The auctioneer offered to send them, but I, not knowing what sort of
creatures auctioneers were[14], determined to take them myself; so,
after[15] the assistant had tied them up, I marched out of the room with
these huge books upon my shoulder, like Samson with the gates of Gaza,
amid the smiles of all present.
When I reached my home, after the servant had opened the door, the first
person I met was my sainted mother.
“My dear boy,” she said, “what have you _got_ there? I thought you would
not keep your guinea long.”
“Do not be angry, mother,” said I, throwing the books down upon the
table. “I have bought ‘The World’ for nine shillings.”
This was on a Saturday, and I well remember sitting up[16] till it was
well-nigh midnight, turning over[17] this “History of the World.” The
books became my delight, and were carefully read through and through.
When I grew older, I became at length a Christian, and my love of
books[18], among other things, led me to desire to be a Christian
minister[19]. To the possession of these books I attribute, in a great
measure, any honours that have been added to my name in connection
with literature. I have not mentioned this anecdote to gratify any
foolish feeling[20], but to encourage in all whom I see before me
that[21] love of literature which has afforded me such unspeakable
pleasure—pleasure[22] which I would not have been without for all the
riches of the Indies[23].—THE REV. DR. VAUGHAN.
[1] Supply ‘the time’ here; to remember, +sich erinnern+, governs the
Gen.; possessing = and possessed.
[2] +stecken.+
[3] +sich in großer Verlegenheit befinden.+
[4] +Partie+, f.; to put up to auction, to public sale, +zur
Versteigerung bringen+, +unter den Hammer bringen+, or +zum öffentlichen
Verkauf stellen+.
[5] +der Meistbietende+; to, +an+.
[6] +herum´drehen+; considering = and considered (+überle´gen+, insep.
comp. w. v.).
[7] +vonstatten gehen.+
[8] = of all the persons present (+die Anwesenden+); toward, +auf+.
[9] Finish first the clause ‘who refrained from bidding against me’, and
then commence the other, =and use this construction in all cases where it
can possibly be employed=.
[10] We are anxious to buy the property, +wir möchten das Besitztum gerne
kaufen+.
[11] to knock down an article to the last bidder, +einen Artikel dem
zuletzt Bietenden zu´schlagen+.
[12] to get home, +nach Hause schaffen+.
[13] +Erwägung+, f.
[14] = but since I had not yet any experience in such matters, I
determined, etc.
[15] so, after = and when.
[16] = that I sat up.
[17] = and turned over (+durchblät´tern+, insep. comp. w. v.).
[18] +Liebhaberei+ (f.) +für Bücher+.
[19] = to become _a_ Christian Minister (+Geistlicher+).
[20] Supply ‘of vanity’ here.
[21] = the; of, +zu+, contracted with the Dat. of the def. art.
[22] = a pleasure (+Genuß+, m.)
[23] = of India.
_Section 212._
THE GREEN VAULTS IN DRESDEN.
Dresden, May 11, 1845.
We were fortunate in seeing the Green Vaults or “Das grüne Gewölbe,” a
collection of jewels and costly articles[1], unsurpassed in Europe (S.
7, N. 3, _A_). Admittance is only granted to six persons at a time, who
pay a fee[2] of two thalers. The customary way is to employ a “valet
de place[3],” who goes round from one hotel to another, until he has
collected the required number, when[4] he brings them together and
conducts them to the keeper who has charge of the treasures. The first
hall into which we were ushered contained works in bronze[5]. They were
all small, and chosen with regard to their artistical value. The next
room contained statues, and vases ornamented with reliefs, in ivory. The
most remarkable work was the fall of Lucifer and his angels, containing
ninety-two figures in all[6], carved out of a single piece _of_ ivory
sixteen inches high! It was the work of an Italian monk, and cost him
many years of hard labour[7].
