Harvard Classics: Recent Episodes
Rich E Book
Former President of Harvard University Charles W. Eliot wrote in his introduction to the Harvard Classics, "In my opinion, a five-foot shelf would hold books enough to give a liberal education to any one who would read them with devotion, even if he could spare but fifteen minutes a day for reading." Here you are, you can easily listen to his entire 15-minutes-a-day study guide while commuting to and from work (most of us spend far more than 15 minutes a day commuting each day), doing mundane work in the office, washing dishes at home, or doing most of the things day in and day out. It is so easy, so entertaining, and so educational that they can be listened to again and again, until they permeate into our own thinking and into our characters. Perhaps, in one year's time, you will become someone you barely recognize, all for the better. Who knows?
-- Rich E Book
Introductory note on Egmont by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Spain sent the Duke of Alva to subdue the Netherlands. In quelling disorder he killed the people's hero, Count Egmont. From this story Goethe made a famous play. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Egmont sentenced to death June 4, 1658.
Galileo, by holding his pulse while watching a swinging cathedral lamp, evolved a theory that made clocks possible. Harvey, by feeling his pulse, educed that arteries carry blood. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
Dr. William Harvey died June 3, 1657.
A "Back to Nature" movement in the seventeenth century was headed by Rousseau, who believed that civilization was degrading. To save money for his work, he entrusted each of his children to the tender mercies of a foundling house. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Jean Jacques Rousseau born June 2, 1712.
For the best blank verse in English, read "Dr. Faustus," the masterpiece of Marlowe, who gave Shakespeare lessons in playwriting. This genius knew the secret of gripping drama. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Marlowe died June 1, 1593.
Walt Whitman is the most original and startling of modern poets. An irony of his life is that while he wrote for the contemporary masses, only a limited number of followers appreciated his genius, now universally recognized. (Volume 39, Harvard Classics)
Walt Whitman born May 31, 1819.
At the close of the war, a torn and bleeding nation set about to rebuild its shattered frame. The result was a stronger nation rising from an almost disrupted union. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Memorial Day.
A Bagdad merchant dreamed of the money he would make from the sale of a tray of glassware, and of marrying the king's daughter. But, daydreaming, he kicked over the tray. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
Any one of these poems, "The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls," "The Last Rose of Summer," "The Light of Other Days," would alone have made Moore immortal. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Thomas Moore born May 28, 1779.
To advance freedom of thought, Lessing published an essay of one hundred paragraphs outlining the history of religion. The wrath of orthodox churchmen was hurled at his head, and Lessing was left alone to defend his daring theories. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Goneril and Regan falsely swore they loved their father, King Lear, more than life itself. Cordelia could find no words to express her sincere devotion. Then King Lear made the decision that started a series of exciting events. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Shakespeare's first daughter, Susanna, baptized May 26, 1583.
Emerson startled the world by fearlessly declaring his beliefs. Such apparent paradoxes as we find in his inspirational essay, "Heroism," makes him the most stimulating yet profound thinker America has produced. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson born May 25, 1803.
Debts were not always paid in money. Not so long ago the butcher paid for his keg of beer with a slab of beef, and oxen were exchanged for land and wives. Adam Smith tells the interesting story of the origin and use of money. (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)
From the river her body was tenderly lifted --- the girl who could find no place in the vast city. Thomas Hood pleads for her --- eloquently and justly. Read this gem of pathos. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Thomas Hood born May 23, 1799.
Because of a fancy for a peasant girl, the tyrannical lord of an Italian village sent desperadoes to threaten the priest if he married the girl to her village lover. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)
Manzoni died May 22, 1873.
The sharp tongue of Alexander Pope made him celebrated, yet widely feared. In a representative product of his versatile pen, he gracefully combines his flashing wit with sage advice. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
Alexander Pope born May 21, 1688.
The most concentrated beauty of Shakespeare's unbounded creative genius is found in his sonnets. Written as personal messages to friends and not intended for publication, they reveal the inner Shakespeare more truly than do any of his great plays. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
Sonnets entered in the London Stationers' Register, May 20, 1609.
When a man is invited to a banquet he must be satisfied with the dishes put before him. Epictetus reasoned that man should be content with what life offers, and in serenity find happiness. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Flowers often tire of their stationary life and sometimes at night frolic away to a ball in a beautiful castle. Thus a fanciful story-teller accounts for their drooping condition in the morning. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
Condemned for impiety, Socrates felt so justified in the virtue of his past action that instead of receiving a death sentence, he told the judges he should be maintained at public expense as a public benefactor. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Chessboards on which, of their own accord, black pieces played against white; chariots that swiftly turned hither and yon without a driver; pots in which a coward's meat would not cook --- all these are woven into bewitching stories. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
The best part of the Divine Comedy for a few minutes' reading is the "Inferno." There the reader finds the most vivid descriptions, the most startling and unforgettable pictures. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)
Dante born May 15, 1265.
Edward Jenner found that disease in the heel of a horse, transmitted through a cow to the dairy attendants, was an agent in making human beings immune from smallpox. His amazing experiments inaugurated a new epoch. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
Edward Jenner makes his first vaccination May 14, 1796.
Two dogs fell a-gossiping about their masters and about a dog's life among the humble Scotch folk. Each "rejoic'd they werena men but dogs; an' each took aff his several way." (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
The manuscripts of many of the best poems of Rossetti were buried with his wife. Friends prevailed upon him to allow them to be exhumed --- and these poems, once buried with the dead, are now a treasure of the living. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Rossetti born May 12, 1828.
Latest news abroad in Malfi: The Duchess has run off with her butler. But this happened before the days of newspapers or radio, so Webster made from it an exciting play. (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)
Savages who drink the powdered bones of their dead mixed with wine, Amazons who hold riotous festivals, the worship of golden statues, all the primitive wonders of Guiana are described by the famous Elizabethan gallant, Sir Walter Raleigh. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Who has ever thought the arts had anything to do with freedom? Schiller did. Forced by a German noble to enter a military school, he escaped. Struggling to achieve freedom, he wrote a series of letters on the relation of art to freedom. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Friedrich von Schiller died May 9, 1805.
Lady Teazle hides in haste when her husband is unexpectedly announced. Situations which set many tongues wagging and fed the fire of gossip in Scandal-land, startle the reader. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
"School for Scandal" produced at Drury Lane, May 8, 1777.
A haughty aristocrat, who murdered his wife for enjoying life more than he, now bargaining for a new bride; a crafty bishop begging and bullying his heirs for a tomb richer than that of his rival; these are subjects of Browning's pen. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Robert Browning born May 7, 1812.
"Benvenuto, the figure cannot succeed in bronze," so spoke the patron Duke. Cellini, stung to fury, passionately burst out: "You do not understand art." Feverishly he began the casting of the statue --- but read his own account of the tilt with the Duke. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Disguised as a man, a Russian noblewoman exploring the mountains of Poland came upon a secret prison. Fate linked the lives of this woman and the unknown prisoner. (Volume 26, Harvard Classics)
Calderon, after a life of adventure, died May 5, 1681.
When science was struggling for a place in popular education, Huxley distinguished himself as its champion. While the arts were to beautify life and increase pleasure, Huxley saw science as a means of benefiting man's prosperity. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Huxley born May 4, 1825.
Traveling from court to court in the stirring days of the Renaissance, Machiavelli studied the intrigues of princes. His writings have affected the destiny of mighty dynasties. (Volume 36, Harvard Classics)
Machiavelli born May 3, 1469.
Everything has to have a beginning, so too with the science of electricity. Here we learn the very rudiments, the inceptions of science that have revolutionized the world. Faraday explains in a simple way the truths of electricity. (Volume 30, Harvard Classics)
Once Hazlitt and his friends took to discussing the famous people they would like to meet --- Guy Fawkes, Sir Isaac Newton, Chaucer, Boccaccio, Cromwell, Garrick, and Judas. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Washington declared that the strength of the new nation lay in the "pure and immutable principles of private morality." A free government, fortified by the virtues and affection of its citizens, can command the respect of the world. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Washington inaugurated April 30, 1789.
Sindbad, a poor man, recited woeful verses before the magnificent dwelling of Sindbad of the Sea. The great Sindbad, hearing him, invited the poor Sindbad to a feast and told the wonderful story of his fabulous fortune. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
Three hundred years before Christ, a preacher in Jerusalem complained that there was no new thing under the sun. Everything considered new had really existed in the time of the fathers. Sophisticated and modern is this writer of 2,300 years ago. (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
The Puritan world feared Beauty. Emerson, great American essayist and philosopher, declared that the world was made for beauty, and openly worshiped at beauty's shrine. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson died April 27, 1882.
Just what constitutes a miracle? Does Science indorse miracles? One wonders why such marvelous things do not happen often nowadays. Hume tells why. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
David Hume born April 26, 1711.
Men who danced among sharp swords --- who gambled with their lives --- who took their women to the battlefields to encourage the brave and shame the cowardly --- these were the primitive Germans who made Roman emperors tremble. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
At the rate at which elephants naturally increase, Darwin estimated that in 750 years there could be nearly 19,000,000 elephants. But did Darwin consider the ravages of civilization and circuses? (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)
Shaken and disillusioned by the treachery of his elder daughter, King Lear suspected even the faithful Cordelia of evil designs. Her most tender efforts to comfort him failed to drive away the insistent specter of his madness. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Shakespeare died April 23, 1616.
Introductory note on The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Immanuel Kant, the most influential of German philosophers, taught that it was man's duty to be happy, for an unhappy man is tempted to sin. Seekers after happiness find aid and inspiration in Kant's writings. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Immanuel Kant born April 22, 1724.
Through the pages of a book the reader sees the life of past days. Carnivals, processions, battles, coronations, voyages - the whole history of the world and its people is revealed in a stupendous pageant. Taine was a Frenchman who wrote an unsurpassed history of English literature; its introduction reveals the unusual combination of an imaginative and an analytical style. (Volume 39, Harvard Classics)
H. A. Taine born April 21, 1828.
England's romantic poet died while fighting against the Turks on the side of the Greeks. His poems, "The Isles of Greece" and "The Prisoner of Chillon," proclaim freedom. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
At Missolonghi, Greece, 37 guns honor Byron, April 20, 1824.
Dr. Eliot says of the opening stanza of the "Concord Hymn": "In twenty-eight words here are the whole scene and all the essential circumstances... what an accurate, moving, immortal description is this!" (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Battle of Concord fought April 19, 1775.
Reading too many romances of knights and valorous deeds caused a poor Spanish gentleman to polish up his great-grandfather's armor, rechristen his old nag, and sally forth. "Don Quixote," besides holding a secure niche in literature as the work that quashed the romantic school of knight-errantry, is at the same time one of the most widely-read stories in the world. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
Cervantes receives the last sacraments April 18, 1616.
In 1731 there were not many books in America. Franklin saw the need for more books and by house-to-house canvassing persuaded Philadelphians to aid him in founding a public library which to-day stands as a lasting memorial to Franklin. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
Benjamin Franklin died April 17, 1790.
The city of Dis, within the gates of Hell, was guarded by monsters and surrounded by a moat filled with the tormented. Dante, protected by Virgil, entered the forbidden city, and viewed sights never before seen by living man. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)
Dante urges attack on the city of Florence, April 16, 1311.
The rugged, genuine Lincoln was idealized by Walt Whitman - the founder of the new school of American poetry. Two of Whitman's finest poems were inspired by Lincoln. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Lincoln died April 15, 1865.
Spanish towns in the New World were rich in treasure and tempting booty for English soldiers of fortune, who were venturesome and merciless. "Ho! for the Spanish Main!" was the rallying cry for all freebooters and buccaneers. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Kings, emperors, the greatest artists and sculptors of the Renaissance at its most magnificent period, walk through the pages of his autobiography --- not as cold, austere, historical characters but as the intimate friends of Cellini. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
You would doubtless like to know how to hold your own in any argument. Read what Leslie Stephen declares the finest specimen in our language of the conduct of argument. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
The virgin beauty of Margaret enchanted Faust, who dazzled her with the brilliance of many gems. Margaret innocently took his gifts, believing that beauty should not "blush unseen" - but unmindful of consequences to follow. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Before English adventurers could attempt settlement in America it was necessary first to get permission from the King. The charter of King James to the oldest American colony is an extremely important historical document. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
King James grants charter to Virginia, April 10, 1606.
West of Peru there was reported to be a land where Truth and Science were used to promote the happiness and freedom of man. Here is Bacon's description of this ideal commonwealth. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics)
Francis Bacon died April 9, 1629.
Orestes, holding an avenging sword over his mother, is told: "Beware thy mother's vengeful hounds." How he pays for disregarding his mother's warning is told in this drama where a mother is slain to avenge a father's ghost. (Volume 8, Harvard Classics)
Wordsworth was so closely in touch with Nature that the simple beauty of flowers, woods, and fields is reflected in his poems as if Nature herself took up the pen and wrote. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Wordsworth born April 7, 1770.
