Part 12
This, and many other instances that might be produced, will show you how much of the beauty of the poet's art must be lost to you, without some notion of these allegorical personages. Boys, in their school learning, have this kind of knowledge impressed on their minds by a variety of books: but women, who do not go through the same course of instruction, are very apt to forget what little they read or hear on the subject: I advise you, therefore, never to lose an opportunity of enquiring into the meaning of any thing you meet with in poetry, or in painting, alluding to the history of any of the heathen deities, and of obtaining from some friend an explanation of its connection with true history, or of its allegorical reference to morality or to physics.
Natural Philosophy, in the largest sense of the expression, is too wide a field for you to undertake; but the study of nature, as far as may suit your powers and opportunities, you will find a most sublime entertainment: the objects of this study are all the stupendous works of the Almighty Hand, that lie within the reach of our observation. In the works of man perfection is aimed at, but it can only be found in those of the Creator. The contemplation of perfection must produce delight, and every natural object around you would offer this delight, if it could attract your attention. If you survey the earth, every leaf that trembles in the breeze, every blade of grass beneath your feet, is a wonder as absolutely beyond the reach of human art to imitate as the construction of the universe. Endless pleasures, to those who have a taste for them, might be derived from the endless variety to be found in the composition of this globe and its inhabitants. The fossil--the vegetable--and the animal world--gradually rising in the scale of excellence--the innumerable species of each, still preserving their specific differences from age to age, yet of which no two individuals are ever perfectly alike--afford such a range for observation and enquiry, as might engross the whole term of our short life, if followed minutely. Besides all the animal creation obvious to our unassisted senses, the eye, aided by philosophical inventions, sees myriads of creatures, which by the ignorant are not known to have existence: it sees all nature teem with life; every fluid--each part of every vegetable and animal--swarm with its peculiar inhabitants--invisible to the naked eye, but as perfect in all their parts, and enjoying life as indisputably, as the elephant or the whale.
But if from the earth, and from these minute wonders, the philosophic eye is raised towards the heavens, what a stupendous scene there opens to its view!--those brilliant lights that sparkle to the eye of ignorance as gems adorning the sky, or as lamps to guide the traveller by night, assume an importance that amazes the understanding!--they appear to be _worlds_, formed like ours for a variety of inhabitants--or _suns_, enlightening numberless other worlds too distant for our discovery! I shall ever remember the astonishment and rapture with which my mind received this idea, when I was about your age: it was then perfectly new to me, and it is impossible to describe the sensations I felt from the glorious boundless prospect of infinite beneficence bursting at once upon my imagination! Who can contemplate such a scene unmoved? If our curiosity is excited to enter upon this noble enquiry, a few books on the subject, and those of the easiest sort, with some of the common experiments, may be sufficient for your purpose--which is to enlarge your mind, and to excite in it the most ardent gratitude and profound adoration towards that great and good Being, who exerts his boundless power in communicating various portions of happiness through all the immense regions of creation.
_Moral_ philosophy, as it relates to human actions, is of still higher importance than the study of nature. The works of the ancients on this subject are universally said to be entertaining as well as instructive, by those who can read them in their original languages; and such of them as are well translated will undoubtedly, some years hence, afford you great pleasure and improvement. You will also find many agreeable and useful books, written originally in French, and in English, on morals and manners: for the present, there are works, which, without assuming the solemn air of philosophy, will enlighten your mind on these subjects, and introduce instruction in an easier dress: of this sort are many of the moral essays, that have appeared in periodical papers, which, when excellent in their kind--as are the _Spectators_, _Guardians_, _Ramblers_, and _Adventurers_--are particularly useful to young people, as they comprehend a great variety of subjects--introduce many ideas and observations that are new to them--and lead to a habit of reflecting on the characters and events that come before them in real life, which I consider as the best exercise of the understanding.
Books on taste and criticism will hereafter be more proper for you than at present: whatever can improve your discernment, and render your taste elegant and just, must be of great consequence to your enjoyments as well as to the embellishment of your understanding.
I would by no means exclude the kind of reading, which young people are naturally most fond of: though I think the greatest care should be taken in the choice of those _fictitious stories_ that so enchant the mind; most of which tend to inflame the passions of youth, whilst the chief purpose of education should be to moderate and restrain them. Add to this, that both the writing and sentiments of most novels and romances are such as are only proper to vitiate your style, and to mislead your heart and understanding. The expectation of extraordinary adventures--which seldom ever happen to the sober and prudent part of mankind--and the admiration of extravagant passions and absurd conduct, are some of the usual fruits of this kind of reading; which, when a young woman makes it her chief amusement, generally render her ridiculous in conversation, and miserably wrong-headed in her pursuits and behaviour. There are however works of this class in which excellent morality is joined with the most lively pictures of the human mind, and with all that can entertain the imagination and interest the heart. But I must repeatedly exhort you, never to read any thing of the sentimental kind without taking the judgment of your best friends in the choice; for, I am persuaded that, the indiscriminate reading of such kind of books corrupts more female hearts than any other cause whatsoever.
