a vast lapse of time in South America. When at Lima, I conversed on these subjects [3] with Mr. Gill, a civil engineer, who had seen much of the interior country. He told me that a conjecture of a change of climate had sometimes crossed his mind; but that he thought that the greater portion…
After arriving at the Keeling (Cocos) Islands on April 1st, Darwin describes their atoll geography, a slave-settlement history with Malay captives and removals, and the island’s dependence on coconut cultivation.
cocoa-nut trees. As a white cloud here and there affords a pleasing contrast with the azure sky, so in the lagoon, bands of living coral darken the emerald green water. The next morning after anchoring, I went on shore on Direction Island. The strip of dry land is only a few hundred yards in width; on the lagoon side there is a white calcareous beach, the radiation from which under this sultry climate was very oppre…
Escobar reaches Terminos Bay but is blown toward sea, leaves written signs, and is later recovered; Cortes weighs whether to anchor near Potonchan, then sails to the Tabasco river in three days.
in writing, from which we should know that he had entered safely, or that, having fully explored the harbour, he was tacking about until we fell in with him again. With these instructions Escobar set sail, and ran into Terminos bay, where he executed the commands he had received: he likewise found the greyhound which had run away from us when we landed there with Grijalva. It was quite glossy and fat, and immediatel…
Although the text emphasizes that Tlatelulco’s temple was the largest, it compares it with Cholulla’s higher temple and Tetzcuco’s tall temple, then ends with the Spaniards returning to quarters with leading nobles.
appropriate idols in the shape of females, who protected the marriage rights of the women, and to whom they prayed and sacrificed in order to obtain from them good husbands. Although this temple on the Tlatelulco, of which I have given such a lengthened description, was the largest in Mexico, yet it was by no means the only one; for there were numbers of other splendid temples in this city, all of which I am unable …
Sandoval founds the town of Medellin at the request of Cortes, then marches roughly 240 miles to the Guacasualco river, crosses on Pentecost, and names the riverside township Villa de Espiritu Santo after earlier victories.
who was my particular friend. He was well aware of my reasons, and in the subsequent campaigns I made with him he strove in every way to further my views. In this province Sandoval laid the foundation of a town, which, by the desire of Cortes, he named Medellin, after the latter's native place, in Estremadura. There was a bay in this province, into which the Chalchocucea river[32] empties itself, or, as we termed it…
The licentiate Zuazo sails from Cuba to New Spain with monks Juan Varillas and Gonzalo Pondevedra, is wrecked near the Viboras isles, survives on turtles and smoked meat, builds a boat, reaches Bandera, and reaches Mexico to become alcalde major.
_How the licentiate Zuazo set sail for New Spain in a small vessel, accompanied by two monks of the order of Charity; and their remarkable adventures on this voyage._ I mentioned in a former chapter that the licentiate Zuazo promised Garay, during the few days he stayed at Cuba, that he would repair in person to Mexico, and try to settle the differences between him and Cortes. He had first wished to render a…
Tocqueville describes continuous westward migration: European immigrants usually stay near coasts and work for hire, while Americans repeatedly move deeper inland, producing rapid colonization and shifting population like post-Roman-style upheavals.
the pioneers, who pierce the woods, scare off the beasts of prey, explore the courses of the inland streams, and make ready the triumphal procession of civilization across the waste. The favorable influence of the temporal prosperity of America upon the institutions of that country has been so often described by others, and adverted to by myself, that I shall not enlarge upon it beyond the addition of a few facts. A…
Using geography, he rejects the idea that natural barriers separate regions of the United States, describing the Allegheny Mountains and river systems as allowing internal movement rather than division.
the other hand, it is almost impossible to discover any sort of material interest which might at present tempt a portion of the Union to separate from the other States. When we cast our eyes upon the map of the United States, we perceive the chain of the Alleghany Mountains, running from the northeast to the southwest, and crossing nearly one thousand miles of country; and we are led to imagine that the design of Pr…
In conclusion, Tocqueville frames the future destiny of Anglo-America as a coherent whole like a city seen from a hill, and recalls France’s lost North American colonies and the surviving French remnant in Lower Canada.
Conclusion I have now nearly reached the close of my inquiry; hitherto, in speaking of the future destiny of the United States, I have endeavored to divide my subject into distinct portions, in order to study each of them with more attention. My present object is to embrace the whole from one single point; the remarks I shall make will be less detailed, but they will be more sure. I shall perceive each object less d…
Machiavelli turns to explain Florence’s origins and institutions, arguing that colonial foundations secure conquest, increase population health, and lead to the rise of cities like Florence from Fiesole.