However costly the contents of these halls (S. 27, N. 7), they were only
an introduction to those which followed. Each one exceeded the other in
splendour and costliness. The walls were covered to the ceiling with rows
of goblets, vases, etc., of polished jasper, agate, and lapis lazuli. We
saw two goblets, each prized at six thousand thalers, made of gold and
precious stones; also the great pearl called the Spanish Dwarf, nearly
as large as a pullet’s egg; globes and vases cut entirely out of _the_
mountain crystal; magnificent Nuremberg watches and clocks, and a great
number of figures made ingeniously of rough[8] pearls and diamonds.
The seventh hall contains the coronation robes of Augustus II, king of
Poland, and many costly specimens of carving in wood[9]. A cherry-stone
is shown in a glass case, which has one hundred and twenty-five faces,
all perfectly finished, carved upon it[10]. The next room we entered sent
back a glare of splendour[11] that perfectly dazzled us. It was all gold,
diamond, ruby, and sapphire. Every case sent out a glow and a glitter
that it seemed like a cage of imprisoned lightnings[12]. Wherever the
eye turned it was met by a blaze of broken rainbows. They were there by
hundreds[13], and every gem was a fortune. We here saw the largest known
onyx, nearly seven inches long, and four inches broad! One of the most
remarkable works is the throne and court of Aurungzebe, the Indian king,
by Dinglinger, a celebrated goldsmith of the last century. It contains
one hundred and thirty-two figures, all of enamelled gold, and each
one most perfectly and elaborately finished. It was purchased by Prince
Augustus for fifty-eight thousand thalers, which was not an exorbitant
sum, considering that the making of it occupied Dinglinger and thirteen
workmen for seven years!
It is almost impossible to estimate the value of the treasures these
halls contain. That of gold and jewels alone must be many millions of
dollars, and the amount of labour expended on these toys of royalty is
incredible.—BAYARD TAYLOR, “VIEWS AFOOT.”
[1] +Köstlichkeiten.+
[2] +Eintrittsgeld+, n.
[3] Generally one engages a ‘valet de place’ (+ein Lohnbedienter+, Nom.).
[4] = and then.
[5] +Bronzesachen.+
[6] +im Ganzen.+
[7] hard labour, +angestrengte Arbeit+.
[8] here +ungeschliffen+.
[9] +Holzschnitzereien.+
[10] which — it = upon which are carved 125 faces, which are all
perfectly finished (+ausgebildet+).
[11] +wiederstrahlte von einem herrlichen Glanze+; ‘perfectly’, here
+förmlich+.
[12] +Aus jedem Kasten erstrahlte so viel Glanz und Licht, daß es schien,
es entströmten ihm tausend Blitze.+
[13] = There were (+Es waren dort+) hundreds of gems.
_Section 213._
THE DEATH OF LITTLE NELL.
She was dead. No sleep (S. 27, N. 7) so beautiful and calm, so free from
trace[1] of pain, so fair to look upon. She seemed[2] a creature fresh
from the hand of God, and waiting for the breath of life; not one who had
lived and suffered death. Her couch was dressed with here and there some
winterberries and green leaves, gathered in a spot she had been used to
favour. “When I die, put near me something[3] that has loved the light,
and had the sky above it always.” These were her words.
She was dead. Dear (S. 10, N. 2), gentle, patient, noble Nell was dead.
Her little bird—a poor, slight thing[4], the pressure of the finger would
have crushed—was stirring nimbly in its cage; and the strong heart of
its child-mistress[5] was mute and motionless for ever! Where were the
traces of her early cares, her sufferings and fatigues? All gone[6].
Sorrow was dead, _indeed_ in her[7]; but peace and perfect happiness were
born—imaged in her tranquil beauty and (S. 10, N. 9) profound repose.
And still her former self lay there, unaltered in this change[8]. Yes,
the old fireside[9] had smiled upon that same sweet face; it had passed
like a dream through haunts of misery and care—at the door of the poor
schoolmaster on the summer evening, before the furnace-fire upon the cold
wet night, at the still bedside of the dying boy[10], there had been the
same mild and loving look. So shall we know the angels in their majesty
after death.—CHARLES DICKENS, “THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP.”
