Read Ebook: Ruth of Boston: A Story of the Massachusetts Bay Colony by Otis James
Font size:
Background color:
Text color:
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page
Ebook has 525 lines and 35292 words, and 11 pages
Transcriber's notes:
Characters following a carat were printed in superscript.
Side-notes were relocated to function as titles of their respective paragraphs.
Macrons and breves above letters and dots below letters were not inserted.
stands for the root symbol; , , etc. for greek letters.
The following typographical errors have been corrected:
ARTICLE LUTHER, MARTIN: "... den Gegenschriften von Wimpina-Tetzel, Eck und Prierias, und den Antworten Luthers darauf ..." 'und' amended from 'and'.
ARTICLE LYLY, JOHN: "What the further relations between them were we have no means of knowing ..." 'between' amended from 'beween'.
ARTICLE LYRE: "Examination of the construction of the instruments thus identified reveals the fact that both possessed characteristics which have persisted throughout the middle ages to the present day in various instruments evolved from these two archetypes." 'identified' amended from 'indentified'.
ARTICLE M: "... which survives in its earliest representations in Greek. The greater length of the first limb of m is characteristic of the earliest forms." 'survives' amended from 'survivies'.
ARTICLE M: "The sound m can in unaccented syllables form a syllable by itself without an audible vowel, e.g. the English word fathom comes from an Anglo-Saxon fathm, where the m was so used." 'English' amended from 'Enghlish'.
ARTICLE MABUSE, JAN: "At Scawby he illustrates the legend of the count of Toulouse, who parted with his worldly goods to assume the frock of a hermit. " 'worldly' amended from 'wordly'.
ARTICLE MACAQUE: "Mention of some of the more important species, typifying distinct sub-generic groups, is made in the article Primates." 'is' added.
ARTICLE MACEDONIA: "... it contains a number of Greek word which are often replaced in the northern speech by Slavonic or Latin synonyms." 'words' amended from 'works'.
ARTICLE MACHIAVELLI, NICCOL?: "Machiavelli returned from Germany in June 1508." 'Machiavelli' amended from 'Michiavelli'.
ARTICLE MACHIAVELLI, NICCOL?: "He was exiled from Florence and confined to the dominion for one year, and on the 17th of November was further prohibited from setting foot in the Palazzo Pubblico." 'further' amended from 'futher'.
ARTICLE MACHIAVELLI, NICCOL?: "It seems written to expose the corruption of domestic life in Florence, and especially to satirize the friars in their familiar part of go-betweens, tame cats, confessors and adulterers." 'familiar' amended from 'familar'.
ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA
A DICTIONARY OF ARTS, SCIENCES, LITERATURE AND GENERAL INFORMATION
ELEVENTH EDITION
Luray Cavern to Mackinac Island
ARTICLES IN THIS SLICE:
LURAY CAVERN MACABRE LURCH McADAM, JOHN LOUDON LURGAN MACAIRE LURIA, ISAAC BEN SOLOMON McALESTER LURISTAN MACALPINE, JOHN LUSATIA MACAO LUSHAI HILLS MACAQUE LUSIGNAN MACARONI LUSSIN MACARONICS LUSTRATION MACARSCA LUTE MACARTNEY, GEORGE MACARTNEY LUTHARDT, CHRISTOPH ERNST MACASSAR LUTHER, MARTIN MACAULAY, THOMAS BABINGTON MACAULAY LUTHERANS MACAW LUTHER LEAGUE MACBETH LUTON MACCABEES LUTSK MACCABEES, BOOKS OF LUTTERWORTH MacCARTHY, DENIS FLORENCE LUTTRELL, HENRY M'CARTHY, JUSTIN L?TTRINGHAUSEN McCHEYNE, ROBERT MURRAY L?TZEN