Badness has many interpretations, a different definition has been the dictate of each new generation. The solution of the eternal riddle was earnestly sought by Marcus Aurelius. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Marcus Aurelius born April 6, 121 A. D.
Dreams and their causes interested Hobbes. Without superstition, the philosopher weighed the evidence of ghosts, goblins, and witches. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Hobbes born April 5, 1588.
Genial and rollicking fun are provided in this highly entertaining story of a man who mistakes a private house for an inn, and who treats his host's daughter like a serving maid. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
Oliver Goldsmith born April 4, 1774.
"As a conqueror enters a surprised city; love made such resolutions as neither party was able to resist. She changed her name into Herbert the third day after this first interview." (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
George Herbert born April 3, 1593.
A huge spoon dressed in human finery, placed on a grave, appears to become convulsed when the moon's rays fall on it and dances to the tune of chanting natives. Weird sights, according to Darwin, abound in the South Seas. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
Everyone knows the pangs of homesickness in the spring. Even bright, sparkling Italy could not wean Browning's affection from the green hedgerows of misty England. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Monuments are usually made from death masks, but John Donne took pleasure in posing for his, wrapped from head to foot in a shroud. Isaak Walton tells of this in his fascinating biography of the eccentric poet. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
John Donne died March 31, 1631.
"I Promessi Sposi," a seventeenth century novel, vividly describes the devastating plague of Milan. Then whole families sickened in a few hours and died in less than a day's time of strange and violent complaints whose symptoms were unknown to physicians. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)
Capuchin monks given charge of the plague hospital in Milan, March 30, 1630.
Introductory note on The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
Brynhild, favorite goddess of Norse mythology, plighted troth with Sigurd, fearless warrior. But Sigurd forgot Brynhild and married Gudrun, whose brother, Gunner, then set out to win the beautiful Brynhild. Complications very like a modern triangle arose. (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
The making of a simple pin is one of the most complex affairs of modern industry. Adam Smith regards the process from the worker's point of view, and shows the many and varied economic principles that are involved in pin making. (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)
Is lying or quibbling ever permissible? May one juggle words so a truth is conveyed through a lie and a lie told by a truth? Stevenson unravels this puzzle. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Men in all ages have recognized the ingenuity of the practical philosophy and freshness of Æsop's allegories. Spend a few delightful moments with the wit and wisdom of Æsop. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
Caxton prints Æsop's Fables, March 26, 1484.
Hamlet pondered over which course contained the least unhappiness --- whether to suffer here and not incur new dangers, or whether to end it all and chance the unknown terrors of the next world. See how Hamlet reasoned. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Shakespeare makes his will, March 25, 1616.
Guenevere, King Arthur's queen, justly accused but harshly treated, makes a noble and brave attempt to convince her court that Gawaine lied and that Launcelot was true. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
William Morris born March 24, 1834.
Shahrazad, favorite of the treacherous Sultan's harem, selected a most thrilling story for her bridal night. By leaving it unfinished she was privileged to live to continue it the next night --- and so on for a thousand and one nights. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
The Faust legend, which can be traced to puppet shows of earlier days, portrays a philosopher who, through Satan's aid and in return for the price of his soul, works magic at will. From this rude framework Goethe has reared a drama of sublime grandeur. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Goethe died March 22, 1832.
Venus, mother of Æneas and wife of Vulcan, obtained from her husband, by seductive witchery, a marvelous shield whose surface reflected a thousand years of future events. Venus describes the wonders of the magic armor. (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)
Sir Isaac Newton was aided in his momentous discoveries by the most insignificant objects --- even apples, feathers, and coal. Voltaire discusses the wondrous discoveries of Newton. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Sir Isaac Newton died March 20, 1727.
The mysterious Egyptian temples, the floating islands, the huge pyramids and the many wonders of ancient Egypt are pictured for you by Herodotus. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Last recorded event in Herodotus' history dated March 19, 478 B. C.
A cunning uncle cheats his worthless nephew out of his fortune. The nephew, laughing stock of his former servants, sets out to retrieve his old position and riches. (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)
Massinger buried March 18, 1640.
An old Irish legend tells how, while St. Patrick was preaching about Paradise and Hell, several of his audience begged to be allowed to investigate the reality of these places. St. Patrick actually satisfied their curiosity. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
St. Patrick's Day.
Many amazing things happen in the Malay jungles. For example, Darwin tells about a crab that climbs trees and walks down the trunks for an occasional bath in a pool. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
Twice warned of the danger that threatened him on the Ides of March, although "the earth rocked and the stars fell and headless men walked in the Forum," Cæsar goes to the doom awaiting him in the Senate Chamber. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Ides of March, March 15.
"This gentlewoman that ye lead with you is a maid?" demanded the knight. "Sir," said she, "a maid I am." "Then she must yield us the custom of this castle." (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
Malory, recorder of King Arthur stories, died March 14, 1470.
Manzoni has pictured in this thrilling romance of the seventeenth century nobility, the pompous and sporting life of those good old days when nobles lived sumptuously in spacious castles surrounded by vast estates. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)
Berkeley believed in a great religious future for America. He lived three years in Rhode Island, and made plans for a college in Bermuda. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
Bishop Berkeley born March 12, 1685.
We are paid for our suffering and we pay for our happiness. Every ache, every sorrow receives its recompense here on earth. Emerson gives the basis for this conviction. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson ordained Unitarian minister, March 11, 1829.
In the days when contact with the theatre meant exile from the best society, Beaumont and Fletcher, men from good families, dared to ally themselves with the stage as playwrights. "Philaster" won them immortal praise. (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)
Swift regretted the laws against dueling because dueling at least was a good means of ridding the country of bores and fools. His keen eye penetrated social customs and saw the common sense that governed good manners. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Passage of laws against dueling in England, March 9, 1679.
Anselmo and Lothario were close friends. Anselmo, anxious to learn if his wife were perfect, as he believed her to be, makes an unusual proposal to his old friend. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
Bacon pointed out that a judge's duty was to interpret laws and not to make laws. This single essay of Bacon's is a richly condensed summary of the ethics of law. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics)
Bacon made Keeper of the Great Seal of England, March 7, 1616.
Edgar Allan Poe was expelled from West Point and disinherited. So poor was he that when his young wife lay dying, he could not afford a fire to warm her. The weirdness and despair of "The Raven" is particularly symbolic of his life. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Poe expelled from West Point, March 6, 1831.
Prison walls were the least of Cellini's troubles. "Lock me well up and watch me, for I shall certainly contrive to escape." In spite of this warning, the utmost care of the jailers only furnished amusement for the dauntless Cellini. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Penn, true to Quaker beliefs, came before the king with his hat on. The king overlooked this and later made him governor of Pennsylvania. A sagacious Penn is revealed in his writings. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
King Charles grants Penn charter of Pennsylvania, March 4, 1681.
Isaak Walton, famed patron of fishermen, appreciated other arts and hobbies. He writes of George Herbert, a preacher whose hobby was poetry. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
George Herbert died March 3, 1633.
From the Introduction to The Life of Mr. George Herbert by Izaak Walton (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
"A sailor's liberty is but for a day," as Dana explains. Dressed in his Sunday best, the sailor feels like a dashing Beau Brummel; and sets out to enjoy his freedom. "While it lasts it is perfect. He is under no one's eye and can do whatever he pleases." (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)
Word pictures are often more vivid than photographs. Steele had a gift for originating characters that are remembered longer than flesh and blood people. Sir Roger de Coverly and Will Honeycomb are now bold figures in literature. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
First issue of the "Spectator," published March 1, 1711.
Proficient in Latin even before he knew his own tongue, Montaigne received an unusual education. His whole life was spent in storing up his choice thoughts for our profit and pleasure. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Michel de Montaigne born Feb. 28, 1533.
"Tell me not in mournful numbers, life is but an empty dream..." "Stars of the summer night! Far in yon azure deeps--" So begin poems that have charmed and cheered thousands. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Longfellow born Feb. 27, 1807.
Hugo was insulted by the most powerful critics in France. He put into the preface of a play "his sling and his stone" by which others might slay "the classical Goliath." (Volume 39, Harvard Classics)
Victor Hugo born Feb. 26, 1802.
The brilliant wit and cutting satire of Defoe made for him friends and enemies --- but mostly enemies. So piercing and two-edged was "The Shortest-Way with Dissenters" that he was fined, imprisoned and pilloried. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
"The Shortest-Way with Dissenters" censored, Feb. 25. 1703.
In a superb poem, Milton bids Loathed Melancholy begone to some dark cell. He calls for the joys of youth and vows eternal faith with them. (Volume 4, Harvard Classics)
John Milton marries his third wife, Elizabeth Marshall, Feb. 24, 1662.
Gossipy, witty Pepys had a curiosity that made him famous. He knew all the news of court and street. Stevenson, who never put his pen to a dull subject, writes of Pepys. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Samuel Pepys born Feb. 23, 1632.
Burns asks for Columbia's harp, and then sings of liberty. He bewails the sad state of the land of Alfred and Wallace which once championed liberty, and now fights for tyranny. (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
George Washington born Feb. 22, 1732.
Just what makes a university? A group of fine buildings? A library? A staff of well-trained teachers? A body of eager students? A winning football team? Cardinal Newman defines the prime functions of a university. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Cardinal Newman born Feb. 21, 1801.
Because the early Quakers shook, trembled, and quaked when they became inspired --- they received the title of "Quakers." This sect attracted the keen-minded Voltaire, who made interesting notes on them during his visit to England. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
The thousandth celestial wife of the Garland God slipped and fell to earth, where she took mortal form and served as an attendant in a temple. Death finally released her and she went back to heaven to tell her lord of the ways of men. (Volume 45, Harvard Classics)
All Americans should know this treaty which finally inaugurated an era of peace and good understanding with England. For over a hundred years this peace has been unbroken. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Treaty with Great Britain proclaimed Feb. 18. 1815.
While acting in one of his own plays, Molière was suddenly stricken and died shortly after the final curtain. He took an important role in "Tartuffe" which introduces to literature a character as famous as Shakespeare's Falstaff. (Volume 26, Harvard Classics)
Molière died Feb. 17, 1673.
Ants have slaves who work for them. These slaves make the nests, feed the master ants, tend the eggs, and do the moving when a colony of ants migrate. Darwin minutely describes the habits and lives of the industrious ants and their marvelous social organization --- a wonder to mankind. (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)
The romantic and heedless loves of Antony and Cleopatra figure prominently in history, literature, and drama. Dryden made a fascinating play from the story of Antony, who sacrificed the leadership of Rome, reputation, and life itself for love of the Egyptian queen, who followed him in death. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
Mark Antony offers Cæsar crown at Rome, Feb. 15, 44 B. C.
Pascal --- an original genius --- purposed to master everything that was new in art and science. He was a mathematician and scientist as well as a religious enthusiast and moralist, and he shows a decidedly human side of his nature in this superb essay on Love. (Volume 48, Harvard Classics)
St. Valentine's Day.
At the age of fifty-eight Benvenuto Cellini shaved his head and retired to a monastery to write his own story of murder, passion, and great deeds of the Renaissance. His life is a vivid picture of the most colorful period in history, a period when statecraft and religion and black magic and assassination were naively mingled in men's lives. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Benvenuto Cellini died Feb. 13, 1570.
Lincoln himself thought his famous Gettysburg Address was a failure. To-day the whole world acclaims its greatness. Cast in bronze, it hangs on the wall of Balliol College, Oxford, regarded as the perfection of English prose. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Abraham Lincoln born Feb. 12, 1809.
Descartes was slain through the eccentric whim of a queen who demanded that he tutor her in the freezing dawn in the dead of winter. His philosophy lives in this essay. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
René Descartes died at Stockholm, Feb. 11, 1650.
Voltaire once visited Congreve. This famous dramatist requested to be regarded only as a plain gentleman. "Had you been that I should never have come to see you," Voltaire cynically replies. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
William Congreve baptized Feb. 10, 1670.
Tacitus, the historian, visited the virile German tribes in their primitive homes on the banks of the Rhine He was surprised to learn that the men so active and eager in war lolled in indolence during the intervals between. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
"But I, the Queen of a' Scotland, maun lie in prison strang." Burns sings of poor Mary bound by chains, yearning for the day when flowers would "bloom on her peaceful grave." (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
Mary, Queen of Scots, beheaded Feb. 8, 1587.
Johnson was not always a conventional guest. Graciously treated, he responded in like manner, but offended, Johnson could wield a pen dripping with vitriol. (Volume 39, Harvard Classics)
Samuel Johnson writes to Lord Chesterfield, Feb. 7, 1755.
