A Week of Instruction and Amusement Part 7

_Mrs. Harley._ Africa, my dear, though once so highly renowned for the learning and politeness of its natives is now nearly barbarous. In Africa, near the northern coast, was situated the once famous city of Carthage, founded by Queen Dido, and the native country of a famous general named Hannibal, whose history you will hereafter read. Egypt so famous for the Nile (an immense river) lies in this part of the world, and here the arts and sciences were formerly highly cultivated. The chief rivers are, the Nile, Niger, Gambia, and Senegal. The mountains are, Mount Atlas in the north, and the Peak of Teneriffe one of the Canary isles. The princ.i.p.al African Islands are, the Azores, the Madeiras, Canaries, Cape Verde isles, and St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean; Madagascar, Mauritius, Bourbon, Comora isles, and Socotora in the Indian Ocean.

America, the largest division of the globe, was discovered in the year 1492 by Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa in Italy; though it derives its name (not quite justly I think) from Americus Vesputius, who extended the discoveries of Columbus. America is divided into north and south, and these two peninsulas are joined by the Isthmus of Darien. The mountains here are much higher and the rivers much larger than those in the other parts of the world. The Andes, a ridge of mountains in South America, are considered the highest in the world; their tops are covered with perpetual snow, notwithstanding the excessive heat of the climate in which they are situated. In North America are the Appalachian or Allegany mountains. The princ.i.p.al rivers are, in the southern peninsula, the river Amazon, the Oronoko, the Rio de la Plata, and the river Janeiro: in the north, St. Lawrence, Delaware, and Susquehana.

Great part of North America formerly belonged to Great Britain, but some disputes arising between the mother country (England) and the colonies, a war ensued, which was, at length, terminated in favour of the Americans, and in 1783 they were declared a free, sovereign, and independent nation. This part of America is now distinguished by the appellation of "the United States." General Washington, of whom you have frequently heard me speak, was an American.

I must now finish my lecture on geography, which, though very imperfect, has yet exceeded the usual limits of our lessons; many interesting circ.u.mstances relating to the various countries I have mentioned, have been entirely omitted, as I was fearful that by telling you too much on the subject I should prevent you from remembering any of the particulars so necessary for you to retain.

_Anne._ Oh, dear mamma! how much I thank you for what you have told me about geography, I think it very entertaining, and I like looking over maps; but now I should very much like to know the history of all these countries.

_Mrs. Harley._ To-morrow, my dear, I will give you some account of them, but to know all the particulars of each nation would require you to read more volumes than as yet you have patience for. Farewell.

_CHAPTER VII._

WEDNESDAY.

_Mrs. Harley._ We will this morning, my dear, contrary to the usual custom, begin our instructions with the _Lesson_ instead of the _Story_; and as the two last days have given you some idea of geography, I think I cannot better employ the present than by devoting it to History.

_Anne._ You know, mamma, I am always happy to learn what you are so good as to teach me. Pray, if I was to ask you the meaning of the word History, how would you answer me?

_Mrs. Harley._ I should say, my dear, that History is a relation of the past actions of men and women. It is divided into sacred and profane. By sacred history is meant all the relations that are contained in the Old and New Testaments.

_Anne._ And of which you have already given me some account, mamma.

_Mrs. Harley._ From your earliest childhood, my dear, it has been my constant endeavour to store your mind with as much knowledge of sacred subjects as I thought it capable of receiving.

By profane history is meant the account of all transactions not included in the sacred volumes. Ancient history relates the events that happened from the creation of the world to the birth of Jesus Christ: Modern history, those from the birth of Jesus Christ to the present time.

Ancient history is divided into the four periods or aeras of the four successive monarchies called universal.

_Anne._ Why were they called universal monarchies, mamma?

_Mrs. Harley._ Because they extended over the greatest part of the _then_ known world. The first was the a.s.syrian monarchy, founded by Nimrod, the grandson of Ham, who, you know, was the son of Noah. Nimrod was a very courageous man, and a famous hunter of wild beasts, which impressed his friends with so high an idea of his abilities, that they agreed to elect him their king; he taught his subjects the arts of hunting and building cities, besides several other useful things: he founded the a.s.syrian monarchy about 1800 years after the creation.

Nimrod was succeeded by his son Ninus, and at his death the crown devolved to his Queen Semiramis, remarkable for her extraordinary valour; she was slain in battle by the Indians, who, in those days, made use of elephants in their armies. This monarchy ended under Sardanapalus, who was a very weak prince. The capitals of the a.s.syrian empire were Babylon upon the river Euphrates, and Nineveh on the Tigris.