The custom of ancient republics to plant colonies, and the advantage of it--Increased population tends to make countries more healthy--Origin of Florence--Aggrandizement of Florence--Origin of the name of Florence--Destruction of Florence by Totila--The Florentines take Fiesole--The first division in Florence, and the cause of it--Buondelmonti--Buondelmonti slain--Guelphs and Ghibellines in Florence--Guelphic familie…
He speculates on how markets moved from Fiesole to the plain near the Arno, traces Roman-era growth through Roman civil wars and colonies, and debates the etymology of Florentia/Florentini.
means of colonies, new cities frequently arose, and those already begun were enlarged, as was the case with Florence, which had its beginning from Fiesole, and its increase from colonies. It is exceedingly probable, as Dante and Giovanni Villani show, that the city of Fiesole, being situate upon the summit of the mountain, in order that her markets might be more frequented, and afford greater accommodation for those…
The introduction recounts Dinocrates’ bold presentation to Alexander the Great, Alexander’s praise and correction of his proposed city-site on Mount Athos, and the eventual founding of Alexandria in Egypt.
INTRODUCTION 1. Dinocrates, an architect who was full of confidence in his own ideas and skill, set out from Macedonia, in the reign of Alexander, to go to the army, being eager to win the approbation of the king. He took with him from his country letters from relatives and friends to the principal military men and officers of the court, in order to gain access to them more readily. Being politely received by them, …
Vitruvius gives practical guidance for temple layout and sightlines: determining temple facing direction (east/west) by sunrise and vows, adjusting for site constraints, and maximizing views from sanctuaries.
THE CELLA AND PRONAOS 1. The length of a temple is adjusted so that its width may be half its length, and the actual cella one fourth greater in length than in width, including the wall in which the folding doors are placed. Let the remaining three parts, constituting the pronaos, extend to the antae terminating the walls, which antae ought to be of the same thickness as the columns. If the temple is to be more than…
It recounts Montaigne’s arrival in Rome on November 30, his lodging arrangements, his reflections on Rome’s ruins and changing city plan, and his continued interest in religion including papal audience with Gregory XIII.
but in Germany they were much better seasoned, and served with a variety of sauces and gravies. He remarked further, that the glasses were singularly small and the wines insipid. After dining with the Grand-Duke of Florence, Montaigne passed rapidly over the intermediate country, which had no fascination for him, and arrived at Rome on the last day of November, entering by the Porta del Popolo, and putting up at Bea…
The notes identify Karakorum’s possible founding and Mongol associations, discuss its naming and shifting capital role, and contrast Western travel accounts (Plano Carpini, Rubruquis) with Chinese and Islamic reports.
where Prester John could not get at them to annoy them. Thus they revolted from his authority and paid him tribute no longer. And so things continued for a time. NOTE 1.—KARÁKORUM, near the upper course of the River Orkhon, is said by Chinese authors to have been founded by Búkú Khan of the Hoei-Hu or Uigúrs, in the 8th century. In the days of Chinghiz, we are told that it was the headquarters of his ally, and…
An extended geographical discussion asks where Karakorum was located, reviews different scholarly theories and river confluences, and cites later evidence from explorers and translated Russian reports to match ruins.
seat of government to Kaipingfu, or Shangtu, near the present Dolonnor, north of Peking. (*Suprà* in Prologue, ch. xiii. note 1.) In 1260, Kúblái transferred his capital to *Ta-Tu* (Peking). Plano Carpini (1246) is the first Western traveller to mention it by name which he writes *Caracoron*; he visited the Sira Orda, at half a day’s journey from Karákorum, where Okkodai used to pass the summer; it was situate…
The editor reports a proposed ruin site called Talarho Hara Palhassoun/Kara Balghasun near the Orkhon, describes rampart remains, then counters with claims that the Erdenidsu monastery occupies ancient Karakorum’s site.
of Madame Fedtchenko in supplying a translation from the Russian, to give some account of Mr. Paderin’s visit to the place, in the summer of 1873, along with a sketch-map. “The site visited by Mr. Paderin is shown, by the particulars stated in that paper, to be sufficiently identified with Karákorum. It is precisely that which Rémusat indicated, and which bears in the Jesuit maps, as published by D’Anville, th…
The editor discusses archaeological and inscription evidence to identify Erdeni Tso with the Mongol capital Karakorum, compares distances from sources, and claims temple artifacts match accounts by William of Rubruck.