"The reluctant pangs of abdicating royalty in 'Edward' furnished hints which Shakespeare scarcely improved in his 'Richard the Second,' and the death scene of Marlowe's King moves to pity and terror." -CHARLES LAMB. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Christopher Marlowe born Feb. 6, 1564.
Trapped in a valley filled with huge diamonds guarded by venomous serpents, Sindibad devised a clever means of escaping with many of the glittering jewels. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
"Genius, a Secret to Itself." Thus wrote Carlyle, who affirms that great minds are unconscious of their stupendous strength. And each of us has his own peculiar mental attributes. (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
Thomas Carlyle died Feb. 4, 1881.
While the cat's away the mice will play. Boisterous and ludicrous happenings occur in a house left in charge of a servant. But in midst of merriment the master returns. (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)
Ben Jonson receives life pension from James 1, Feb. 3, 1619.
Before his son, Laertes, departs for a foreign country, Polonius advises him as to his conduct and dress, while Hamlet, the king's son, has to learn by experience. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics
Shakespeare's twins - Hamnet and Judith - baptized Feb. 2, 1585.
The intrepid Knights of the Round Table were startled by "crackling and crying of thunder" which rang through the great hall of the castle. Then there entered "The Holy Grail covered with white samite." (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
Slayer of windmills, rescuer of fair damsels in distress, eccentric Don Quixote, scores of years behind his time, set out on a mad quest of knight-errantry. Worlds of fun and killing satire are in this absorbing story of Cervantes. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
Antigone, an orphan princess, defies a king's mandate and risks her life to do her duty to her brother. What is this duty which her brother calls her to perform and the king forbids? (Volume 8, Harvard Classics)
Sophocles died at Athens, Jan. 30. 405 B. C.
South of Patagonia is Tierra del Fuego - "The Land of Fire." The natives of that primitive country are today almost extinct. Darwin made a careful and vitally interesting study of that land and its ill-fated inhabitants. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
Darwin married Emma Wedgewood, Jan. 29, 1839.
A pure heart, says Thomas à Kempis, comprehends the very depths of Heaven and Hell. And it is by the wings of simplicity and purity that man is lifted above all earthly things. (Volume 7, Harvard Classics)
Dante fell madly in love with Beatrice at first sight; but it is doubted if he ever spoke to her in this world. He tells of his happy meeting with Beatrice in Paradise. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)
Dante victim of political persecution in Florence, Jan. 27, 1302.
A king who entombed his daughter in a golden cow --- the worship of the bull and the cat --- scandal of the court and the gossip of the temples is given by Herodotus in his delightful story of old Egypt. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
A humble Scotchman, plowing his fields, turns over the nest of a frightened mouse. He apologizes with the deepest sincerity and explains how "the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley." (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
Robert Burns born Jan. 25, 1759.
When his ship approached the siren's rock, Odysseus stuffed the ears of his crew with wax and had himself bound to the mast that he might hear the alluring voice of the siren and yet not wreck his ship on the enchanted rock. (Volume 22, Harvard Classics)
Pascal, the keen-minded philosopher and mathematician, fathomed the human traits of man's nature with the same accurate measurements which made him famous in the realm of geometry. Read his searching analysis of man's conceit. (Volume 48, Harvard Classics)
Pascal publishes "Provincial Letters," Jan. 23, 1656.
The classic plays of French literature are produced to-day precisely as when they were given for the resplendent kings they were written to please. We are fortunate to have in English, excellent translations of these noble plays. (Volume 26, Harvard Classics)
Corneille elected to French Academy. Jan. 22, 1647.
The Emperor of China lies on his deathbed grieving for the song of his favorite bird. Hark, the song! It charms, coaxes, and bribes Death to depart. It brings new life to the master. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
At midnight on the eve of St. Agnes there were certain solemn ceremonies which all virgins must perform to have "visions of delight and soft adorings from their loves." Porphyro took advantage of this custom to win his bride. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
St. Agnes' Eve, Jan. 20.
Regarded in Europe as one of America's greatest writers, Poe originated the detective story, perfected the mystery short story, and produced America’s first great poems. Here he unravels the fabric of which all poetry is woven. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Edgar Allan Poe born Jan. 19, 1809.
"Shall I crack any of those old jokes, master, at which the audience never fails to laugh?" Like an up-to-date vaudeville team, Xanthias and Dionysus start off a dialogue that mingles wit and poetry with humor and keen satire. (Volume 8, Harvard Classics)
Good middle-class people, Franklin boasts, were his ancestors. Some have attributed his genius to his being the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations. In his famous autobiography, he reveals quaint family history. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
Benjamin Franklin born Jan. 17, 1706.
An old woman once found a wine jar, but it was empty. She sniffed at the mouth of the jar and said: "What memories cling 'round the instruments of our pleasure." (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
Omar Khayyam laughed and enjoyed the good things of life. His "Rubaiyat," the most popular philosophic poem, is the best of all books to dip into for an alluring thought. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
"Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" first published Jan. 15, 1859.
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut is "the first written constitution as a permanent limitation on governmental power, known in history." It is the work of the Connecticut Yankee. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut adopted Jan. 14, 1639.
Rousseau taught that men were not created free and equal. To substantiate his daring beliefs he traced man's history back to his primitive beginnings. For his teachings, Rousseau was forced to seek refuge in England. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Jean Jacques Rousseau arrived in England, Jan. 13, 1766.
A Turkish sultan, relates Burke, when shown a picture of the beheaded John the Baptist, praised many things, but pointed out one gruesome defect. Did this observation show the sultan to be an inferior judge of art? (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)
Edmund Burke born Jan. 12, 1729.
Hamilton organized the Treasury Department. He penned most of the Federalist papers, which were greatly influential in bringing New York into the Union --- the first step toward its eminent position in national and world finance. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Alexander Hamilton born Jan. 11, 1757.
King Pantheus of Thebes contended against Dionysus, the God, for the adoration of the Theban women. The god was winning by bewitching the women when the king interceded. Euripides tells the story in a masterpiece of Greek drama. (Volume 8, Harvard Classics)
With only fifty-two men, Sir Francis Drake conceives the idea of attacking his archenemy, Spain, at her most vulnerable point the treasure at Nombre de Dios. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Drake died at Nombre de Dios, Jan. 9, 1596.
God was pleased with the piety of Job, but Satan accredited the piety to Job's prosperity and happiness. So a trial was made. See how each succeeding affliction visited on Job shook the depths of his nature, and how he survived. (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
The Sultan had a habit of beheading each dawn his beautiful bride of the night before, until he encountered Scheherazade. Cleverly she saved her life a thousand and one mornings. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
In the dead of night Hector's ghost appeared to warn Æneas of the impending doom to come upon the walled city of Troy. Æneas lifted his aged father on his back and, taking his son by the hand, sought safety in flight. Off to Latium! (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)
H. Schliemann, discoverer of ancient Troy, born Jan. 6, 1822.
Mazzini labored for the freedom of Italy, but was exiled. Byron and Goethe also battled for liberty. Mazzini wrote an essay in which he compared Byron to a soaring eagle and Goethe to a contented stork. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Byron arrived in Greece to fight for Greek freedom, Jan. 5, 1824.
A fisherman, so the story goes, once caught a flounder that spoke, begging to be released. This was granted, whereupon the fisherman's wife demanded that it grant her one miracle after another, until even the flounder was disgusted. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
Jacob Grimm, elder of the famous Grimm brothers, born Jan. 4, 1785.
"Fire and water are not of more universal use than friendship" - such is the high value put upon this great human relationship by the most famous orator of Rome. (Volume 9, Harvard Classics)
Cicero born Jan. 3, 106 B. C.
At the age of sixteen, Milton first appeared before the public eye as a promising young poet. These early verses, written while he was a boy in school, indicate his brilliant future. (Volume 4, Harvard Classics)
First edition of Milton's collected poems published Jan. 2, 1645.
"Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve"-was one of the rules for success framed by America's first "self-made" man. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
The most unhappy man, Carlyle says, is the man who has no real work - no interest in life. To avoid this miserable state, he advises faithful and diligent reading along the lines dictated by curiosity and interest. (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
Dana's description of the picturesque, pre-gold-rush California is unique. While he was on the Pacific coast he met a British sailor who was elaborately tattooed and of an unforgetable appearance and personality. (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)
After twenty years' absence, Odysseus returned home to find his house filled with strangers rioting and wasting his treasure. Crafty Odysseus, with the aid of his son and the gods, devised a bold plan to rid his home of the unwelcome guests. (Volume 22, Harvard Classics)
Drake with a fleet of twenty-five ships and twenty-three hundred men sets sail to plunder and lay waste Spain's treasure hoards in the New World. Gold and silver bar, nuggets and jewels awaited the bold adventurers. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
It was the new-old lands that Darwin visited on his voyage of the "Beagle." The strange specimens of prehistoric life he saw there made the world gape and shudder. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
Charles Darwin begins voyage in the "Beagle," Dec. 27, 1831.
Introductory note on The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Cordelia, daughter of old King Lear, could not convince her father of her love for him. Afterward, when misfortunes made him accept her aid, he learned too late of her real devotion. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
"King Lear" presented at Queen Elizabeth's court, Dec. 26, 1606.
Luke was a Greek physician, a man of culture, trained in the best universities of the ancient world. He became imbued with the spirit of Christ, and wrote the most beautiful story of the birth and life of Jesus. (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
Christmas Day
Before the Reformation in England almost every third day was a holy day. But the Puritans abolished all the holy days, even Christmas. (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
If all the books in the world were on fire, some men would risk their lives to save certain priceless writings: the world's classics. Sainte-Beuve here tells why. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Sainte-Beuve born Dec. 23, 1804.
Darwin, in exploring New Zealand, finds cannibalism, tattooing, and many weird customs among the natives. Instead of shaking hands, the salutation is by rubbing noses. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
Darwin visits New Zealand natives, Dec. 22, 1835.
"Madam Bubble," or this vain world, presented both herself and her purse to the wayfarer. Repulsed and scorned, yet she serenely flaunts her bribes enticingly before his bewildered eyes. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
John Bunyan made leader of Non-Conformist congregation, Dec. 21, 1671.
All phases of life were pictured by Herodotus in his history. Like a modern newspaper reporter, he combines weird stories, scandals, and battle accounts with descriptions of places, persons, and sights about town. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
The mighty Samson was blinded while a captive of the Philistines. He sought revenge - a revenge devastating and costly. Milton, himself a giant of intellect, blind and imprisoned, wrote of this sightless giant of other days. (Volume 4, Harvard Classics)
Milton released from prison, Dec. 19, 1660.
Every schoolboy asks: "What's the use of learning Latin?" John Locke, one of the greatest educators of all time, maintains that Latin is absolutely essential to a well-bred gentleman, and explains why. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
The mother of St. Augustine prayed unceasingly for her son's conversion. The most touching, most soul-revealing writing St. Augustine did is in the description of his mother's death. (Volume 7, Harvard Classics)
Beauty is an important factor in the attraction between man and woman. It is knowing beauty that differentiates man from the animals, which only require that their mates be of the same species. (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)
This is another of those marvelous and unforgetable tales of the wandering Odysseus. The fantasy takes him into regions where he discourses with deceased heroes. (Volume 22, Harvard Classics)
The many-sided Marvell, who wielded a pen that was both feared and courted, is seen at his best in stirring verse. "A Garden," "Prospect of Flowers," with the "Horatian Ode upon Cromwell," show the power of his genius. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
Marvell entered Cambridge, Dec. 14, 1633.
A famous voyage was Sir Francis Drake's around the world. Drake's crew, the first white men to visit many parts of the world, received amazing receptions from the natives. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Sir Francis Drake embarked for South Seas, Dec. 13, 1577.
Three brave men began the heroic ride from Ghent to Aix. Only one man arrived to tell the thrilling story of the tempestuous ride. In one of his most bewitching poems, in lines that haunt the memory, Browning retells the story. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Robert Browning died Dec. 12, 1889.
The handsome Alcibiades, cunning in politics, bold in war, was the lion of Athenian society until he violated the secrets of a mysterious religious cult. Then all outraged Athens united to dash their idol to the ground. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Taking offense at a soldier who made advances toward his favorite lady, Cellini jumped from the window, knife in hand, to avenge himself. This incident was recorded with characteristic conceit by Cellini in his amazing diary. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
By the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 stringent laws were made to prevent assistance being given to any slaves attempting to escape. The antislavery answer to these laws was a perfection of the "Underground Railroad." (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
De Quincey imagined that three women were sent to him so that he might know the depths of his soul. Real women could not have wielded greater influence. It is fortunate that everyone does not meet these weird women. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Thomas De Quincey died Dec. 8, 1859.