It was divided, after the death of Sardanapalus, into three kingdoms, called, the Median, Babylonian, and the second a.s.syrian. Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, was a very wicked man, and treated the Jews (who had been brought captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, a former king) with great cruelty. At a splendid entertainment which he one night gave to the lords of his court, he ordered the vessels that had been taken from Solomon's temple to be brought to him, and, with his guests, insulted the Jewish religion by drinking out of them; his impiety was, however, speedily punished, for that very night Cyrus entered Babylon with a powerful army, made himself master of the kingdom, and Belshazzar was slain.

Cyrus becoming, soon after this event, by the death of his father and uncle, king of Persia, Media, and Babylon, established the second universal monarchy called the Persian. He was a very good prince, and permitted the Jews to return to their own land and rebuild their city.

_Anne._ Which was called Jerusalem, was it not, mamma?

_Mrs. Harley._ Yes, my dear, I am glad to find you recollect what you read. Cyrus lived to be very old, and was succeeded by his son Cambyses, who, far from following the virtuous example of his father, committed numberless crimes, among which was the murder of his own brother. After him reigned Smerdis the impostor, who pretended to be the true Smerdis that had been killed by Cambyses: next to him Darius, who was chosen because his horse neighed before any of those belonging to the other compet.i.tors for the crown: then Xerxes, a very vain-glorious prince, who attempted to conquer Greece, but was himself beaten, and obliged to make his escape from thence in a little fishing boat: he was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes, and at length, after several other kings, Darius ascended the throne, who, had he not been proud of his riches, might have been a wise and good sovereign. During his reign, the Greeks (who inhabited that country which is now the southern part of Turkey in Europe) determined, under the command of the famous Alexander, to make the Persians submit to their power: accordingly, an immense army invaded the Persian dominions, and after several battles, they were completely conquered, and Darius was killed by one of his own n.o.bles. Thus Alexander putting an end to the Persian monarchy, established the third Universal Empire about 330 years before Christ.

The capital of Persia was Susa.

_Anne._ I suppose then, that Alexander was a native of Greece, pray tell me a little about that country?

_Mrs. Harley._ Long before the time of Alexander, Greece had been highly celebrated. It was divided into several small states, the princ.i.p.al of which were, Sparta and Athens. Sparta was governed by kings; Lycurgus was their famous legislator; he framed many wise laws, which greatly added to the prosperity of the kingdom. Athens was a commonwealth, and even more renowned for wisdom than Sparta. Solon was their lawgiver, and his laws tended much more to the refinement of the people, than those of Lycurgus, some of which were very cruel. Macedon was a state of little consequence till the time of Philip, who greatly increased its importance: he procured himself to be appointed commander-in-chief of all the armies destined for the invasion of Persia, but he was killed before he set out on this expedition. He was succeeded by his son Alexander, both as king of Macedon and generalissimo of Greece, who, after settling the affairs of his native country, marched into Persia; not contented with conquering this vast country, he turned his arms against the Indian princes, many of whom were obliged to submit to his authority; one of them was named Porus, a man of extraordinary stature, who afterwards became the sincere friend of the conqueror.

Thus Alexander having subdued so many nations, was at last obliged to yield to the instances of his soldiers, and to think of returning back to Macedon. He entered Babylon in triumph, and spent much of his time, while there, in feasting and drinking. The excesses he committed, at times deranged his mind, and in one fit of intoxication he killed a faithful old friend named c.l.i.tus: many more of his actions were totally unworthy of a prince who a.s.sumed the name of _Great_, this appellation was certainly bestowed upon him rather for his extensive conquests, than for any benefits his subjects derived from his reign, nor could _Good_ with any propriety have been added to the t.i.tle of Great.

He at length, fell a victim to his intemperance in the thirty-third year of his age, about 323 years before Christ. Leaving no proper person to succeed him; four of his generals, after many disputes and battles divided his extensive dominions among themselves. To relate the particular histories of these kingdoms would engross too much of our time; I shall therefore proceed to the Roman Empire which was the fourth universal monarchy; and was founded by Romulus about 752 years before Christ. Perhaps a short account of its origin will be entertaining to you.