*Inscriptions de l’Orkhon*, Helsingfors, 1892; a plan of the vicinity and of the Erdeni Tso is given (plate 36) in *W. Radloff’s Atlas der Alterthümer der Mongolei*, St. Pet., 1892.) According to a work of the 13th century quoted by the late Professor G. Devéria, the distance between the old capital of the Uighúr, Kara Balgasún, on the left bank of the Orkhon, north of Erdeni Tso, and the Ho-lin or Karákorum o…
A note supplements the gate list for Taidu under the Yuen dynasty, then describes how the Ming population clustered near the southern wall, creating an “Outer Town” in 1554 using material from the older Yenking, with surviving relics and palace-site stones.
the *north* side of the old Mongol rampart are quite distinct, with the barbicans in front, and the old Mongol bridge over the ditch still serving for the public thoroughfare.[1] [“The *Yuen shi* as well as the *Ch’ue keng lu*, and other works of the Yuen, agree in stating that the capital had eleven gates. They are enumerated in the following order: Southern wall—(1) The gate direct south (mid.) was called *L…
This passage continues the index listing, including entries for the custom of couvade, currency types like cowries and paper money, and numerous locations across Persia, India, and China with reference numbers.
44n, 45, 47n, 48n, 60, ii. 225, 228n, 361, 363n, 395, 398, 431; at Merdin, i. 60; in Persia, 84; at Kashgar, 181; Yarkand, 187; Khotan, 188, 190n; Pein, 191; Bengal, ii. 115; bushes of gigantic size, 393, 394n Counts in Vokhan, i. 171, 173n; at Dofar, ii. 444 Courts of Justice, at Kinsay, ii. 203 *Couvade*, custom of, ii. 85, 91n–95n, 596n Cow-dung, its use in Maabar, ii. 341, 365 Cowell, Professor, i…
This index continues, including a long cluster describing Kinsay (Hang-chau fu) with details about its infrastructure, guilds, security, markets, public baths, justice, and the king’s effeminacy and decline.
154n, 184n, 194n, 220n King-tê-chên, porcelain manufacture, ii. 243n K’ing-yüan (Ning-po), ii. 238n Kin-hwa fu, ii. 222n Kinki, Kimkhá, ii. 238n Kinsay (King-szé, or “Capital,” Khansá, Khinsá, Khingsai, Khanzai, Cansay, Campsay), formerly Lin-ngan now Hang-chau fu, *11*, ii. 146, 149n, 193n; its surrender to Bayan, 146, 149n; extreme public security, 147; alleged meaning of the name, 182, 184n, …
This continuation of the index lists “Oxenham, Oxydracae, Oxyrhynchus, Ozene” and then introduces multiple “P” entries such as Pacamuria, Paddle-wheel barges, Peking, Paradise, and Paper-money (Chao).
Oxenham, *Atlas*, i. 433n, ii. 12n, 14n, 67n, 157n Oxydracae, the, i. 93n *Oxyrhynchus*, ii. 434n Oxus Valley and River, i. 152n, 161n, 172n, 173n, ii. 594n *Ozene*, ii. 397n Pacamuria (Baccanor), ii. 386n Pacauta! (an invocation), ii. 338, 346n Pacem, *see* Pasei Paddle-wheel barges, ii. 211n Paderin, Mr., visits Karákorum, i. 228n Pádishah Khátún of Kerman, i. 91n Padma Sambhava, i. 164n Pagán (in Bu…
The index includes entries on Prester John, printing theories, prostitution at Cambaluc, Kúblái’s empire provinces, and a range of regions and figures (e.g., Ptolemy, Pegu, Peking), all with cross-references.
243n Pozdneiev, Professor, i. 228n Precious stones or gems, *5*, i. 75, 76n, 107, 350, 390, 394, 424, ii. 202, 231, 235, 236, 254, 264, 313, 315n, 338, 361, 362n; how discovered by pirates, 392 Prester John (Unc Can, Aung or Ung Khan), i. 27n, 239; Tartar tribute to, 226; account of, 231n–237n; marriage relations with Chinghiz, 239; insults Chinghiz’ envoys, 239; “these be no soldiers,” 240; marches to me…
This index-style passage lists many entries beginning with “Sa-,” linking names and places in Marco Polo’s world to page references, including cities like Samarkand and Venice parishes connected to the Polo family.
153, 154n; used for currency, ii. 45, 54, 57n; extracted from deep wells, 58n, 66, 76n; in Carajan province, 66, 76n; manufactured in Eastern China, 133; manufacture, revenue and traffic in, 152, 153, 155n, 215, 216, 217n; trade on the Kiang, 171; junks employed therein, 174n —— stream, i. 124n Salwen River, or Lu-Kiang, i. 323n Samagar, ii. 471, 474n Samána, ii. 427n Samara, kingdom of, *see* Sumatra Sam…