After being governor of Sicily, Cicero returned to Rome expecting a hero's welcome. When he asked what the Romans thought of his recent achievements, he received an astounding answer. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Cicero slain by Mark Antony's soldiers, Dec. 7, 43 B. C.
"The Vision of Mirza" and "Westminster Abbey," first printed in "The Spectator," are examples of Addison's wondrous gift of expression. He leads us to higher realms. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Last issue of "The Spectator" published Dec. 6, 1712.
So beautiful that many painters sought her for a model - Christina Rossetti, sister of the famous poet, Dante Rossetti, combined with her unusual beauty a rare poetic sense. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Christina Georgina Rossetti born Dec. 5, 1830.
Introductory note on Christina Georgina Rossetti (The Ridpath Library of Universal Literature)
Æneas and Dido, world-famous lovers, while hunting in the forest, were trapped in a cave by a furious storm. There the marriage between the proud African queen and the homeless wanderer was completed. (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)
After three awesome messengers have issued three warnings, the gods of ten thousand worlds decide who is to be the new Buddha. Then the parents, the conception, the birth of the god-child demand constant vigilance. (Volume 45, Harvard Classics)
Attacked in fun by two masked knights, Sir Galahad smote one so that both horse and rider went down. Turning on the other jester, he slashed open his helmet. (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
Offhand we say a skeptic is one who doubts everything. But does he? And are his doubts caused by too much learning, or too little? Berkeley presents both sides of skepticism. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
To harp on one's illnesses, giving all the symptoms and circumstances, has been a blemish on conversation for ages. Two hundred years ago Swift complained of persons who continually talked about themselves. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Jonathan Swift born Nov. 30, 1667.
Did you ever stop to think just how you thought? What inner emotions, what outer influences make up the fathomless depths of mind and intellect? Hume explains how we draw our thoughts, then clumsily put them into tangible shape called ideas. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
"To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower---" Such was the exaltation of the mysticism of William Blake, who reflected in his poetry the ecstasy of his visions. Simplicity is the keynote of his genius. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
William Blake born Nov. 28, 1757.
In wondrous Utopia pearls and precious stones were used as playthings for little children. Gold rings and bracelets were only worn by outcasts, while great golden chains shackled criminals and felons. When ambassadors from foreign lands came in fine raiment, the Utopians treated the plainest dressed as the greatest; the others seemed to them like children. (Volume 36, Harvard Classics)
Charles Lamb, favorite essayist, thought that no stage could do justice to Shakespeare's tragedies. He advocated reading the plays, and with the imagination costuming the players and building the gorgeous scenery in a way equaled by no scene painter or costumer. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
We are indebted to Thomas Dekker for one of the most humorous characters in all Elizabethan literature; namely, Simon Eyre, an old shoemaker whose affairs became hilariously involved with those of the gentry. (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)
The signal for the beginning of a great controversy, still raging, was the publication of Darwin's "Origin of Species." This was the first complete statement of the evolution theory, which had been privately advanced but never publicly taught. A new epoch in science dates from this great work. (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)
"Origin of Species" published Nov. 24, 1859.
According to Pascal, a man is not even as significant as a speck of star dust in the universe. Pascal's thoughts on the subject are startling to the modern reader, and they furnish rich food for the imagination. (Volume 48, Harvard Classics)
Pascal begins writing his "Thoughts," Nov. 23, 1654.
Deserted by her lover, Queen Dido applied to her heart the only balm that could ease her pain. (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)
The beautiful daughters of the Circassians were in demand for the seraglios of the Turkish Sultan. Voltaire tells how these beauties were protected from smallpox centuries before modern vaccination. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Voltaire ill with smallpox, Nov., 1723.
When the cold winds howled about the thatched huts of the German peasant, the mother drew her children to her side and told them stories. Collected and retold by the Grimm brothers, these stories have perennial charm. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
A barge with black sails bearing three black robed queens with crowns of gold carried away the dying King Arthur. Will they bring him back and fulfill Merlin's prophecy? (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Queen Victoria appointed Tennyson poet laureate, Nov. 19, 1850.
The arrow shot from his bow with a twang and whizzed through the air. Tell covered his eyes, fearing to see where the arrow hit. Then the shout of triumph, a shout of the people and not of the tyrant-but the end was not yet. (Volume 26, Harvard Classics)
William Tell incident, legendary date, Nov. 18, 1307.
Are you curious about famous people, their lives, habits, personalities? Carlyle discusses the intimate life of his illustrious countryman, and reveals Scott, the man, and Scott, the genius who entertained Christendom with his stories. (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
Scott writes dedication of "Ivanhoe," Nov. 17, 1817.
When the glorious Western coast was only partly settled, Dana visited the Presidios. He saw frontier life at a time when Spanish splendor still gilded California. (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)
Food profiteering was as active in plague-stricken Milan 300 years ago as in modern times. Shops were stormed for food. Read how the Council strove heroically to fix fair rates. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)
Sale of corn and flour regulated in Milan, Nov. 15, 1629.
We wonder if the man who worried about the "scientifical" prediction that "The sun's heat will give out in ten million years more," had read Lyell on the gradual changes in the earth's surface. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
Sir Charles Lyell born Nov. 14, 1797.
Carthage was the playground of the ancient world. In that city of many sins, Augustine was a leader of the revels. His conversion to Christianity amazed those who knew him. (Volume 7, Harvard Classics)
St. Augustine born Nov. 13, 354.
Milton's version tells how the Serpent induced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve offered it to Adam. Then they became conscious for the first time that they were not clothed. (Volume 4, Harvard Classics)
John Milton married second wife, Nov. 12, 1656.
The youth of America-typified in the doughboy of the past war-was gloriously portrayed by Walt Whitman. He also sang of the vast plains and the beauty of America. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Armistice Day
Goldsmith traveled through Belgium, France, and Italy, winning his daily bread by playing at farmhouses. He wrote the most brilliant comedy, the best novel, and the finest poem of his age. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Oliver Goldsmith born Nov. 10, 1728.
The Psalms have been an inspiration to men in many ages. They have become so associated with the peaceful spirit of Christianity that we forget some of them were once war songs and songs of triumph. (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
Milton's indomitable courage kept him at his work even after he lost his sight. Blind, he dictated a sequel to his "Paradise Lost," which he called "Paradise Regained." (Volume 4, Harvard Classics)
John Milton died Nov. 8, 1674.
Suddenly all the sinful city's inhabitants were turned to stone. When a beautiful woman from Bagdad came to the dead city, night overtook her there. Sleeping in the palace, she was awakened by a man's voice calling. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
Two sticks, a table, and a pail were the commonplace implements used by Michael Faraday to demonstrate great scientific truths. (Volume 30, Harvard Classics)
Faraday sends "Experimental Researches" to Royal Society, Nov. 6, 1845.
A divorce always means trouble for some one. So with Sir Thomas More when he refused to agree with King Henry over the king's separation. More was made to pay one of the highest prices ever paid for a difference of opinion. (Volume 36, Harvard Classics)
Polyeucte, an Armenian noble, wanted to become a Christian. If he were baptized, he would have to give up his high position, his wealth and his pagan wife. Was the heavenly crown worth this sacrifice? (Volume 26, Harvard Classics)
Pliny sought the advice of the Emperor Trajan for dealing with the Christians who were alarmingly on the increase. He casually relates how he had tortured two Christians. (Volume 9, Harvard Classics)
Dante recorded the awful scenes of a journey through the pits of the underworld, and wrote in such a vivid, realistic way that men tremble at the terrors depicted. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)
Monsters of the earth, weird creatures of the air, magic romance, and shipwreck are mingled by a master hand in his thrilling drama. The fanciful, enchanting "Tempest" is the last work of the great bard of Stratford. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
“The Tempest” performed at Queen Elizabeth's court, Nov. 1, 1611.
Beware of magic! Once a year uneasy spirits are released and walk the earth from midnight until dawn. Spooks and goblins invade the most secure homes and the canniest must watch out for danger lurking in every dark corner. (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
All Hallows' Eve.
Lyell has been called the founder of modern geology. Darwin, the master scientist, called him "Geology's Greatest Benefactor." Lyell's research revolutionized ideas on that subject. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
Though the son of a stable man, John Keats wrote the most exquisite and sublime poetry in our language. He was the friend of Shelley, Lord Byron, and the other literary leaders of the time --- his genius recognized by all. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Locke taught children by means of games. He tells of a game whereby children were taught to spell with dice on which the letters of the alphabet were pasted. This was more than 200 years before modern kindergarten methods. Today's children would respond to such wise direction as Locke recommends. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
John Locke died Oct. 28, 1704.
Siddhartha Gautama, who became the god Buddha, renounced the world and spent seven years in meditation. Then one day, while sitting under a fig tree, he became inspired with exalted and sublime conceptions of life and death. The rest of his life was spent in teaching and converting mankind. (Volume 45, Harvard Classics)
Poor at twenty, rich at forty, internationally famous at fifty. Benjamin Franklin once walked the streets of Philadelphia alone, poor, and with no education. Yet he rose to be a leader because he learned the secret of careful reading. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
Franklin made U. S. plenipotentiary in France, Oct. 26, 1778.
After the publication of Machiavelli's "The Prince," the Sultans became more addicted to strangling their brothers, tyrants became more merciless, and murderous plots increased. The influence of that book, as Macaulay points out, spread over Europe and Asia. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Thomas Babington Lord Macaulay born Oct. 25, 1800.
Cassandra knew through a prophetic vision that a sword would pierce her heart. Agamemnon, her captor, took her to his home where an avenging wife, Clytemnestra, awaited. The tragedies of the doom that requited the sins of the House of Atreus are among the most powerful ever written. (Volume 8, Harvard Classics)
When only a boy, Cæsar was captured by pirates. While awaiting ransom he entered into every sport and game with them. Once freed, he quickly returned with forces that captured the outlaws. Then he took deliberate revenge. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Swift was embarrassed by two women; Stella, whom he really loved, and Vanessa, with whom he had flirted and who had taken him seriously. Marriage to either one would break the heart of the other. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Cicero agrees with Browning that old age is the golden time of life, when the fruits of a well-spent life are harvested. Cicero, the wise Roman, welcomed old age for its gifts: wisdom, sound judgment, and contentment. (Volume 9, Harvard Classics)
The gods met in council and decreed that Odysseus be set adrift. Poseidon, God of the Sea, shattered the raft and Odysseus was cast ashore to encounter further adventures. (Volume 22, Harvard Classics)
Weep if you must. It is far better than to repress your tears. But Leigh Hunt finds greater virtue in cheerfulness. Fanciful and graceful --- his writings exerted a wholesome influence on all nineteenth century journalism. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
James Henry Leigh Hunt born Oct. 19, 1784.
Introductory note on Percy Bysshe Shelley (The Ridpath Library of Universal Literature)
From the title of a recently popular novel, we know that one prominent fiction writer of to-day was inspired by the verses of Shelley. Many others have also felt the stirring vigor of his poetry. What is your reaction? (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
The religion of Thomas Browne - a liberal man in a most intolerant time - was not taken from either Rome or Geneva, but from his own reason. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics)
Browne visited by Evelyn of "Evelyn Diary," Oct. 17, 1671.
Once physicians treated the sick with a mixture of medicine and charms. In those days medicine was regarded as a dark art like magic, and those practicing it formed guilds to protect themselves. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
They are a people smooth and clean of body because of continually washing themselves --- they eat all their enemies whom they kill or capture." Amerigo Vespucci thus writes of the New World inhabitants. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Amerigo Vespucci returns from first American voyage, Oct. 15, 1498.
All colonies are founded to gain territory or treasure. Spain expected spice and gold from Columbus's expedition, but got no spice and little gold. Adam Smith tells the true motive of the colonizing Greeks, Romans, English, and Spaniards. (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)
A man of virtue, although a pagan, Marcus Aurelius ruled with benevolence and wisdom. Cruel in persecution of Christians as lawbreakers, no trace of this sternness appears in his writings. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Historical documents, now priceless, were often used as wrapping paper. Rescued by chance was a letter of Columbus telling of his voyages - of the amazing bargains made with timid natives -- of Amazon women who fought like men and made marriage treaties with cannibals. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
It's Columbus Day!
Æneas, mythological founder of the Roman race, leaving Carthage and its lovely Queen Dido, was driven by a storm to the coast of Sicily. There the hospitality of King Acestes helped him to forget his relinquished love. (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)
The romance-stricken Don Quixote sees a fair youth seated by the side of a stream, "his feet like two crystals, his hands like snowflakes." The youth was a charming girl! (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
Cervantes aided in the capture of Tunis, Oct. 10, 1573.
