The Old South Leaflets: Annual ser

Front Cover
Old South Meeting House., 1891 - United States
 

Selected pages

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 1 - ... the bravest of the Janizaries might tremble on a new element. In the Christian squadron five stout and lofty ships were guided by skilful pilots, and manned with the veterans of Italy and Greece, long practised in the arts and perils of the sea. Their weight was directed to sink or scatter the weak obstacles that impeded their passage: their artillery swept the waters; their liquid fire was poured on the heads of the adversaries, who, with the design of boarding, presumed to approach them; and...
Page 6 - Christian to cut off my head? ' and his last fear was that of falling alive into the hands of the infidels. The prudent despair of Constantino cast away the purple; amidst the tumult, he fell by an unknown hand, and his body was buried under a mountain of the slain. After his death, resistance and order were no more...
Page 7 - The only hope of salvation for the Greek empire, and the adjacent kingdoms, would have been some more powerful weapon, some discovery in the art of war, that should give them a decisive superiority over their Turkish foes. Such a weapon was in their hands ; such a discovery had been made in the critical moment of their fate. The chemists of China or Europe had found, by casual or elaborate experiments, that a mixture of saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal, produces, with a spark of fire, a tremendous...
Page 11 - ... day. Their ordnance was not powerful, either in size or number; and if they possessed some heavy cannon, they feared to plant them on the walls, lest the aged structure should be shaken and overthrown by the explosion..
Page 10 - The magistrate shall not make war with any deceitful machine, or with poisoned weapons, or with cannon and guns, or any kind of fire-arms.
Page 9 - But if all these, that be now busied about unprofitable occupations, with all the whole flock of them that live idly and slothfully, which consume and waste every one of them more of these things that come by other men's labour, than two of the workmen themselves do: if all these (I say) were set to profitable occupations, you easily perceive how little time would be enough, yea and -too much to store us with all things that may be requisite either for necessity, or for commodity, yea or for pleasure,...
Page 7 - For why? in the institution of that weal public, this end is only and chiefly pretended and minded, that what time may possibly be spared from the necessary occupations and affairs of the commonwealth, all that the citizens should withdraw from the bodily service to the free liberty of the mind, and garnishing of the same. For herein they suppose the felicity of this life to consist.
Page 12 - ... fire. A wooden turret, of the largest size, was advanced on rollers : this portable magazine of ammunition and fascines was protected by a threefold covering of bulls' hides ; incessant volleys were securely discharged from the loop-holes ; in the front, three doors were contrived for the alternate sally and retreat of the soldiers and workmen. They ascended, by a staircase, to the upper platform ; and, as high as the level of that platform, a scaling ladder could be raised by pulleys, to form...
Page 13 - Thus perish and stink in hell all who incur this sentence," the bells at the same time ringing, he thus spoke, " So help me God, all these terms will I faithfully observe, as I am a man, a Christian, a knight, and a crowned and anointed king.
Page 5 - Some honest and great clerks have been with me and desired me to write the most curious terms that I could find ; " on the other hand, " some gentlemen of late blamed me, saying that in my translations I had over many curious terms which could not be understood of common people, and desired me to use old and homely terms in my translations.

Bibliographic information