Before I close this correspondence, I shall point out the course of history I wish you to pursue, and give you my thoughts of geography and chronology, some knowledge of both being, in my opinion, necessary to the reading of history with any advantage.
I am, my dearest Niece,
Your ever affectionate.
FOOTNOTE:
[28] There has been lately published a work particularly adapted to the use of young ladies, entitled, "_A Dictionary of Polite Literature, or Fabulous History of Heathen Gods and Illustrious Heroes._ Two Vols. with Plates."
_Editor._
LETTER IX.
ON GEOGRAPHY AND CHRONOLOGY.
_MY DEAREST NIECE_,
I HAVE told you, that you will not be able to read history, with much pleasure or advantage, without some little knowledge of _Geography_ and _Chronology_. They are both very easily attained--I mean in the degree that will be necessary for you. You must be sensible that you can know but little of a country, whose situation with respect to the rest of the world you are entirely ignorant of; and, that it is to little purpose that you are able to mention a fact, if you cannot nearly ascertain the _time_ in which it happened, which alone, in many cases, gives importance to the fact itself.
In Geography--the easiest of all sciences, and the best adapted to the capacity of children--I suppose you to have made some beginning; to know at least the figure of the earth--the supposed lines--the degrees--how to measure distances--and a few of the common terms: If you do not already know these, two or three lessons will be sufficient to attain them; the rest is the work of memory, and is easily gained by reading with maps; for I do not wish your knowledge to be exact and masterly; but such only as is necessary for the purpose of understanding history, and, without which, even a newspaper would be unintelligible. It may be sufficient for this end, if, with respect to _ancient_ Geography, you have a general idea of the situation of all the great states, without being able precisely to ascertain their limits. But, in the _modern_, you ought to know the bounds and extent of every state in Europe, and its situation with respect to the rest. The other parts of the world will require less accurate knowledge, except with regard to the European settlements.
It may be an useful and agreeable method, when you learn the situation of any important country, to join with that knowledge some one or two leading facts or circumstances concerning it, so that its particular property may always put you in mind of the situation, and the situation, in like manner, recal the particular property. When, for instance, you learn in what part of the globe to find Ethiopia, to be told at the same time, that, in that vast unknown tract of country, the Christian religion was once the religion of the state, would be of service; because the geographical and historical knowledge would assist each other. Thus, to join with Egypt, _the nurse and parent of arts and of superstition_--with Persia, _shocking despotism and perpetual revolutions_--with ancient Greece, _freedom and genius_--with Scythia, _hardiness and conquest_, are hints which you may make use of as you please. Perhaps annexing to any country the idea of some familiar form which it most resembles may at first assist you to retain a general notion of it; thus Italy has been called a _boot_, and Europe compared to a _woman sitting_.
The difference of the ancient and modern names of places is somewhat perplexing; the most important should be known by both names at the same time, and you must endeavour to fix a few of those which are of most consequence so strongly in your mind, by thinking of them, and being often told of them, that the ancient name should always call up the modern one to your memory, and the modern the ancient: Such as the AEgean Sea, now _The Archipelago_--The Peloponnesus, now _The Morea_--Crete, _Candia_--Gaul, _France_--Babylon, _Bagdat_--Byzantium--to which the Romans transplanted their seat of empire--_Constantinople_, &c.
There have been so many ingenious contrivances to make Geography easy and amusing, that I cannot hope to add any thing of much service; I would only prevail with you not to neglect acquiring, by whatever method pleases you best, that share of knowledge in it which you will find necessary, and which is so easily attained; and I entreat that you would learn it in such a manner as to fix it in your mind, so that it may not be lost and forgotten among other childish acquisitions, but that it may remain ready for use through the rest of your life.
Chronology indeed has more of difficulty; but if you do not bewilder yourself by attempting to learn too much and too minutely at first, you need not despair of gaining enough for the purpose of reading history with pleasure and utility.