McCLELLAN, GEORGE BRINTON L?TZOW, ADOLF McCLERNAND, JOHN ALEXANDER LUXEMBURG, DE MONTMORENCY-B. MACCLESFIELD, CHARLES GERARD LUXEMBURG MACCLESFIELD LUXEMBURG M'CLINTOCK, SIR FRANCIS LEOPOLD LUXEUIL-LES-BAINS McCLINTOCK, JOHN LUXOR McCLOSKEY, JOHN LUXORIUS M'CLURE, SIR ROBERT JOHN LE MESURIER LUYNES MacCOLL, MALCOLM LUZ?N DE SUELVES, IGNACIO McCOMBIE, WILLIAM LUZ-SAINT-SAUVEUR McCOOK, ALEXANDER McDOWELL LUZZATTI, LUIGI MacCORMAC, SIR WILLIAM LUZZATTO, MOSES HAYIM McCORMICK, CYRUS HALL LUZZATTO, SAMUEL DAVID McCOSH, JAMES LYALL, SIR ALFRED COMYN McCOY, SIR FREDERICK LYALL, EDNA M'CRIE, THOMAS LYALLPUR MACCULLAGH, JAMES LYCAEUS MACCULLOCH, HORATIO LYCANTHROPY McCULLOCH, HUGH LYCAON M'CULLOCH, SIR JAMES LYCAONIA MACCULLOCH, JOHN LYCEUM M'CULLOCH, JOHN RAMSAY LYCIA McCULLOUGH, JOHN EDWARD LYCK MACCUNN, HAMISH LYCOPHRON MACDONALD, FLORA LYCOPODIUM MACDONALD, GEORGE LYCOSURA MACDONALD, SIR HECTOR ARCHIBALD LYCURGUS MACDONALD, JACQUES ?TIENNE ALEXANDRE LYCURGUS MACDONALD, SIR JOHN ALEXANDER LYCURGUS MACDONALD, JOHN SANDFIELD LYDD MACDONALD, LAWRENCE LYDENBURG MACDONELL, JAMES LYDFORD MACDONNELL, ALESTAIR RUADH LYDGATE, JOHN MACDONNELL, SORLEY BOY LYDIA MACDONOUGH, THOMAS LYDUS, JOANNES LAURENTIUS MacDOWELL, EDWARD ALEXANDER LYE McDOWELL, IRVIN LYELL, SIR CHARLES MACDUFF LYLY, JOHN McDUFFIE, GEORGE LYME REGIS MACE LYMINGTON MACEDO, JOS? AGOSTINHO DE LYMPH and LYMPH FORMATION MACEDONIA LYMPHATIC SYSTEM MACEDONIAN EMPIRE LYNCH, PATRICIO MACEDONIUS LYNCHBURG MACEI? LYNCH LAW McENTEE, JERVIS LYNDHURST, JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY MACER, AEMILIUS LYNDSAY, SIR DAVID MACERATA LYNEDOCH, THOMAS GRAHAM MACFARREN, SIR GEORGE ALEXANDER LYNN McGEE, THOMAS D'ARCY LYNTON and LYNMOUTH McGIFFERT, ARTHUR CUSHMAN LYNX McGILLIVRAY, ALEXANDER LYON, MARY MASON MACGILLIVRAY, WILLIAM LYON, NATHANIEL MacGREGOR, JOHN LYONNESSE MACH, ERNST LYONS, EDMUND LYONS MACHAERODUS LYONS, RICHARD BICKERTON LYONS MACHALE, JOHN LYONS MACHAULT D'ARNOUVILLE, BAPTISTE DE LYONS, COUNCILS OF MACHAUT, GUILLAUME DE LYRA MACHIAVELLI, NICCOL? LYRE MACHICOLATION LYRE-BIRD MACHINE LYRICAL POETRY MACHINE-GUN LYSANDER MAC?AS LYSANIAS MACINTOSH, CHARLES LYSIAS MACKAY, CHARLES LYSIMACHUS MACKAY, HUGH LYSIPPUS MACKAY, JOHN WILLIAM LYSIS OF TARENTUM MACKAY LYSISTRATUS McKEESPORT LYTE, HENRY FRANCIS McKEES ROCKS LYTHAM MACKENNAL, ALEXANDER LYTTELTON, GEORGE LYTTELTON MACKENZIE, SIR ALEXANDER LYTTELTON MACKENZIE, ALEXANDER LYTTON, EDWARD GEORGE BULWER-LYTTON MACKENZIE, SIR ALEXANDER CAMPBELL LYTTON, EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON MACKENZIE, SIR GEORGE M MACKENZIE, HENRY MAAS, JOSEPH McKENZIE, SIR JOHN MAASIN MACKENZIE, SIR MORELL MAASSLUIS MACKENZIE, WILLIAM LYON MAASTRICHT MACKENZIE MABILLON, JOHN MACKEREL MABINOGION McKIM, CHARLES FOLLEN MABUSE, JAN MACKINAC ISLAND MACABEBE
LURAY CAVERN, a large cave in Page county, Virginia, U.S.A., 39? 35? N. and 78? 17? W., near the village of Luray, on the Norfork & Western railway. The valley, here 10 m. wide, extends from the Blue Ridge to the Massanutton Mountain. The ridges lie in vast folds and wrinkles; and elevations in the valley are often found to be pierced by erosion. Cave Hill, 300 ft. above the water-level, had long been an object of local interest on account of its pits and oval hollows or sink-holes, through one of which, on the 13th of August 1878, Andrew J. Campbell and others entered, thus discovering the cavern now described.