[1] = from the traces.
[2] = seemed to be a creature (+Kreatur+, f.). Fresh — God, +erst soeben
aus der Hand Gottes hervorgegangen+, which use attributively before
‘creature’; breath, +Odem+, m.
[3] +dann gebet mir etwas mit.+
[4] +ein armseliges kleines Ding.+
[5] +kindliche Herrin+, Nom.
[6] +Alles war verschwunden.+
[7] +war in ihr erstorben+; were born, +waren dafür wieder in ihr
erstanden+; imaged in, +wie es ... bezeugte+; her tranquil beauty = her
tranquil beautiful face (+Antlitz+, n.).
[8] Liter. = And still (+dennoch+) lay her former self in this change
(+Verwandlung+) unaltered there.
[9] +der häusliche Herd+; ‘to smile upon’, here +auf etwas
hernie´derlächeln+.
[10] = brother.
_Section 214._
THE CHILDHOOD OF ROBERT CLIVE[1].
Some lineaments of the character of the man were early discerned in the
child. There remain[2] letters written by his relations when he was in
his seventh year; and from[3] these letters it appears that, even at
that early age, his strong will and his fiery passions, sustained by a
constitutional intrepidity[4], had begun to cause great uneasiness to
his family. “Fighting,” says one of his uncles, “to which he is out of
measure addicted, gives his temper such a fierceness and imperiousness,
that he flies out on every occasion[5].” The old people of the
neighbourhood still remember to have heard from their parents how Bob
Clive climbed to the top of the lofty steeple of Market Drayton, and
with what terror the inhabitants saw (S. 78, N. 14, _B_) him seated on
a stone spout near the summit. They also relate how he formed all the
idle lads of the town into a kind of predatory army[6], and compelled
the shop-keepers to submit to a tribute of apples and halfpence, in
consideration of which[7] he guaranteed the security of their windows.
He was sent from school to school, making very little progress in his
learning[8], and gaining for himself everywhere the character of an
exceedingly naughty boy. One of his masters, it is said, was sagacious
enough to prophesy that the idle lad would make a great figure in the
world[9].—LORD MACAULAY, “LORD CLIVE.”
[1] +Robert Lord Clive, geboren den 29. September 1725, gestorben den 22.
November 1774, war der Begründer des brittischen Reiches in Indien.+
[2] +Es existieren noch.+
[3] +aus+; it appears, +ergiebt sich+.
[4] +welche durch die ihm angeborene Unerschrockenheit noch unterstützt
wurden.+
[5] +daß er bei jeder Gelegenheit in heftigen Zorn gerät.+
[6] He formed of them a kind of predatory army, +er bildete aus ihnen
eine Art Räuberbande.+
[7] in — which, +wofür+.
[8] = studies.
[9] to make a great figure in the world, +eine große Rolle in der Welt
spielen+.
_Section 215._
AN ADVENTURE WITH A LION.
I.
It is well[1] known that if one of a troop of lions is killed, the
others take the hint[2], and leave that part of the country. So[3] the
next time the herds were attacked, I went with the people, in order to
encourage them to rid themselves of the annoyance by destroying[4] one
of the marauders. We found the lions on a small hill about a quarter of
a mile in length[5], which was covered with trees. A circle of men was
formed round it, and they gradually closed up[6], ascending pretty near
to each other. Being down below on the plain with a native schoolmaster,
named Mebalwe, a most excellent man (S. 53, N. 9), I saw one of the
lions sitting (S. 78, N. 14, _B_) on a _piece of_ rock within the
now-closed circle _of men_. Mebalwe fired at him before I could[7], and
the ball struck the rock on which the animal was sitting. He bit at
the spot struck, as a dog does at a stick or stone thrown at him; then
leaping away[8], broke through the opening circle, and escaped unhurt.