Chronology may be naturally divided into three parts, _the Ancient_--_the Middle_--and _the Modern_. With respect to all these, the best direction that can be given is to fix on some periods or epochas, which, by being often mentioned and thought of, explained and referred to, will at last be so deeply engraven on the memory, that they will be ready to present themselves whenever you call for them: these indeed should be few, and ought to be well chosen for their importance, since they are to serve as elevated stations to the mind, from which it may look backwards and forwards upon a great variety of facts.
Till your more learned friends shall supply you with better, I will take the liberty to recommend the following, which I have found of service to myself.
In the ancient chronology, you will find there were four thousand years from the creation to the redemption of man; and that Noah and his family were miraculously preserved in the ark 1650 years after Adam's creation.
As there is no history, except that in the Bible, of any thing before the flood, we may set out from that great event, which happened, as I have said above, in the year of the world 1650.
The 2350 years, which passed from the deluge to our Saviour's birth, may be thus divided.--There have been four successive _Empires_, called _Universal_, because they extended over a great part of the then known world: these are usually distinguished by the name of _The Four great Monarchies_: the three first of them are included in ancient Chronology, and began and ended in the following manner.
1st, The ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, founded by Nimrod in the year of the world 1800, ended under Sardanapalus in 3250, endured 1450 years.
The Median--though not accounted one of the four great monarchies, being conquests of rebels on the Assyrian empire--comes in here for about 200 years.
2d, THE PERSIAN EMPIRE, which began under Cyrus, in the year of the world 3450, ended in Darius in 3670, before Christ 330, lasted a little more than 200 years.
3d, THE GRECIAN EMPIRE, began under Alexander the Great in 3670, was soon after his death dismembered by his successors; but the different parcels into which they divided it were possessed by their respective families, till the famous Cleopatra, the last of the race of Ptolemy, one of Alexander's captains who reigned in Egypt, was conquered by Julius Caesar, about half a century before our Lord's birth, which is a term of about 300 years.
Thus you see that, from the deluge to the establishment of the first great monarchy--the
Years Assyrian--is 150 The Assyrian empire continued 1450 The Median 200 The Persian 200 The Grecian 300 From Julius Caesar, with whom began the fourth great monarchy,--_viz._ the Roman--to Christ 50 ---- In all 2350
years; the term from the deluge to Christ.
I do not give you these dates and periods as correctly true, for I have taken only round numbers, as more easily retained by the memory; so that, when you come to consult chronological books or tables, you will find variances of some years between them and the above accounts; but precise exactness is not material to a beginner.
I offer this short table as a little specimen of what you may easily do for yourself; but even this sketch, slight as it is, will give you a general notion of the ancient history of the world, from the deluge to the birth of Christ.
Within this period flourished the Grecian and Roman republics, with the history and chronology of which it will be expected you should be tolerably well acquainted; and indeed you will find nothing in the records of mankind so entertaining. Greece was divided into many petty states, whose various revolutions and annals you can never hope distinctly to remember; you are therefore to consider them as forming together one great kingdom--like the Germanic body, or the United Provinces--composed separately of different governments, but sometimes
## acting with united force for their common interest. The _Lacedemonian_
government, formed by Lycurgus in the year of the world 3100--and the _Athenian_, regulated by Solon about the year 3440--will chiefly engage your attention.
In pursuing the _Grecian_ chronology, you need only perhaps make one stand or epocha, at the time _Socrates_, that wisest of philosophers, whom you must have heard of, who lived about 3570 years from the creation, and about 430 before Christ: for within the term of 150 years _before_ Socrates, and 200 _after_ him, will fall in most of the great events and illustrious characters of the Grecian history.
I must inform you that the Grecian method of dating time was by _Olympiads_; that is, four complete years; so called from the celebration, every fifty years, of the Olympic Games, which were contests in all the manly exercises, such as wrestling, boxing, running, chariot-racing, &c. They were instituted in honour of Jupiter and took their name from Olympia, a city of Elis, near which they were performed: they were attended by all ranks of people, from every state in Greece; the noblest youths were eager to obtain the prize of victory, which was no other than an olive crown, but esteemed the most distinguishing ornament. These games continued all the time that Greece retained any spark of liberty; and with them begins the authentic history of that country--all before being considered as fabulous. You must therefore endeavour to remember, that they began in the year of the world 3228; after the flood 1570 years; after the destruction of Troy 400; before the building of Rome 23; before Cyrus about 200; and 770 before Christ. If you cannot retain _all_ these dates, at least you must not fail to remember the near coincidence of the first _Olympiad_ with the _building of Rome_, which is of great consequence, because, as the Grecians reckoned time by Olympiads, the Romans dated from the building of their city; and as these two eras are within 23 years of each other, you may, for the ease of memory, suppose them to begin together, in the year of the world 3228.