The Luray cavern does not date beyond the Tertiary period, though carved from the Silurian limestone. At some period, long subsequent to its original excavation, and after many large stalactites had grown, it was completely filled with glacial mud charged with acid, whereby the dripstone was eroded into singularly grotesque shapes. After the mud had been mostly removed by flowing water, these eroded forms remained amid the new growths. To this contrast may be ascribed some of the most striking scenes in the cave. The many and extraordinary monuments of aqueous energy include massive columns wrenched from their place in the ceiling and prostrate on the floor; the Hollow Column, 40 ft. high and 30 ft. in diameter, standing erect, but pierced by a tubular passage from top to bottom; the Leaning Column nearly as large, undermined and tilting like the campanile of Pisa; the Organ, a cluster of stalactites in the chamber known as the Cathedral; besides a vast bed of disintegrated carbonates left by the whirling flood in its retreat through the great space called the Elfin Ramble.
The stalactitic display exceeds that of any other cavern known. The old material is yellow, brown or red; and its wavy surface often shows layers like the gnarled grain of costly woods. The new stalactites growing from the old, and made of hard carbonates that had already once been used, are usually white as snow, though often pink, blue or amber-coloured. The Empress Column is a stalagmite 35 ft. high, rose-coloured, and elaborately draped. The double column, named from Professors Henry and Baird, is made of two fluted pillars side by side, the one 25 and the other 60 ft. high, a mass of snowy alabaster. Several stalactites in the Giant Hall exceed 50 ft. in length. The smaller pendants are innumerable; in the canopy above the Imperial Spring it is estimated that 40,000 are visible at once.
The "cascades" are wonderful formations like foaming cataracts caught in mid-air and transformed into milk-white or amber alabaster. The Chalcedony Cascade displays a variety of colours. Brand's Cascade, the finest of all, is 40 ft. high and 30 ft. wide, and is unsullied and wax-like white, each ripple and braided rill seeming to have been polished.
The Swords of the Titans are monstrous blades, eight in number, 50 ft. long, 3 to 8 ft. wide, hollow, 1 to 2 ft. thick, but drawn down to an extremely thin edge, and filling the cavern with tones like tolling bells when struck heavily by the hand. Their origin and also that of certain so-called scarfs and blankets is from carbonates deposited by water trickling down a sloping and corrugated surface. Sixteen of these alabaster scarfs hang side by side in Hovey's Balcony, three white and fine as crape shawls, thirteen striated like agate with every shade of brown, and all perfectly translucent. Down the edge of each a tiny rill glistens like silver, and this is the ever-plying shuttle that weaves the fairy fabric.
Streams and true springs are absent, but there are hundreds of basins, varying from 1 to 50 ft. in diameter, and from 6 in. to 15 ft. in depth. The water in them is exquisitely pure, except as it is impregnated by the carbonate of lime, which often forms concretions, called according to their size, pearls, eggs and snowballs. A large one is known as the cannon ball. On fracture these spherical growths are found to be radiated in structure.
The dimensions of the various chambers included in Luray Cavern cannot easily be stated, on account of the great irregularity of their outlines. Their size may be seen from the diagram. But it should be understood that there are several tiers of galleries, and the vertical depth from the highest to the lowest is 260 ft. The large tract of land owned by the Luray Caverns Corporations covers all possible modes of entrance.
The waters of this cavern appear to be entirely destitute of life; and the existing fauna comprises only a few bats, rats, mice, spiders, flies and small centipedes. When the cave was first entered, the floor was covered with thousands of tracks of raccoons, wolves and bears--most of them probably made long ago, as impressions made in the tenacious clay that composes most of the cavern floor would remain unchanged for centuries. Layers of excrementitious matter appear, and also many small bones, along with a few large ones, all of existing species. The traces of human occupation are pieces of charcoal, flints, moccasin tracks and a single skeleton embedded in stalagmite in one of the chasms, estimated, from the present rate of stalagmitic growth, to have lain where found for not more than five hundred years.
The temperature is uniformly 54? Fahr., coinciding with that of Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. The air is very pure, and the avenues are not uncomfortably damp. The portions open to the public are now lighted by electric lamps. The registered number of visitors in 1906 was 18,000. A unique and highly successful experiment merits mention, by which the cool pure air of Luray Cavern is forced through all the rooms of the Limair sanatorium erected in 1901, by Mr T. C. Northcott, president of the Luray Caverns Corporation, on the summit of Cave Hill. Tests made for several successive years by means of culture media and sterile plates, demonstrated the perfect bacteriologic purity of the air, first drawn into the caverns through myriads of rocky crevices that served as natural filters, then further cleansed by floating over the transparent springs and pools, and finally supplied to the inmates of the sanatorium.
