Universal History, from the Creation of the World to the Beginning of the Eighteenth Century (Volume 2) (Abridged, Paperback, Abridged edition)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1853. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... empire of Russia, it must be considered as an absolute monarch)'. Peter the Great, being the founder of a new constitution, was sovereign without limitation. His will was law. He aimed, however, at setting some bounds to the power of his successors; and in that view he instituted a senate, which, like the parliament of Paris, should possess the power of ratifying or giving authority to the acts of the sovereign; but, in fact, there has ever been so strict a conformity between the will of the prince and the decrees of this assembly, that the imperial power, instead of being abridged, seems rather to have been strengthened by it. Such is a brief sketch of the rise of this extraordinary power, which the singular genius of one man was able to rear from the most unpromising materials. By the influence of his single mind, an obscure and barbarous people, almost unknown to history, -- without arts; without laws; under no regular organization of gov ernment; occupying a thinly-peopled and ill-cultivated country; possessed, in fact, of no political existence, --have, within tho course of a single century, overleaped all the intermediate steps of progressive civilization, and mounted at once to the highest rank among the powers of Europe. CHAPTER XXXVI. View of the Progress of Scifucf and Litfratcrf in EuRorf, from tlio End of the KirTffsTii to the Fsu of the Sfvfstffstii Cbsti'rt: -- Piwrcss of Philosophy--Lord Bncon--Experimental Philosophy--Descartes -- li.ihN'o--Kt-iilcr--Logarithms--Circulation of the Blood--Kuyal Society of London Instituted--Sir Isaac Newton--Locke--Progress of Literature--Epic Poetry -- Ariuitu -- Tasso-- Milton -- Lyric Poetry -- Drama -- English and French History. As one of the most useful objects of the study of history is to mark the ...