Do you know that many of your favorite hymns have echoed for hundreds of years through vast cathedrals, and resounded from the walls of Jericho during the Crusades? (Volume 45, Harvard Classics)
Newman, author of "Lead, Kindly Light," baptized Oct. 9, 1845.
Fielding wrote a lengthy story to burlesque a novel of Richardson. But the travesty overshot its mark. Instead of a mere parody, it became a masterpiece. (Volume 39, Harvard Classics)
Henry Fielding died Oct. 8, 1764.
John Woolman was the foremost leader of the early Quakers and contributed much to the spiritual life of the American Colonies. He was a pioneer in the crusade against slavery. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
John Woolman died Oct. 7, 1772.
Wakened by the death cries of her sentry, Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, fled by a secret passage from the fury of a vile mob. The royal family was arrested and taken to Paris to await their fate. (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)
A boxer in public games desired to study philosophy at Athens. There were no furnaces to tend, no tables to wait on, no books or magazines to peddle, yet this sturdy young Greek managed to work his way through college. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
The man who put pebbles in his mouth and orated to the sea, shaved one-half of his head so that he would be obliged to stay at home until he had perfected his oratory -- a strange method of attaining eminence, but a successful one. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
When polite English society conversed in French -- considering English a vulgar tongue, fit only for servants and working people -- Chaucer, nevertheless, wrote poems in this "vulgar" English, which charm us because of their quaint words. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
Just before Darwin visited Bahia Blanca, an Indian insurrection had been ruthlessly put down. A veteran of the Indian war told Darwin how Indians had been treated. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
Darwin returns from South America, Oct. 2, 1836.
To-day the chief duty of a prince is to be the nation's friend maker. Years ago princes desired supreme power and, by fair means or foul, strove for control. Machiavelli was a guide for such ambitious princes. (Volume 36, Harvard Classics)
Machiavelli's model prince sent to France as papal legate, Oct. 1, 1498.
An etiquette book and a good tailor do not always produce a gentleman - neither does the Social Register include only gentlemen. Emerson by quaint stories tells how fashion and manners combine to make that rare product -- a gentleman. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson's first marriage, Sept. 30, 1829.
Confucius was a Chinese magistrate in 500 B. C. He lost the favor of the Emperor and wandered from city to city, teaching and giving counsel. After his death, Emperor and people alike bowed before his shrine. (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
Proof that germs cause many contagious diseases was established by Louis Pasteur. His discoveries revolutionized modern science and lessened the ravages of every type of disease. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
Louis Pasteur died Sept. 28, 1895.
To-day we have Fundamentalists and Modernists, each striving for the same goal. Pascal, two hundred and fifty years ago, gave his precepts of the fundamentals of religious thought. (Volume 48, Harvard Classics)
Pascal confers with Descartes, Sept. 27, 1647.
The gaunt lunatic, Don Quixote, saw the world through glasses colored with romanticism that had gone out of style hundreds of years before he was born. Cervantes made the world laugh at the exaggerated stories it had been devouring. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
Printing of Cervantes' "Don Quixote" licensed, Sept. 26, 1604.
John Stuart Mill in his autobiography boldly tells of his love for his friend's wife. After twenty years, she was freed from her first husband and was happily married to John Stuart Mill. Read the account of Mill's courtship. (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
When the serpent of Minerva disappeared from her temple, the priests said that the goddess had left Athens for the sea. Moreover, the oracles urged the Athenians to seek safety in their ships. Themistocles prompted these deceits. Why? (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
The Romans made an art of dying. The Egyptians looked on death with complacency. Moderns fear it. Montaigne argues that the purpose of philosophy is to teach men how to die. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
In the days when kings rode to battle leading their troops it was possible to make good the boast of the doughboy: "I'll bring you a king for a souvenir." (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
Froissart dates Battle of Poitiers, Sept. 22, 1356.
The Sybil, an old witch, personally conducts Æneas through the gate and into the jaws of hell, where terrors abound on every hand and frightful mysterious forms rule. There he is told of the greatness and glory that was to come. (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)
Virgil died Sept. 21, 19 B. C.
The Koran defines the powers of a husband over his wives. Thus a woman unfaithful to her lord may be walled up alive. (Volume 45, Harvard Classics)
Mohammed arrives at Kuba after "The Flight," Sept. 20, 622.
Held as a Moorish slave for five years, Cervantes was submitted to almost daily tortures. But even the horrors of slavery could not dull his sense of humor, as evinced by his most witty and amusing novel. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
Cervantes ransomed from slavery, Sept. 19, 1580.
Every sight was full of beauty. We were coming back to our homes, and the signs of civilization from which we had been so long banished --" wrote Dana, as his ship entered Boston Harbor. (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)
Dana returns from two-year voyage, Sept. 18, 1836.
Introductory note on John Greenleaf Whittier (The Ridpath's Library of Universal Literature)
For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been.'" On this theme Whittier based the story of a fair farmer girl and a rich judge. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Whittier died Sept. 17, 1892.
"Such felons as stand mute [do not confess] are pressed to death by huge weights laid upon a board that lieth over their breast and a sharp stone under their backs." Old English punishments, recorded by Holinshed, make startling reading. (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
George Washington retired to private life in 1796, entrusting "the preservation of the Union" to the "love of liberty." His last appeal is a vital message to American citizens, as pertinent today as when he penned it. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
George Washington published "Farewell Address," Sept. 15, 1796.
Dante, having journeyed through Hell and Purgatory, comes at last to St. Peter on his throne. St. Peter calls for the aid of St. James and St. John before passing final judgment on Dante's righteousness. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)
Dante died Sept. 14, 1321.
From cockfighting, bear baiting, and like sports, the wife of John Bunyan converted him to a life of humility and reverence. While imprisoned for preaching, he used his idle time in writing a fantastic story of a soul's salvation -- probably the most famous allegory ever written. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
John Bunyan liberated and pardoned, Sept. 13, 1672.
Introductory note on Elizabeth Barrett Browning (The Ridpath's Library of Universal Literature)
In all literary history there is no happier love story than that of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. During their secret courtship Miss Barrett sent Browning many beautiful love letters written in verse. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Browning married Elizabeth Barrett, Sept. 12, 1846.
What regulates wages, on what do they depend? Adam Smith, world's authority on economic problems, advances his theories on these matters. (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)
One of America's famous New Englanders, Oliver Wendell Holmes, devoted his life principally to medicine. His name, however, was made famous through his poem, "Old Ironsides," by which he saved America's most famous battleship from destruction when her fighting days were ended. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
"There are days during the year," says Emerson, "when the world of nature reaches perfection." Can anyone escape this call, especially in the glorious Indian Summer? (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson retires from the ministry, Sept. 9, 1832.
There was a time when the snow fell and did not melt in summer. Then from the frozen north there descended huge masses of ice that covered northern Europe and most of North America. Glaciers reveal a new world to us. (Volume 30, Harvard Classics)
Helmholtz died Sept. 8, 1894.
Introductory note on The Destruction of Dá Derga’s Hostel (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
There she was undoing her hair -- the loveliest woman the eyes of men ever beheld, the light of wooing in her regal eyes. A longing for her overwhelmed the warrior-king. (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
Many sons of Scotland have striven eagerly for the great place held by Sir Walter Scott. Carlyle describes the qualities that combined to make him the idol of his people and the master of historical romance. (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
Just as the individual has a definite length of life, so have species a limited duration. The progress and transition of the world, Darwin declares, will see the extinction of certain variants of human life. (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)
Darwin first outlines his theory of natural selection, Sept. 5. 1857.
Voltaire's daring courage led him to publish a series of letters which contained unfavorable comparisons of French customs with the English. For this he was threatened with the Bastille. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Until 1783 the British refused to believe that the Liberty Bell had rung. Then they signed a treaty formally recognizing the Colonies as free and independent states. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Treaty between England and the United States signed Sept. 3, 1783.
While his soldiers fought the battle of Actium, Antony fled to the arms of Cleopatra. By his flight he forfeited his right to an empire. Dryden's story of Antony's love makes us realize the folly of his infatuation for the Nile siren. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
Battle of Actium, Sept. 2, 31 B. C.
While at Oxford, Penn rejected the student's gown and thereby created a furore. Later he founded a city where he sought to put his new ideas into practice. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
Penn arrested for preaching in London, Sept. 1, 1670.
Emerson was included in Dr. Eliot's recent selection of the world's ten greatest educators of all time. Here the great thinker discusses this force within man that makes him a scholar. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson delivers "American Scholar" lecture, Aug. 31, 1837.
Every luxury, all the wealth in the world at his command – yet Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of haughty Rome, led a simple life even in a palace. He left his secret in his "Meditations." (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Cleopatra rode to meet Antony in a gilded barge with sails of purple; oars of silver beat time to the music of flutes and fifes and harps. She went as Venus, and her attendants were dressed as Cupids and Nymphs. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Cleopatra dies after Antony's suicide, Aug. 29, 30 B. C.
"Almighty God, I am undone." With this cry of despair, Margaret witnessed the fiendish work of Faust, her lover, who bartered his immortal soul for worldly pleasure. A thrilling drama, based on a famous medieval legend. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Johann Wolfgang Goethe born Aug. 28, 1749.
"A man's a man for a' that." "Should auld acquaintance be forgot." "To see her is to love her and love but her forever." "Flow gently, sweet Afton." Every stanza of Burns is treasured. How many have you stored up? (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
A brilliant victory for the English king was gained in this battle, a fight in which vast numbers of French nobility, many princes, and the aged King John of Bohemia were slain. Froissart describes all in detail. (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
Battle of Crecy, Aug. 26, 1346.
We to-day know that there is a direct relation between the moon and tides. When Julius Cæsar went to conquer Britain his transports were wrecked because he did not know the tides on the English coast; a knowledge of which might have changed the whole course of history. (Volume 30, Harvard Classics)
Kelvin delivers lecture on "Tides," Aug. 25, 1882.
The eruption of Vesuvius that demolished Pompeii and buried thousands of people was witnessed by Pliny. He describes his panic-stricken flight with his mother from the doomed villa through falling ashes and sulphurous fumes. His famous uncle, the elder Pliny, lost his life while investigating the eruption and aiding refugees. (Volume 9, Harvard Classics)
The Hottentot thinks his wife beautiful. Every American believes his wife also to be beautiful. But the American and the Hottentot are quite different. What, after all, is Beauty? (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)
In the days when sailing ships plied the seven seas, common sailors were often subject to a brutal captain whose whim was law. Dana, a Boston college boy, makes an exciting story of his sea experiences. (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)
A certain man was willed a Bible. He scorned the legacy until one day, penniless and downcast, he turned to the book for consolation. Imagine his amazement on finding hundred dollar bills between the pages. St. Augustine explains how he found even greater treasures in the Bible. (Volume 7, Harvard Classics)
Driven from Heaven, Satan meditated revenge. He decided his greatest opportunity to injure God was to bring sin to mankind. Satan's plot against Eve is told by Milton. (Volume 4, Harvard Classics)
"Paradise Lost" published Aug. 20, 1667.
Astonishing treatments and cures are related by Ambroise Paré, famed surgeon of the fifteenth century. One remedy, for instance, used to cure a distinguished nobleman, was red roses boiled in white wine, – and it was effective. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
In Cellini's day the model's life was a hazardous one. Cellini's Autobiography reveals how some models were treated. You will find it more thrilling than the most modern novel. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Luther declared that the unreformed church had drawn its doctrines like three walls so closely about the people that they served not as protection but were the cause of untold misery and distress. This he hoped to relieve by the Reformation. (Volume 36, Harvard Classics)
David – the psalm singer – knew the wondrous ways of the Lord and praised Him in his psalms. Burdened souls in all ages have found comfort in these songs that once were used in the gorgeous ritual of Jerusalem's temple. (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
Charlemagne's rear guard was attacked by the Basques in the valley of Roncesvaux. Roland, its leader, fought a courageous fight, and, though conquered, became immortal. (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
Roland died at Roncesvaux, Aug. 15, 778.
Leaving Harvard on account of ill health, Dana sought adventure and thrilling experience aboard a sailing vessel that rounded Cape Horn. He turned the dangers, hardships, and keen joys of a sailor's life into a fascinating story. (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)
Dana begins famous two-year voyage, Aug. 14, 1834.
England and France caine to battle near Blenheim. Years later the people of Blenheim called it a "famous victory," but could not tell whose victory it was. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Battle of Blenheim, Aug. 13. 1704.
Huldy, the rustic belle, sat alone peeling apples. She was bashful in her consciousness that Zekle would come soon. When he did, she merely blushed and timidly said: "Ma's sprinklin' clo'es," and then – (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Epictetus advises that if a person speaks ill of you, make no defense, but answer: "He surely knew not of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these only." (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
When the people of Paris howled because they had no bread to eat, Queen Marie Antoinette exclaimed: "Well, then, let them eat cake!" Such an attitude hastened the revolution. (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)
French royal family imprisoned, Aug. 10, 1792.