The men were afraid to attack him on account of their belief in [+an+]
witchcraft. When the circle was re-formed, we saw two other lions in
it; but were afraid[9] to fire lest we should strike the men, and they
allowed the beasts to burst through also. If (App. § 36) the Bakatta had
acted according to the custom of the country, they would have speared the
lions in their attempt to get out. Seeing we could not get[10] them to
kill one of the lions, we bent our footsteps[11] towards the village; in
going round the end of the hill, however, I saw one of the beasts sitting
on a _piece of_ rock as before, but this time he had a little bush in
front. Being about thirty yards[12] off, I took a good aim at his body
through the bush, and fired both barrels into it. The men then called
out: “He is shot! he is shot!” Others cried: “He has been shot by another
man, too; let us go to him!” I did not see any one else shoot at him, but
I saw the lion’s tail[13] erected in anger behind the bush, and turning
to the people, said: “Stop a little till I load[14] again.”
[1] = generally.
[2] +es sich zur Warnung dienen lassen.+
[3] So, +Als nun+; the next time, +wiederum+, which place after the
subject.
[4] +durch Vertilgung+, which place, with ‘one — marauders’, immediately
after the reflective pronoun ‘+sich+’.
[5] Use the attributive construction.
[6] and — up, +welche sich allmählich enger an einander anschlossen+;
ascending = and ascended (+den Berg hinauf´steigen+).
[7] +ehe ich es thun konnte.+
[8] = and when, hereupon, he sprang away, he, etc.
[9] = but ventured not; lest, +aus Furcht, daß+; render ‘should’ by the
Imperf. Subj. of +mögen+.
[10] +dahin bringen.+
[11] we went (+schreiten+).
[12] = steps; distances are generally measured by _steps_ in Germany.
[13] a lion’s _tail_, +Schweif+, m.; in, +aus+.
[14] = have loaded.
_Section 216._
AN ADVENTURE WITH A LION.
II.
When (S. 27, N. 7) in the act[1] of ramming down the bullets, I heard
a shout. Starting, and looking half round, I saw the lion just in the
act of springing[2] upon me. I was upon a little height; he caught my
shoulder as he sprang[3], and we both came to the ground below together.
Growling (S. 55, N. 1, +während+) horribly close to my ear, he shook
me as a terrier dog does a rat. The shock produced a stupor similar to
that which seems to be felt by a mouse after the first shake of the
cat. It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was[4] no sense of
pain nor feeling of terror, though I was quite conscious of all that
was happening. It was like what[5] patients, particularly under the
influence of chloroform, describe, who see all the operation, but do not
feel the knife. This singular condition was not the result of any mental
process. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no sense of horror[6]
in looking round at the beast. This peculiar state is probably produced
in all animals killed by the carnivora[7]; and, if so[8], is a merciful
provision by our benevolent creator for lessening the pain of death (S.
76, N. 22, _B_, 1). Turning round to relieve myself of the weight, as
he had one paw on the back of my head[9], I saw his eyes directed to
Mebalwe, who was trying to shoot him at a distance of ten or fifteen
yards. His gun, a flint one[10], missed fire in both barrels; the lion
immediately left me, and attacking Mebalwe, bit[11] his thigh. Another
man, whose life I had saved before, after he had been tossed[12] by a
buffalo, attempted to spear the lion while he was biting Mebalwe. He
left Mebalwe, and caught this man by the shoulder; but, at that moment,
the bullets he had received took effect[13], and he fell down dead. The
whole was the work of a few moments, and must have been his paroxysm of
dying rage. In order to take out the charm from him, the Bakatta on the
following day made a huge bonfire over his carcass, which was declared
to be that of the largest lion they had ever seen. Besides crunching the
bone into splinters, he left[14] eleven teeth wounds on the upper part of
my arm.—DR. LIVINGSTONE.
[1] ‘to be in the act of doing anything’, here +bei etwas beschäftigt
sein+. Read S. 87, N. 6, which rule applies in this case likewise.
