classics digests, reflections and reviews
Emperor Augustus The principal conquests of the Romans were achieved under the republic; and the emperors, for the most part, were satisfied with preserving those dominions which had been acquired by the policy of the senate, the active emulations of the consuls, and the martial enthusiasm of the people. The seven first centuries were filled with a rapid succession of triumphs; but it was reserved for Augustus to relinquish the […]
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History must be illustrated by the laws, and the laws by history. When I read Montesquieu, I envision him holding the globe in his hand, or rather in his mind, as he studies the history of mankind, the laws and customs of nations and peoples around the world. The Laws are deposits of wisdom, and indirect reflections of the characters and histories of the peoples. If one comprehends the spirit […]
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Preface Mark Twain once quipped, “A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.” Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is a classic. I’m pleasantly surprised that it is not as boring and dry as I expected, but quite the contrary. It’s fascinating to observe how Darwin works, how he collects facts from nature and draws inferences, how he judges between diverse theories and […]
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The Executive not only dispenses the honors, but holds the sword of the community. The legislature not only commands the purse, but prescribes the rules by which the duties and rights of every citizen are to be regulated. The judiciary, on the contrary, has no influence over either the sword or the purse; … It may truly be said to have neither force nor will, but merely judgment; and must […]
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The Character of the Government In order to ascertain the real character of the government, it may be considered in relation to the foundation on which it is to be established; to the sources from which its ordinary powers are to be drawn; to the operation of those powers; to the extent of them; and to the authority by which future changes in the government are to be introduced. On […]
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I’ve always known Don Quixote by name, and thought he was a clown. I never understood why a novel about a clown was so popular, even considered one of the greatest ever written, until I read it recently for the first time, and realized who Don Quixote really is: he is everyman. He dreams of travelling around the world in search of adventures (Having being cooped up at home by […]
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Who Wants to Live Forever [The struldbrugs, or immortals] commonly acted like mortals till about thirty years old; after which, by degrees, they grew melancholy and dejected, .. When they came to fourscore years, which is reckoned the extremity of living in this country, they had not only all the follies and infirmities of other old men, but many more which arose from the dreadful prospect of never dying. They […]
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