Minister and witness, bride and groom were arrested by an enraged father when John Donne married his employer's niece. Donne was soon released, but he found himself without money, position or bride. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
Isaak Walton born Aug. 9, 1593.
Unfavorable winds sent by angry gods blew the ships of Odysseus far off their course. The sailors were cast upon a remote island, governed by an enchantress where, for their coarse manners, they were put under a magic spell. (Volume 22, Harvard Classics)
The death sentence of Socrates could not be executed until the return of the sacred ship from Delos. One day his friends learned that the ship had returned. They hastened to the prison to listen to the last words of Athens' sage. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
"For I dipt into the future – saw the nation's airy navies grappling in the central blue." We are amazed at the accuracy of Tennyson's prediction. But he also foretells "the federation of the world" – yet to be fulfilled. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Alfred Lord Tennyson born Aug. 6, 1809.
"Cotter's Saturday Night" for generations to come will remain the choicest picture of Scotch home life. Into this poem Burns instills the sense of all-pervading peace and happiness that comes at the end of a well-spent day. (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
Robert Burns married Jean Armour, Aug. 5, 1788.
Hans Christian Andersen had an extraordinary capacity for amusing children. Were he living to-day he might be in great demand as a radio bedtime story man. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
H. C. Andersen died Aug. 4, 1875.
They battered down the palace gates and ravaged with fire and sword the chambers of King Priam's hundred wives. Through halls resounding with shrieks of terror, Priam and his household fled to sanctuary. (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)
"Here is the pleasant place - and nothing wanting is, save She, alas!" How often we too are faced with like adversity. So sings Drummond - a master songster and composer. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
Steadfast allegiance to duty, simple living and adherence to plain, honest, homely doctrines are Calvin's principles. Are not these same old-fashioned truths followed to-day? (Volume 39, Harvard Classics)
Calvin issues "Dedication," Aug. 1, 1536.
Lack of education, writes Defoe, makes a woman "turbulent, clamorous, noisy – " Defoe defied his generation and preached equal education for women. To-day we have co-education, but have we the benefits Defoe predicted? (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Defoe pilloried for defiance of public opinion, July 31, 1703.
When the whole coast of America north of Florida was free to the first comer, Sir Humphrey Gilbert naively chose to settle on the rugged shores of Newfoundland. Read the glowing account of his great adventure "to plant Christian inhabitants in places convenient." (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Gilbert lands at Newfoundland near St. John's, July 30, 1583.
Stonehenge, that group of huge, rudely architectural stones on a vast plain in England, was erected no man knows when, nor why, nor how. Emerson, America's greatest thinker, visited this monument and was amazed at the "uncanny stones." (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Cowley portrays the ideal life – that of a farmer, and blazons it forth in heraldry. "A plow in a field arable" – to him, the most honorable of all emblems. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Abraham Cowley died July 28, 1667.
The use of antiseptics in surgery is new. Hardly more than a half century ago surgeons operated in frock coats. Lord Lister, surgeon to Queen Victoria, was among the first to advocate scrupulous cleanliness in dressing wounds. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
Lister publishes paper on antiseptic treatment, July 27, 1867.
While Europe was shaken with wars, Thomas à Kempis lived in happy seclusion in his convent. His writings convincingly reflect the serenity and happiness of a man who has found peace – a peace that surpasses all understanding. (Volume 7, Harvard Classics)
Thomas à Kempis died July 26, 1471.
Brynhild, Woden's daughter, carried the dead heroes to Valhalla where they could feast and fight without dying; until a sin divested her of divinity, and she fell in love with Sigurd. (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
Darwin visited a South American city ruined by an earthquake. There he heard the superstitious account of the phenomenon. The ignorant people accused Indian women of bewitching the volcano. But Darwin has another explanation. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
There are styles in friendship as well as in clothes. The mode of friendship of Bacon's time went out with plumed hats and long hose. But Bacon knew the true test of a friend. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics)
Francis Bacon knighted, July 23, 1603.
Odysseus was wrecked with his men on an island inhabited by one-eyed giants. Trapped in the cave of a giant who gobbled up some of the crew for supper, the cunning Odysseus blinded the giant and rescued the survivors of his crew. (Volume 22, Harvard Classics)
The songs of Burns are the links, the watchwords, the symbols of the Scots. He is the last of the ballad singers. In his works are preserved the best songs of his people. (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
Robert Burns died July 21, 1796.
John Bunyan, imprisoned for preaching without a license, gave to the world "Pilgrim's Progress," the greatest allegory in any language, second only to the Bible. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
The famous gallant who spread his gorgeous cloak so the dainty slipper of his queen would be unspotted, soon lost the high favor this action won for him. In spite of his glorious voyages, Raleigh condemned himself when he fell in love with another woman. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Sir WaIter Raleigh imprisoned July 19, 1603.
"Browning's play has thrown me into a perfect passion of sorrow," wrote Charles Dickens of "The Blot in the 'Scutcheon." Like Shakespeare's Juliet, Browning's Mildred plays the role of a youthful lover in a tragic drama. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
Phædre first persecuted Hippolytus, her handsome stepson, then loved him. Suddenly he and her own son became rivals for the throne. Should she push her son's claims or let Hippolytus take the crown? (Volume 26, Harvard Classics)
Racine elected to French Academy, July 17, 1673.
The sacred book of the Moslems, the Koran, gives an account of the birth of Christ. The Koran gives Jesus a high position among the prophets but holds the first place for Mohammed. (Volume 45, Harvard Classics)
Beginning of Moslem era of time, July 16, 622 A. D.
Meals in the houses of the gentry and noblemen in Elizabethan England were taken most seriously. No one spoke. Holinshed records the strange table etiquette of our ancestors. (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
Queen Elizabeth entertained at Kenilworth, July 15, 1575.
What the Fourth of July is to Americans, the Fourteenth of July is to Frenchmen. It commemorates an oppressive tyranny overthrown by a freedom-loving people. (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)
The Bastille surrendered, July 14, 1789.
Pericles used public money to beautify Athens. The citizens protested against the expense, as citizens in all ages do. By a clever stroke Pericles won their support to his ambitious plans. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Thoreau's individuality was unique and original. He had no profession; he never married; he never went to church; he never voted or paid taxes; he never smoked; he never drank wine. His amusement was walking, to observe and meditate. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Henry David Thoreau born July 12, 1817.
The greatest spectacle offered man is a view of the magnificent vault of heaven. Under the stupendous arch of the Milky Way the cares of the world roll off. (Volume 30, Harvard Classics)
Newcomb died July 11, 1909.
The shadow of a phantom cast upon the cradle of Snorri, the first white child born in America, was a warning of an Indian attack on the settlement of courageous Norsemen who had risked the terrors of unknown seas to visit "Wineland." (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
"What is Truth?" asked Pilate. For an answer Bacon discourses not on human nature as it should be, but as it is. These shrewd observations on making a life and a living admit occasional departures from truth. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics)
Bacon becomes Privy Councilor, July 9, 1616.
Introductory note on Percy Bysshe Shelley (The Ridpath Library of Universal Literature)
When the monstrous Cenci forced his daughter Beatrice into a horrible situation, she revolted and boldly struck for freedom. Shelley tells her pitiful story in one of his best works. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned, July 8, 1822.
The painted lips of the eighteenth century ladies and gallants vied with one another in whispering scathing gossip, in gleefully furthering the destruction of a good name. Sheridan depicts this gay world with a brilliant spicy pen. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
Sheridan buried in Westminster Abbey, July 7, 1816.
When Europe was suffering from evil rulers, heavy taxes, and despair, Sir Thomas More dreamed of a happy land where an intelligently managed state perfected happiness. (Volume 36, Harvard Classics)
Sir Thomas More executed, July 6, 1535.
Here is another of those fanciful Oriental stories that proclaims the democracy of Eastern despotism. A tailor might talk with a king and receive either a death sentence or the office of Grand Vizier as a reward. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
Some Americans preferred to be loyal to England and did not want independent government. Their hesitation is better understood when the finality of the Declaration is realized. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Independence Day.
An officer in that momentous battle narrates every major action of both armies. Thus we see the swarming lines of Confederates advance - the hand-to-hand struggle. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3. 1863.
So that the date for certain festivals would not fall one year in midwinter and in the heat of summer another year, Cæsar reformed the calendar. July was named for him. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
While Darwin was working on his theory of evolution, another scientist independently arrived at the same conclusions. Darwin, then, was not the first to study evolution. (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)
Darwin publishes outline of "Origin of Species" July 1, 1858.
"Democracy" has not always been the choice of oppressed people. The tyranny of the majority is a recognized evil as harmful as the misrule of a king. And rather than exchange a lesser evil for a greater, a rule by king has often been preferred to a republic. (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
Macbeth, spurred on by the ambitious and crafty Lady Macbeth, committed murder to secure the crown of Scotland. But he paid dearly for his gain. Ghostly guests appeared at his banquet and threatened him with dire threats. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre burned June 29, 1613.
A very definite etiquette is followed by a stranger on the vast plains of South America. "Ave Maria" is the common salutation. If the stranger is on horseback, he does not alight until invited to do so by his host. Once in the house, the stranger must converse a while before asking shelter for the night. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
There is a human trait most poisonous to a man's blood. Man seeks to avoid it because he knows that it lies like a curse upon him. Just what is the poisonous human failing? Who are most subject to it? Bacon tells you in one of his best essays. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics)
Francis Bacon enrolled at Cambridge University, June 27, 1576.
At the bottom of the ocean was the home of the monster who had desolated the king's halls. Beowulf, bravest of warriors, descended beneath the waves to fight the beast. The king's men, waiting above, saw the waves become colored with blood. Hero or monster - who had won? (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying; And this same flower that smiles today, to-morrow will be dying?" Herrick was only a humble country minister with a wealth of wisdom and a keen appreciation of life, which he expressed in lyrics of wonderful beauty and melody. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
A handsome young man was seen to eat only with his left hand, which was contrary to the customs of Arabia. The youth, when urged, told why he used only his left hand, and revealed a story of love and adventure and the lover's need for gold - all happening in ancient Cairo. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
John Stuart Mill – one of the greatest intellects in England – tells how his father educated him. At the early age of three years he began the study of Greek, and at twelve started writing a book of his own. (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
James Mill, father of John Stuart Mill, died June 23, 1836.
Pliny, who lived in the first century after Christ, tells of a ghost who dragged his jangling chains through a house in Athens and so terrified the inmates that they fled panic-stricken. But the ghost met his equal. (Volume 9, Harvard Classics)
Why gossip with lesser persons when you might be talking to queens and kings? Just how we may get to talk to queens and kings, Ruskin delightfully points out and escorts us to the very doors of the audience chamber. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Galapagos Islands are the home of fearless birds, to which horses, cows, and men are only roosting places. Darwin saw the South Pacific when few travelers knew that wonderland. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
A writer of Elizabethan times said that no other country had as many dogs as England. Once Henry VII ordered all mastiffs to be hung because they "durst presume to fight against the lion," England's regal beast. (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
Cinderella inspires all alike – the artist's brush, the author's pen, the child's fancy. To-day she is a living, vital character to be seen on stage and screen. No one ever forgets her lightning change. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
John Eliot put his life at the mercy of the redmen to get them to listen to his preachings. He wrote vividly about his settlements of Christian Indians. Now villages and Indians have disappeared. Only his story remains. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
John Eliot holds Indian prayer meeting June 17, 1670.
The inaccessible mountain tops were ever venerated as the haunts of all mysteries. Manfred, hero of Byron's play, seeks upon the high Alps the aid of spirits, specters, and goblins. What unearthly adventures await him! (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
Byron publishes "Manfred," June 16, 1817.
Led by Wat Tyler in 1381, great troops of villagers and rustics marched on London - laid siege to the Tower – sacked the apartments of the King and murdered his ministers. Froissart gives first-hand information of this rebellion. (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
Wat Tyler's Rebellion suppressed June 15, 1381.
Socrates unceasingly strove for beauty, truth, and perfection. Sentenced to death on a false charge, he refused to escape from the death cell, even when opportunity was offered. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Athenians gave Aristides the title of "The Just." Later they wanted to banish him. One voter wanted Aristides banished merely because he was weary of hearing him called "The Just." (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Two armies of ancient India were about to engage in a momentous battle. Arjuna, heroic leader of the Pandu hosts, foreseeing great slaughter, hesitates. He implores the divine Vishnu to intervene. The conversation of the warrior and the god is a gem of Hindu literature. (Volume 45, Harvard Classics)
To commemorate his marriage to the beautiful Elizabeth, Spenser wrote one of the most enchanting nuptial hymns. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
Edmund Spenser married Elizabeth Boyle, June 11, 1594.