[2] ‘in the act of springing’, here = about (+im Begriff+) to spring.
[3] as he sprang, +im Sprunge+, with which commence the clause.
[4] in — was = which possessed.
[5] = I found myself in that state (+Zustand+, m.), which.
[6] +und flößte mir keinen Schrecken ein.+
[7] here +reißende Tiere+.
[8] = and if this is the case, it is, etc.
[9] on — head, +auf meinem Hinterkopfe+.
[10] His — one, +Seine Flinte+; to miss fire, +versagen+.
[11] and — bit = attacked M., and bit, etc.
[12] +in die Luft schleudern.+
[13] to take effect, +zu wirken anfangen+.
[14] +zurück´lassen.+
_Section 217._
THE BURNING OF MOSCOW. (Comp. S. 156, N. 1.)
I.
On the 14th _of_ September, 1812, while the rear-guard of the Russians
were in the act (S. 216, N. 1) of evacuating Moscow, Napoleon reached the
hill called the Mount of Salvation[1], because _it is_ there _where_ the
natives kneel and cross themselves at first sight of the Holy City.
Moscow seemed as lordly and striking[2] as ever, with the steeples of
its thirty churches, and its copper domes glittering in the sun; its
palaces of Eastern architecture mingled with trees, and surrounded with
gardens[3]; and its Kremlin[4], a huge triangular mass of towers,[5]
something between a palace and a castle, which rose like a citadel out
of the general[6] mass of groves and buildings. But not a chimney sent
up smoke[7], not a man appeared on the battlements, or at the gates.
Napoleon gazed[8] every moment expecting to see a train of bearded
boyards arriving to (S. 19, N. 7) fling themselves at his feet, and place
their wealth at his disposal. His first exclamation was: “Behold at last
that celebrated city!” His next: “It was full[9] time!” His army, less
regardful of the past or the future[10], fixed their eyes on the goal of
their wishes, and a shout of “Moscow! Moscow!” passed from rank to rank.
Bonaparte, as if unwilling to encounter the sight of the empty streets,
stopped immediately on entering the first suburb. His troops were
quartered in the desolate city. During the first few hours after their
arrival[11], an obscure rumour, which could not be traced[12], but one of
those which are sometimes found to get abroad before the approach of some
awful certainty[13], announced that the city would be endangered by fire
in the course of the night[14].
[1] Nom. +der seligmachende Berg+.
[2] = majestic.
[3] +seinen im orientalischen Stile erbauten, mit Bäumen und Gärten
umgebenen Palästen.+
[4] +Kreml+, m.
[5] +einem ungeheuren, dreieckigen, mit vielen Türmen verzierten
Gebäude+; something — castle, +welches zwischen einem Palaste und einem
Schlosse die Mitte hielt+; which = and.
[6] = great; groves, +Baumgruppen+.
[7] = smoked; not a man = nobody.
[8] +blickte ... darauf hin.+
[9] = high.
[10] less — future, Liter. = which troubled itself (+sich bekümmern+)
only about (+um+) the present (+Gegenwart+, f.).
[11] Here follows the predicate ‘announced’.
[12] = the origin of which could not be traced (+ausfindig machen+). See
S. 4, N. 4 (+man+).
[13] = event.
[14] = that the town during the night would be exposed to a great
conflagration.
_Section 218._
THE BURNING OF MOSCOW.
II.
The report seemed to arise from[1] those evident circumstances which
rendered the event probable, but no one took any notice of it, until[2]
at midnight, _when_ the soldiers were startled from their quarters
by the report that the town was in flames (App. § 28). The memorable
conflagration began amongst[3] the coachmakers’ warehouses and workshops
in the Bazaar, _which was_ the richest district of the city. It was
imputed to accident, and the progress of the flames was subdued by
the exertions of the French soldiers. Napoleon, who had been roused
by the tumult, hurried to the spot[4]; and when the alarm seemed at
an end[5], he retired, not to his former quarters in the suburbs, but
to the Kremlin, the hereditary palace of the only sovereign whom he
had ever treated as an equal[6], and over whom his successful arms had
now attained such an apparently[7] immense superiority. Yet he did not
suffer himself to be dazzled by the advantages he had attained, but
availed himself of the light of the blazing Bazaar, to write to the
Emperor proposals of peace with his own hand[8]. They were despatched by
a Russian officer of rank, who had been disabled by indisposition from
following the army. But no answer was ever returned[9].