In reading the history of the _Roman Republic_, which continued in that form of government to the time of Julius Caesar's dictatorship, about the year of the world 3960, and about 48 years before Christ, you will make as many epochas as you shall find convenient: I will mention only two; the sacking of Rome by the Gauls, which happened in the year of the world 3620, in the 365th year of the city, in the 97th Olympiad, before Christ 385, and about 30 years before the birth of Alexander. The second epocha may be the 608th year of the city, when, after three obstinate wars, Carthage was destroyed, and Rome was left without a rival.
Perhaps the following bad verses, which were given me when I was young, may help to fix in your mind the important eras of the Roman and Grecian dates: You must not laugh at them, for chronologers do not pique themselves on their poetry, but they make use of numbers and rhymes merely as assistants to memory, being so easily learned by heart.
"Rome and Olympiads bear the same date, Three thousand two hundred and twenty-eight. In three hundred and sixty[29] was Rome sack'd and torn, Thirty summers before Alexander was born."
You will allow that what I have said in these few pages is very easily learned; yet, little as it is, I will venture to say that, was you as perfectly mistress of it as of your alphabet, you might answer several questions relating to ancient chronology more readily than many who pretend to know something of this science. One is not so much required to tell the precise year, in which a great man lived, as to know, with whom he was contemporary in other parts of the world. I would know then, from the slight sketch above given, about what year of the Roman republic Alexander the Great lived. You would quickly run over in your mind, "Alexander lived in the 3670th year of the world, 330 before Christ; consequently he must have flourished about the 400th _of Rome_, which had endured 750 years when Christ was born." Or, suppose it was asked, what was the condition of Greece, at the time of the sacking of Rome by the Gauls; had any particular state, or the united body, chosen then to take advantage of the misfortunes of the Romans? You consider that the 365th year of the city--the date of that event---is 385 before Christ; consequently this must have happened about the time of Philip of Macedon, father of Alexander, when the Grecians under such a leader might have extirpated the Roman nation from the earth, had they ever heard of them, or thought the conquest of them an object worthy their ambition.
Numberless questions might be answered in like manner, even on this very narrow circumscribed plan, if it was completely mastered. I might require that other periods or epochas should be learned with the same exactness; but these may serve to explain my meaning, and to show you how practicable and easy it is. One thing, however, I must observe--though perhaps it is sufficiently obvious--which is, that you can make no use of this sketch of ancient Chronology, nor even hope to retain it, till you have read the ancient _history_. When you have gone through Rollin's Histoire Ancienne _once_, then will be the time to fix the ancient Chronology deep in your mind, which will very much enhance the pleasure and use of reading it a _second_ time; for you must remember, that nobody reads a history to much purpose, who does not go over it more than once.
When you have got through your course of ancient history, and are come to the more modern, you must then have recourse to the second of the three divisions; viz. _middle Chronology_: containing about 800 years, from the birth of our Lord, and from within 50 years of the rise of the Roman empire, to Charlemagne, who died in 814.
This period, except in the earliest part of it, is too much involved in obscurity to require a very minute knowledge of its history: it may be sufficient to fix two or three of the most singular circumstances by their proper dates.
The first epocha to be observed is the year of our Lord 330, when Constantine, the first Christian emperor, who restored peace to the oppressed and persecuted church, removed the seat of empire from Rome to Byzantium, called afterwards from him Constantinople. After his time, about the year 400, began those irruptions of the Goths and Vandals, and other northern nations, who settled themselves all over the western parts of the Roman empire, and laid the foundation of the several states which now subsist in Europe.
The next epocha is the year 622--for the ease of memory say 600--when Mahomet, by his successful imposture, became the founder of the Saracen empire, which his followers extended over a great part of Asia and Africa, and over some provinces of Europe. At the same time, St. Gregory, bishop of Rome, began to assume a spiritual power, which grew by degrees into that absolute and enormous dominion, so long maintained by the popes over the greatest part of Christendom. St. Augustine--a missionary from St. Gregory--about this time, began the conversion of Great Britain to Christianity.
The third and concluding epocha in this division, is the year 800; when Charlemagne, king of France--after having subdued the Saxons, repressed the Saracens, and established the temporal dominion of the pope by a grant of considerable territories--was elected emperor of the west, and protector of the church. The date of this event corresponds with that remarkable period of our English history--the union of the Heptarchy, or seven kingdoms, under Egbert.