Romulus and Remus were the twin sons of a lady named Rhea Sylvia. As soon as they were born they were condemned by their cruel uncle Amulius king of Alba (in Italy) to be thrown into the Tiber, this was executed, but they were found and preserved by a herdsman named Faustulus, who brought them up as his own sons till they arrived at years of discretion; when becoming acquainted with the history of their birth, they determined to dethrone their wicked uncle Amulius, and restore their grandfather Numitor to the crown his brother had unjustly deprived him of. They succeeded, and then formed a plan for building themselves a city, among those hills on which they had spent their earliest years.

They could not, however, agree concerning the best situation for it, but the opinion of Romulus at length prevailing, Remus, to vex his brother, leaped contemptuously over the city wall: this so irritated Romulus that a violent quarrel ensued, they fought, and either by accident or design Romulus killed his brother, and then the whole government of the new state devolved upon himself: it was called Rome after its founder.

Inhabitants flocked from every part of the surrounding country into the new city, and it soon became a very considerable kingdom. After the death of Romulus six other kings succeeded to the throne all of whom, excepting the last, were great and good men, their names were,

Romulus the Founder, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Martius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and Tarquinius Superbus.

Under whom ended the regal state. A Commonwealth ensued. Many great men flourished during this period: but at length the government changed once more, and Rome became an empire. The first twelve emperors were distinguished by the appellation of the twelve Caesars, their names were

Julius Caesar, the first Roman emperor.

Augustus, in whose reign our Saviour Jesus Christ came into the world.

Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Sergius Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, t.i.tus, and Domitian.

Many emperors succeeded these, until Constantine the Great, the 41st emperor, removed the seat of empire from Rome to Constantinople, which, before his time, was called Byzantium. Constantine was a very good man, and was the first Roman emperor who embraced the Christian religion, but he pursued a system of politics that hastened the destruction of the empire. After his death the sovereignty was divided between his sons, and soon after Rome, which had once given laws to the world, became a prey to merciless barbarians, and sunk into comparative insignificance.

_Anne._ O! thank you, mamma, for this entertaining account of Rome, I shall be very glad when I am old enough to read the Roman History.

_Mrs. Harley._ Age, my dear, is not the only thing necessary for the accomplishment of your wish. Let me see you attentive to your present employments, and I shall have much pleasure in reading with you a history that I am sure will engage your attention. I will now tell you a very little about our own country.

Britain was little known to the rest of the world, till about 52 years before the common aera; when Julius Caesar invaded the country with a powerful army: the natives, a.s.sisted by their Druids or priests, opposed his landing, but they were unable long to resist so warlike a people as the Romans, who soon after making themselves masters of the island, maintained possession of the most fertile parts of it near 500 years.

Their own affairs then requiring their attention at home, they abandoned it, and the Saxons made their appearance. These people came from a province in Germany, and when they had subdued Britain, they divided it into seven kingdoms called the Saxon Heptarchy.

Kent, which included the isles of Thanet and Sheppey.

Northumberland, contained Northumberland, Durham, Lancashire, and Yorkshire.

East Anglia, contained Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk.

Mercia, contained all the middle countries from the Severn between East Anglia and Wess.e.x.

Ess.e.x, or East Saxony, contained Ess.e.x, Middles.e.x, and part of Hertfordshire.

Suss.e.x, or South Saxony, contained Surry, Suss.e.x, and the New Forest.

Wess.e.x, or West Saxony, included Hampshire, Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire, and the Isle of Wight.

Egbert, king of Wess.e.x, at length subduing the other princes of the Heptarchy, united the whole country under one monarchy, and became himself the first king of England, in the year 827 after Christ.

I will give you a chronological list of the kings of England, not that I wish you to learn it at present, but because it will be useful to refer to when you are reading the history. Some knowledge of dates is desirable, as it enables you to ascertain the periods when any particular events occurred, and under whose reign. The Danes made frequent incursions into England during the time of the Saxons, and caused great devastation in the country. Alfred, the most excellent prince mentioned in history, was obliged, owing to these barbarians, to abandon his throne and retire to an obscure cottage, where, however, he occupied his time in forming the best plans for his own re-establishment, and the restoration of tranquility to his distracted country: his wise measures were successful and for some time the Danes were entirely quelled, but they soon renewed their usual predatory warfare, and Canute became king of England.

SAXON KINGS OF ENGLAND.

800 Egbert 838 Ethelwolf 857 Ethelbald 860 Ethelbert 866 Ethelred 871 Alfred the Great 901 Edward the Elder 925 Athelston 941 Edmund 946 Edred 955 Edwy 959 Edgar 975 Edward the Martyr 978 Ethelred II 1016 Edmund II, or Ironside.