Next day the flames had disappeared, and the French officers
luxuriously[10] employed themselves (S. 87, N. 6) in selecting out of the
deserted palaces of Moscow, that which best pleased the fancy of each
for his residence. At night the flames again arose in the north and west
quarters of the city. As the greater part of the houses were built of
wood, the conflagration spread with the most dreadful rapidity.
[1] = to have arisen from (+entstehen+ (+aus+), conjugated with +sein+).
[2] Supply ‘at last’ here and omit the comma and the conj. ‘when’. To
be startled from one’s quarters, +von seinem Nachtlager aufgeschreckt
werden+.
[3] = in; warehouse, +Magazin+, n.
[4] +herbei´eilen+.
[5] = and when the danger seemed to be over.
[6] +wie seinesgleichen.+
[7] apparently, +wie es schien+, which place after the adv. ‘now’.
[8] Say ‘to write to the Emperor with his own hands (+eigenhändig+, adj.
used attributively) a letter, in which he offered him proposals of peace
(S. 76, N. 22, _B_).
[9] = The same (to agree with ‘proposals of peace’) remained however
unanswered.
[10] +prachtliebend+, which use as adj. before ‘French officers’.
_Section 219._
THE BURNING OF MOSCOW.
III.
This was at first imputed to the blazing brands [= pieces of wood] and
sparkles which were carried by the wind; but at length it was observed,
that, as often as the wind changed[1],—and it changed three times in that
terrible night,—new flames broke always forth in that direction, where[2]
the existing gale was calculated to direct them on[3] the Kremlin. These
horrors were[4] increased by the chance[5] of explosion. There was,
though as yet unknown to the French, a magazine of powder in the Kremlin;
besides that, a park of artillery, with its ammunition, was drawn up[6]
under the Emperor’s window. Morning (S. 3, N. 2) came, and with it a
dreadful scene. During the whole night, the metropolis had glared[7]
with a thick and suffocating atmosphere, of almost palpable smoke. The
flames defied the efforts of the French soldiery, and it is said that the
fountains of the city had been rendered inaccessible, the water-pipes
cut, and the fire-engines destroyed or carried off.
Then came the reports of fire-balls having been found burning in
deserted houses; of men and women, that, like demons, had been seen
openly spreading the flames, and who were said to be[8] furnished with
combustibles for rendering their dreadful work more secure. Several
wretches against[9] whom such acts had been charged, were seized (S. 2,
N. 1) upon, and, probably without much inquiry, _were_ shot on the spot.
While it was almost impossible to keep the roof of the Kremlin free of
the burning brands which the wind showered down[10], Napoleon watched
from the windows the course of the fire which devoured his fair conquest,
and the exclamation burst from him[11]: “These are indeed Scythians!”
[1] as — changed, +bei jedem Windeswechsel+; it = the wind.
[2] where = which through (+durch+); to calculate, +berechnen+ (+auf+);
read S. 87, N. 6.
[3] = to.
[4] Insert here the adv. +noch+.
[5] = possibility; of, +von+, followed by the plural.
[6] put up, +auf´stellen+.
[7] = had been filled.
[8] The Emperor is said to be dead, +der Kaiser soll tot sein+.
[9] against — charged = who were (+waren+) accused (+beschuldigen+) of
such a deed.
[10] = which were carried away by (S. 106, N. 23) the wind in great
number (+Menge+, f.).
[11] = and he exclaimed involuntarily (+unwillkürlich+).
_Section 220._
THE BURNING OF MOSCOW.
IV.