King Œdipus of Thebes as a babe was abandoned on Mount Cithæron to die. Years after he was thought dead he returns to Thebes and unknowingly slays his father, marries his mother – and thus fulfills the word of the oracle. (Volume 8, Harvard Classics)
The songs of David pleased King Saul, but when David became too popular with the people, the king feared for his throne and banished him. (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
The plain, homely appearance of Woolman impressed unfavorably the orthodox Quakers in London whom he was sent to meet. They told him his coming was not necessary. But Woolman spoke with such simplicity and sincerity that even those most opposed became his friends. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
John Woolman arrives in London for Friends' meeting, June 8, 1772.
Do you know the rest of Ophelia's famous line? "Hamlet" is the most popular play in the entire world. It has been quoted so often that reading it is like meeting an old friend. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Edwin Booth, famed Shakespearian actor, died June 7, 1893.
A crew faced the hazardous prospect of rounding the bleak Cape Horn in midwinter. Imagine the terror when a sudden scream pierced the misery-laden air. What was it? A man overboard or a lost soul? (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)
R. H. Dana on watch, night of June 6, 1836.
Even today rent is paid in terms of human food. It sounds primitive, but it happens right at your door – here in the United States, in compliance with a law as old as man. (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)
Adam Smith born June 5, 1723.
Introductory note on Egmont by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Spain sent the Duke of Alva to subdue the Netherlands. In quelling disorder he killed the people's hero, Count Egmont. From this story Goethe made a famous play. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Egmont sentenced to death June 4, 1658.
Galileo, by holding his pulse while watching a swinging cathedral lamp, evolved a theory that made clocks possible. Harvey, by feeling his pulse, educed that arteries carry blood. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
Dr. William Harvey died June 3, 1657.
A "Back to Nature" movement in the seventeenth century was headed by Rousseau, who believed that civilization was degrading. To save money for his work, he entrusted each of his children to the tender mercies of a foundling house. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Jean Jacques Rousseau born June 2, 1712.
For the best blank verse in English, read "Dr. Faustus," the masterpiece of Marlowe, who gave Shakespeare lessons in playwriting. This genius knew the secret of gripping drama. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Marlowe died June 1, 1593.
Walt Whitman is the most original and startling of modern poets. An irony of his life is that while he wrote for the contemporary masses, only a limited number of followers appreciated his genius, now universally recognized. (Volume 39, Harvard Classics)
Walt Whitman born May 31, 1819.
At the close of the war, a torn and bleeding nation set about to rebuild its shattered frame. The result was a stronger nation rising from an almost disrupted union. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Memorial Day.
A Bagdad merchant dreamed of the money he would make from the sale of a tray of glassware, and of marrying the king's daughter. But, daydreaming, he kicked over the tray. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
Any one of these poems, "The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls," "The Last Rose of Summer," "The Light of Other Days," would alone have made Moore immortal. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Thomas Moore born May 28, 1779.
To advance freedom of thought, Lessing published an essay of one hundred paragraphs outlining the history of religion. The wrath of orthodox churchmen was hurled at his head, and Lessing was left alone to defend his daring theories. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Goneril and Regan falsely swore they loved their father, King Lear, more than life itself. Cordelia could find no words to express her sincere devotion. Then King Lear made the decision that started a series of exciting events. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Shakespeare's first daughter, Susanna, baptized May 26, 1583.
Emerson startled the world by fearlessly declaring his beliefs. Such apparent paradoxes as we find in his inspirational essay, "Heroism," makes him the most stimulating yet profound thinker America has produced. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson born May 25, 1803.
Debts were not always paid in money. Not so long ago the butcher paid for his keg of beer with a slab of beef, and oxen were exchanged for land and wives. Adam Smith tells the interesting story of the origin and use of money. (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)
From the river her body was tenderly lifted --- the girl who could find no place in the vast city. Thomas Hood pleads for her --- eloquently and justly. Read this gem of pathos. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Thomas Hood born May 23, 1799.
Because of a fancy for a peasant girl, the tyrannical lord of an Italian village sent desperadoes to threaten the priest if he married the girl to her village lover. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)
Manzoni died May 22, 1873.
The sharp tongue of Alexander Pope made him celebrated, yet widely feared. In a representative product of his versatile pen, he gracefully combines his flashing wit with sage advice. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
Alexander Pope born May 21, 1688.
The most concentrated beauty of Shakespeare's unbounded creative genius is found in his sonnets. Written as personal messages to friends and not intended for publication, they reveal the inner Shakespeare more truly than do any of his great plays. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
Sonnets entered in the London Stationers' Register, May 20, 1609.
When a man is invited to a banquet he must be satisfied with the dishes put before him. Epictetus reasoned that man should be content with what life offers, and in serenity find happiness. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Flowers often tire of their stationary life and sometimes at night frolic away to a ball in a beautiful castle. Thus a fanciful story-teller accounts for their drooping condition in the morning. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
Condemned for impiety, Socrates felt so justified in the virtue of his past action that instead of receiving a death sentence, he told the judges he should be maintained at public expense as a public benefactor. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Chessboards on which, of their own accord, black pieces played against white; chariots that swiftly turned hither and yon without a driver; pots in which a coward's meat would not cook --- all these are woven into bewitching stories. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
The best part of the Divine Comedy for a few minutes' reading is the "Inferno." There the reader finds the most vivid descriptions, the most startling and unforgettable pictures. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)
Dante born May 15, 1265.
Edward Jenner found that disease in the heel of a horse, transmitted through a cow to the dairy attendants, was an agent in making human beings immune from smallpox. His amazing experiments inaugurated a new epoch. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
Edward Jenner makes his first vaccination May 14, 1796.
Two dogs fell a-gossiping about their masters and about a dog's life among the humble Scotch folk. Each "rejoic'd they werena men but dogs; an' each took aff his several way." (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
The manuscripts of many of the best poems of Rossetti were buried with his wife. Friends prevailed upon him to allow them to be exhumed --- and these poems, once buried with the dead, are now a treasure of the living. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Rossetti born May 12, 1828.
Latest news abroad in Malfi: The Duchess has run off with her butler. But this happened before the days of newspapers or radio, so Webster made from it an exciting play. (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)
Savages who drink the powdered bones of their dead mixed with wine, Amazons who hold riotous festivals, the worship of golden statues, all the primitive wonders of Guiana are described by the famous Elizabethan gallant, Sir Walter Raleigh. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Who has ever thought the arts had anything to do with freedom? Schiller did. Forced by a German noble to enter a military school, he escaped. Struggling to achieve freedom, he wrote a series of letters on the relation of art to freedom. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Friedrich von Schiller died May 9, 1805.
Lady Teazle hides in haste when her husband is unexpectedly announced. Situations which set many tongues wagging and fed the fire of gossip in Scandal-land, startle the reader. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
"School for Scandal" produced at Drury Lane, May 8, 1777.
A haughty aristocrat, who murdered his wife for enjoying life more than he, now bargaining for a new bride; a crafty bishop begging and bullying his heirs for a tomb richer than that of his rival; these are subjects of Browning's pen. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Robert Browning born May 7, 1812.
"Benvenuto, the figure cannot succeed in bronze," so spoke the patron Duke. Cellini, stung to fury, passionately burst out: "You do not understand art." Feverishly he began the casting of the statue --- but read his own account of the tilt with the Duke. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Disguised as a man, a Russian noblewoman exploring the mountains of Poland came upon a secret prison. Fate linked the lives of this woman and the unknown prisoner. (Volume 26, Harvard Classics)
Calderon, after a life of adventure, died May 5, 1681.
When science was struggling for a place in popular education, Huxley distinguished himself as its champion. While the arts were to beautify life and increase pleasure, Huxley saw science as a means of benefiting man's prosperity. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Huxley born May 4, 1825.
Traveling from court to court in the stirring days of the Renaissance, Machiavelli studied the intrigues of princes. His writings have affected the destiny of mighty dynasties. (Volume 36, Harvard Classics)
Machiavelli born May 3, 1469.
Everything has to have a beginning, so too with the science of electricity. Here we learn the very rudiments, the inceptions of science that have revolutionized the world. Faraday explains in a simple way the truths of electricity. (Volume 30, Harvard Classics)
Once Hazlitt and his friends took to discussing the famous people they would like to meet --- Guy Fawkes, Sir Isaac Newton, Chaucer, Boccaccio, Cromwell, Garrick, and Judas. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Washington declared that the strength of the new nation lay in the "pure and immutable principles of private morality." A free government, fortified by the virtues and affection of its citizens, can command the respect of the world. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Washington inaugurated April 30, 1789.
Sindbad, a poor man, recited woeful verses before the magnificent dwelling of Sindbad of the Sea. The great Sindbad, hearing him, invited the poor Sindbad to a feast and told the wonderful story of his fabulous fortune. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
Three hundred years before Christ, a preacher in Jerusalem complained that there was no new thing under the sun. Everything considered new had really existed in the time of the fathers. Sophisticated and modern is this writer of 2,300 years ago. (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
The Puritan world feared Beauty. Emerson, great American essayist and philosopher, declared that the world was made for beauty, and openly worshiped at beauty's shrine. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson died April 27, 1882.
Just what constitutes a miracle? Does Science indorse miracles? One wonders why such marvelous things do not happen often nowadays. Hume tells why. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
David Hume born April 26, 1711.
Men who danced among sharp swords --- who gambled with their lives --- who took their women to the battlefields to encourage the brave and shame the cowardly --- these were the primitive Germans who made Roman emperors tremble. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
At the rate at which elephants naturally increase, Darwin estimated that in 750 years there could be nearly 19,000,000 elephants. But did Darwin consider the ravages of civilization and circuses? (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Shaken and disillusioned by the treachery of his elder daughter, King Lear suspected even the faithful Cordelia of evil designs. Her most tender efforts to comfort him failed to drive away the insistent specter of his madness. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Shakespeare died April 23, 1616.
Immanuel Kant, the most influential of German philosophers, taught that it was man's duty to be happy, for an unhappy man is tempted to sin. Seekers after happiness find aid and inspiration in Kant's writings. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Immanuel Kant born April 22, 1724.
Through the pages of a book the reader sees the life of past days. Carnivals, processions, battles, coronations, voyages - the whole history of the world and its people is revealed in a stupendous pageant. Taine was a Frenchman who wrote an unsurpassed history of English literature; its introduction reveals the unusual combination of an imaginative and an analytical style. (Volume 39, Harvard Classics)
H. A. Taine born April 21, 1828.
England's romantic poet died while fighting against the Turks on the side of the Greeks. His poems, "The Isles of Greece" and "The Prisoner of Chillon," proclaim freedom. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
At Missolonghi, Greece, 37 guns honor Byron, April 20, 1824.
Dr. Eliot says of the opening stanza of the "Concord Hymn": "In twenty-eight words here are the whole scene and all the essential circumstances... what an accurate, moving, immortal description is this!" (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Battle of Concord fought April 19, 1775.
Reading too many romances of knights and valorous deeds caused a poor Spanish gentleman to polish up his great-grandfather's armor, rechristen his old nag, and sally forth. "Don Quixote," besides holding a secure niche in literature as the work that quashed the romantic school of knight-errantry, is at the same time one of the most widely-read stories in the world. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
Cervantes receives the last sacraments April 18, 1616.
In 1731 there were not many books in America. Franklin saw the need for more books and by house-to-house canvassing persuaded Philadelphians to aid him in founding a public library which to-day stands as a lasting memorial to Franklin. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
Benjamin Franklin died April 17, 1790.
The city of Dis, within the gates of Hell, was guarded by monsters and surrounded by a moat filled with the tormented. Dante, protected by Virgil, entered the forbidden city, and viewed sights never before seen by living man. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)
Dante urges attack on the city of Florence, April 16, 1311.
The rugged, genuine Lincoln was idealized by Walt Whitman - the founder of the new school of American poetry. Two of Whitman's finest poems were inspired by Lincoln. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Lincoln died April 15, 1865.
Spanish towns in the New World were rich in treasure and tempting booty for English soldiers of fortune, who were venturesome and merciless. "Ho! for the Spanish Main!" was the rallying cry for all freebooters and buccaneers. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Kings, emperors, the greatest artists and sculptors of the Renaissance at its most magnificent period, walk through the pages of his autobiography --- not as cold, austere, historical characters but as the intimate friends of Cellini. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
You would doubtless like to know how to hold your own in any argument. Read what Leslie Stephen declares the finest specimen in our language of the conduct of argument. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
The virgin beauty of Margaret enchanted Faust, who dazzled her with the brilliance of many gems. Margaret innocently took his gifts, believing that beauty should not "blush unseen" - but unmindful of consequences to follow. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Before English adventurers could attempt settlement in America it was necessary first to get permission from the King. The charter of King James to the oldest American colony is an extremely important historical document. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
King James grants charter to Virginia, April 10, 1606.
