Seven Historic Ages, Or, Talks about Kings, Queens, and Barbarians (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1874. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER V. THE DARK AGES. THREE KINGS. Brief as the lightning in the collied night, That, in a spleen unfolds both heaven and earth, And, ere a man hath power to say, --Behold The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion. Midsummer Nights Dream, AS it dark all through the thousand years of the Age we are talking about?" asked Gerty again, as we all gathered around the library table, to continue our conversation. "Do you remember that dark night when we came from New York, so late, last autumn?" I replied. "Yes," said Gerty. "Was it all dark then?" "Yes, it was very dark. The sun went down long before we reached home, and it was so cloudy that we could not see a single star," said she. "But," interrupted Lily, "don't you remember when we reached the top of the hill, how brightly the lamp shone from our dining-room window, long before we reached it. And the light away off at Mr. Ingersoll's house on the other hill, and the little light that we saw over on the other side of the lake, --don't you remember them, Gerty?" "Oh, yes though it was very, very dark, there were some very bright little lights on the hills about us," she replied. "Just so it was in the Dark Age," I said. "There were some bright lights. They did not make the Age light, no more than the little lights we saw that dark night, made the town light. I will now tell you about three of the lights of the Dark Age." "Do, do papa," said Gerty; "you frightened us with the horrid, great, rough barbarians, and I do wish to hear of something light again." "We found France on the map, the other day, did we not?" "Yes, and here it is again, between Spain and the German empire," said Lily. "If you look over the history of France you will find that about three hundred ye...