Some Observations Upon the Civilization of the Western Barbarians, Particularly of the English: made during the residence of some years in those parts.Swazey, John B.
Philosophy
Some Observations Upon the Civilization of the Western Barbarians, Particularly of the English: made during the residence of some years in those parts.
Swazey, John B.
England -- Social life and customs
Before commenting upon the Government, it is useful to speak of the
geography and history of the English Barbarians.
The Kingdom consists of the following: England with Wales and Scotland,
forming one large island; Ireland, separated by a channel of the seas,
lying West; and several small groups of islets, scattered about the
Coasts. It lies Westerly from the great, main Land of the Barbarians,
from which it is separated by a narrow course of the seas. England and
the Main Land form the region designated Europe. The whole Kingdom
surpasses not in area or population some of our Celestial provinces:
the extent being in the English square miles some 110 thousand [Si-re],
and in people some 32 millions [Ken-ty]. In such narrow limits there
are no rivers--only small streams, which, near the sea, owing to the
flux and reflux of the great waters, become broad and deep.
In our Science and in our Annals the whole region and people are known
as one only--but the different petty tribes are distinguished in our
waters by the forms and colours of the _flags_, shown upon the masts
of the Barbarian vessels. The English are less in people and in lands
than many others; but by their fierceness in war, and the multitude of
their big ships, they esteem themselves to be the most powerful of all.
The first account of them is recorded by one of the Romans, who, in
our dynasty, _Han_, crossed the narrow sea from a Roman province,
and entered into the island. It was then a Wilderness, and among the
forests lived a few savages, clothed in skins. Sometime after, the
Romans conquered the country, and established a Roman province--their
dominion lasting four hundred [qua-cet] years--contemporaneous with our
dynasty, _Hewhan_.
During the dynasties, _Han_ and _Hewhan_, the various tribes
surrounding the Roman provinces, grown more populous and better
acquainted with the Military art, crowded, more and more, upon the
Romans; and, gradually, destroyed their power. They were forced to
leave England.
On their departure, and for several ages after, down to our dynasty,
_Song_, the history of the Country is merely a tale of ceaseless
struggles among the different savage tribes from the Main Land, to
plunder and subdue it. The civilization disappeared. Nearly all signs
of the Roman occupancy became obliterated; and the knowledge of letters
would have been lost, but that the Priests who accompanied some of the
savage chiefs had among them some of the Roman learning. These Priests
and chiefs had adopted the worship of the new Christ-god.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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