West of Peru there was reported to be a land where Truth and Science were used to promote the happiness and freedom of man. Here is Bacon's description of this ideal commonwealth. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics)
Francis Bacon died April 9, 1629.
Orestes, holding an avenging sword over his mother, is told: "Beware thy mother's vengeful hounds." How he pays for disregarding his mother's warning is told in this drama where a mother is slain to avenge a father's ghost. (Volume 8, Harvard Classics)
Wordsworth was so closely in touch with Nature that the simple beauty of flowers, woods, and fields is reflected in his poems as if Nature herself took up the pen and wrote. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)
Wordsworth born April 7, 1770.
Badness has many interpretations, a different definition has been the dictate of each new generation. The solution of the eternal riddle was earnestly sought by Marcus Aurelius. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Marcus Aurelius born April 6, 121 A. D.
Dreams and their causes interested Hobbes. Without superstition, the philosopher weighed the evidence of ghosts, goblins, and witches. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Hobbes born April 5, 1588.
Genial and rollicking fun are provided in this highly entertaining story of a man who mistakes a private house for an inn, and who treats his host's daughter like a serving maid. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
Oliver Goldsmith born April 4, 1774.
"As a conqueror enters a surprised city; love made such resolutions as neither party was able to resist. She changed her name into Herbert the third day after this first interview." (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
George Herbert born April 3, 1593.
A huge spoon dressed in human finery, placed on a grave, appears to become convulsed when the moon's rays fall on it and dances to the tune of chanting natives. Weird sights, according to Darwin, abound in the South Seas. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
Everyone knows the pangs of homesickness in the spring. Even bright, sparkling Italy could not wean Browning's affection from the green hedgerows of misty England. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Monuments are usually made from death masks, but John Donne took pleasure in posing for his, wrapped from head to foot in a shroud. Isaak Walton tells of this in his fascinating biography of the eccentric poet. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
John Donne died March 31, 1631.
"I Promessi Sposi," a seventeenth century novel, vividly describes the devastating plague of Milan. Then whole families sickened in a few hours and died in less than a day's time of strange and violent complaints whose symptoms were unknown to physicians. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)
Capuchin monks given charge of the plague hospital in Milan, March 30, 1630.
Introductory note on The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
Brynhild, favorite goddess of Norse mythology, plighted troth with Sigurd, fearless warrior. But Sigurd forgot Brynhild and married Gudrun, whose brother, Gunner, then set out to win the beautiful Brynhild. Complications very like a modern triangle arose. (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
The making of a simple pin is one of the most complex affairs of modern industry. Adam Smith regards the process from the worker's point of view, and shows the many and varied economic principles that are involved in pin making. (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)
Is lying or quibbling ever permissible? May one juggle words so a truth is conveyed through a lie and a lie told by a truth? Stevenson unravels this puzzle. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Men in all ages have recognized the ingenuity of the practical philosophy and freshness of Æsop's allegories. Spend a few delightful moments with the wit and wisdom of Æsop. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)
Caxton prints Æsop's Fables, March 26, 1484.
Hamlet pondered over which course contained the least unhappiness --- whether to suffer here and not incur new dangers, or whether to end it all and chance the unknown terrors of the next world. See how Hamlet reasoned. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics)
Shakespeare makes his will, March 25, 1616.
Guenevere, King Arthur's queen, justly accused but harshly treated, makes a noble and brave attempt to convince her court that Gawaine lied and that Launcelot was true. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
William Morris born March 24, 1834.
Shahrazad, favorite of the treacherous Sultan's harem, selected a most thrilling story for her bridal night. By leaving it unfinished she was privileged to live to continue it the next night --- and so on for a thousand and one nights. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)
The Faust legend, which can be traced to puppet shows of earlier days, portrays a philosopher who, through Satan's aid and in return for the price of his soul, works magic at will. From this rude framework Goethe has reared a drama of sublime grandeur. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Goethe died March 22, 1832.
Venus, mother of Æneas and wife of Vulcan, obtained from her husband, by seductive witchery, a marvelous shield whose surface reflected a thousand years of future events. Venus describes the wonders of the magic armor. (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)
Sir Isaac Newton was aided in his momentous discoveries by the most insignificant objects --- even apples, feathers, and coal. Voltaire discusses the wondrous discoveries of Newton. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Sir Isaac Newton died March 20, 1727.
The mysterious Egyptian temples, the floating islands, the huge pyramids and the many wonders of ancient Egypt are pictured for you by Herodotus. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Last recorded event in Herodotus' history dated March 19, 478 B. C.
A cunning uncle cheats his worthless nephew out of his fortune. The nephew, laughing stock of his former servants, sets out to retrieve his old position and riches. (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)
Massinger buried March 18, 1640.
An old Irish legend tells how, while St. Patrick was preaching about Paradise and Hell, several of his audience begged to be allowed to investigate the reality of these places. St. Patrick actually satisfied their curiosity. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
St. Patrick's Day.
Many amazing things happen in the Malay jungles. For example, Darwin tells about a crab that climbs trees and walks down the trunks for an occasional bath in a pool. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
Twice warned of the danger that threatened him on the Ides of March, although "the earth rocked and the stars fell and headless men walked in the Forum," Cæsar goes to the doom awaiting him in the Senate Chamber. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Ides of March, March 15.
"This gentlewoman that ye lead with you is a maid?" demanded the knight. "Sir," said she, "a maid I am." "Then she must yield us the custom of this castle." (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
Malory, recorder of King Arthur stories, died March 14, 1470.
Manzoni has pictured in this thrilling romance of the seventeenth century nobility, the pompous and sporting life of those good old days when nobles lived sumptuously in spacious castles surrounded by vast estates. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)
Berkeley believed in a great religious future for America. He lived three years in Rhode Island, and made plans for a college in Bermuda. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
Bishop Berkeley born March 12, 1685.
We are paid for our suffering and we pay for our happiness. Every ache, every sorrow receives its recompense here on earth. Emerson gives the basis for this conviction. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson ordained Unitarian minister, March 11, 1829.
In the days when contact with the theatre meant exile from the best society, Beaumont and Fletcher, men from good families, dared to ally themselves with the stage as playwrights. "Philaster" won them immortal praise. (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)
Swift regretted the laws against dueling because dueling at least was a good means of ridding the country of bores and fools. His keen eye penetrated social customs and saw the common sense that governed good manners. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
Passage of laws against dueling in England, March 9, 1679.
Anselmo and Lothario were close friends. Anselmo, anxious to learn if his wife were perfect, as he believed her to be, makes an unusual proposal to his old friend. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
Bacon pointed out that a judge's duty was to interpret laws and not to make laws. This single essay of Bacon's is a richly condensed summary of the ethics of law. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics)
Bacon made Keeper of the Great Seal of England, March 7, 1616.
Edgar Allan Poe was expelled from West Point and disinherited. So poor was he that when his young wife lay dying, he could not afford a fire to warm her. The weirdness and despair of "The Raven" is particularly symbolic of his life. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Poe expelled from West Point, March 6, 1831.
Prison walls were the least of Cellini's troubles. "Lock me well up and watch me, for I shall certainly contrive to escape." In spite of this warning, the utmost care of the jailers only furnished amusement for the dauntless Cellini. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Penn, true to Quaker beliefs, came before the king with his hat on. The king overlooked this and later made him governor of Pennsylvania. A sagacious Penn is revealed in his writings. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
King Charles grants Penn charter of Pennsylvania, March 4, 1681.
From the Introduction to The Life of Mr. George Herbert by Izaak Walton (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
Isaak Walton, famed patron of fishermen, appreciated other arts and hobbies. He writes of George Herbert, a preacher whose hobby was poetry. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
George Herbert died March 3, 1633.
"A sailor's liberty is but for a day," as Dana explains. Dressed in his Sunday best, the sailor feels like a dashing Beau Brummel; and sets out to enjoy his freedom. "While it lasts it is perfect. He is under no one's eye and can do whatever he pleases." (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)
Word pictures are often more vivid than photographs. Steele had a gift for originating characters that are remembered longer than flesh and blood people. Sir Roger de Coverly and Will Honeycomb are now bold figures in literature. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
First issue of the "Spectator," published March 1, 1711.
Proficient in Latin even before he knew his own tongue, Montaigne received an unusual education. His whole life was spent in storing up his choice thoughts for our profit and pleasure. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
Michel de Montaigne born Feb. 28, 1533.
"Tell me not in mournful numbers, life is but an empty dream..." "Stars of the summer night! Far in yon azure deeps--" So begin poems that have charmed and cheered thousands. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Longfellow born Feb. 27, 1807.
Hugo was insulted by the most powerful critics in France. He put into the preface of a play "his sling and his stone" by which others might slay "the classical Goliath." (Volume 39, Harvard Classics)
Victor Hugo born Feb. 26, 1802.
The brilliant wit and cutting satire of Defoe made for him friends and enemies --- but mostly enemies. So piercing and two-edged was "The Shortest-Way with Dissenters" that he was fined, imprisoned and pilloried. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)
"The Shortest-Way with Dissenters" censored, Feb. 25. 1703.
In a superb poem, Milton bids Loathed Melancholy begone to some dark cell. He calls for the joys of youth and vows eternal faith with them. (Volume 4, Harvard Classics)
John Milton marries his third wife, Elizabeth Marshall, Feb. 24, 1662.
Gossipy, witty Pepys had a curiosity that made him famous. He knew all the news of court and street. Stevenson, who never put his pen to a dull subject, writes of Pepys. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Samuel Pepys born Feb. 23, 1632.
Burns asks for Columbia's harp, and then sings of liberty. He bewails the sad state of the land of Alfred and Wallace which once championed liberty, and now fights for tyranny. (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
George Washington born Feb. 22, 1732.
Just what makes a university? A group of fine buildings? A library? A staff of well-trained teachers? A body of eager students? A winning football team? Cardinal Newman defines the prime functions of a university. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Cardinal Newman born Feb. 21, 1801.
Because the early Quakers shook, trembled, and quaked when they became inspired --- they received the title of "Quakers." This sect attracted the keen-minded Voltaire, who made interesting notes on them during his visit to England. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
The thousandth celestial wife of the Garland God slipped and fell to earth, where she took mortal form and served as an attendant in a temple. Death finally released her and she went back to heaven to tell her lord of the ways of men. (Volume 45, Harvard Classics)
All Americans should know this treaty which finally inaugurated an era of peace and good understanding with England. For over a hundred years this peace has been unbroken. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Treaty with Great Britain proclaimed Feb. 18. 1815.
While acting in one of his own plays, Molière was suddenly stricken and died shortly after the final curtain. He took an important role in "Tartuffe" which introduces to literature a character as famous as Shakespeare's Falstaff. (Volume 26, Harvard Classics)
Molière died Feb. 17, 1673.
Ants have slaves who work for them. These slaves make the nests, feed the master ants, tend the eggs, and do the moving when a colony of ants migrate. Darwin minutely describes the habits and lives of the industrious ants and their marvelous social organization --- a wonder to mankind. (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)
The romantic and heedless loves of Antony and Cleopatra figure prominently in history, literature, and drama. Dryden made a fascinating play from the story of Antony, who sacrificed the leadership of Rome, reputation, and life itself for love of the Egyptian queen, who followed him in death. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
Mark Antony offers Cæsar crown at Rome, Feb. 15, 44 B. C.
Pascal --- an original genius --- purposed to master everything that was new in art and science. He was a mathematician and scientist as well as a religious enthusiast and moralist, and he shows a decidedly human side of his nature in this superb essay on Love. (Volume 48, Harvard Classics)
St. Valentine's Day.
At the age of fifty-eight Benvenuto Cellini shaved his head and retired to a monastery to write his own story of murder, passion, and great deeds of the Renaissance. His life is a vivid picture of the most colorful period in history, a period when statecraft and religion and black magic and assassination were naively mingled in men's lives. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Benvenuto Cellini died Feb. 13, 1570.
Lincoln himself thought his famous Gettysburg Address was a failure. To-day the whole world acclaims its greatness. Cast in bronze, it hangs on the wall of Balliol College, Oxford, regarded as the perfection of English prose. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Abraham Lincoln born Feb. 12, 1809.
Descartes was slain through the eccentric whim of a queen who demanded that he tutor her in the freezing dawn in the dead of winter. His philosophy lives in this essay. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
RenéDescartesdied at Stockholm, Feb. 11, 1650.
Voltaire once visited Congreve. This famous dramatist requested to be regarded only as a plain gentleman. "Had you been that I should never have come to see you," Voltaire cynically replies. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
William Congreve baptized Feb. 10, 1670.