In 1566 at earliest Luria removed to Safed. This Palestinian town was in the 16th century the headquarters of the Kabbala. A large circle of Talmudists lived there; at their head Joseph Qaro, then over eighty years of age. Qaro's son married Luria's daughter, and Qaro rejoiced at the connexion, for he had a high opinion of Luria's learning. Mysticism is often the expression of a revolt against authority, but in Luria's case mysticism was not divorced from respect for tradition. After his arrival at Safed Luria lived at most six years, and died in 1572. But these years were momentous for Judaism. He established an extraordinary reputation; his personality had a winning attractiveness; and he founded a school of mystics who powerfully affected Judaism after the master's death. The Holy Spirit, we are told, rested on him, drawn to him by the usual means of the mystics--self-flogging, ablutions and penance. He had wonderful gifts of insight, and spoke to the birds. Miracles abounded. More soberly true is the statement that he went on long walks with enthusiastic disciples, whom he taught without books. Luria himself wrote no mystical works; what we know of his doctrines and habits comes chiefly from his Boswell, Hayim Vital.
LUSATIA , a name applied to two neighbouring districts in Germany, Upper and Lower Lusatia, belonging now mainly to Prussia, but partly to Saxony. The name is taken from the Lusitzi, a Slav tribe, who inhabited Lower Lusatia in the 9th and 10th centuries.
The distric wicked of Susan to say that she would have been better pleased had we been allowed to chat with the people concerning this new land, rather than listen to Master Winthrop, who, so mother says, is a most gifted preacher even though that is not his calling, yet way down in the bottom of my heart I felt much as did Susan, although, fortunately, I was not tempted to give words to the thought.
A CHRISTENING AND A DINNER
When another day came, we girls had a most delightful time, for there was to be a baby baptized in the house of logs where are held the meetings, and Mistress White, one of the gentlefolks who came here with the company of Master Higginson, was to give a dinner because of her young son's having lived to be christened.
To both these festivals Susan and I were bidden, and it surprised me not a little to see so much of gaiety in this New World, where I had supposed every one went around in fear and trembling lest the savages should come to take their lives.
The christening was attended to first, as a matter of course, and, because of his having so lately arrived from England, Master Winthrop was called upon to speak to the people, which he did at great length. Although the baby, in stiff dress and mittens of linen, with his cap of cotton wadded thickly with wool, must have been very uncomfortable on account of the heat, he made but little outcry during all this ceremony, or even when Master Higginson prayed a very long time.
We were not above two hours in the meetinghouse, and then went to the home of Mistress White, getting there just as she came down from the loft with her young son in her arms.
Mother was quite shocked because of the baby's having nothing in his hands, and while she is not given to placing undue weight in beliefs which savor of heathenism, declares that she never knew any good to come of taking a child up or down in the house without having first placed silver or gold between his fingers.
Of course it is not so venturesome to bring a child down stairs empty-handed; but to take him back for the first time without something of value in his little fist, is the same as saying that he will never rise in the world to the gathering of wealth.
The dinner was much enjoyed by both Susan and me, even though the baby, who seemed to be frightened because of seeing so many strange faces, cried a goodly part of the time.
We had wild turkey roasted, and it was as pleasing a morsel as ever I put in my mouth. Then there was a huge pie of deer meat, with baked and fried fish in abundance, and lobsters so large that there was not a trencher bowl on the board big enough to hold a whole one. We had whitpot, yokhegg, suquatash, and many other Indian dishes, the making of which shall be explained as soon as I have learned the methods.
It was a most enjoyable feast, and the good people of Salem were so friendly that when we went on board ship that night, Susan and I were emboldened to say to my father, that we should be rejoiced when the time arrived for our company to build houses.
DECIDING UPON A HOME
Then we learned for the first time that it had not been the plan of our people to settle in this pleasant place. It was not to the mind of Governor Winthrop, nor yet in accord with the belief of our people in England, that all of us who were to form what would be known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony, should build our homes in one spot.
Therefore it was that our people, meaning the elders among the men, set off through the forest to search for a spot where should be made a new town, and we children were allowed to roam around the village of Salem at will, many of us, among whom were Susan and I, often spending the night in the houses of those people who were so well off in this world's goods as to have more than one bed.
Lady Arabella Johnson and her husband had gone on shore to live the second day after we arrived, for my lady was far from well when she left England, and the voyage across the ocean had not been of benefit to her.
Our fathers were not absent above three days in the search for a place to make our homes, and then Sarah and I were told that it had been decided we should live at Charlestown, where, as I have already told you, a year before our coming, Master Endicott had sent a company of fifty to build houses.
It pleased me to know that we were not going directly into the wilderness, as both Susan and I had feared; but that we should be able to find shelter with the people who had already settled there, until our own houses could be built.
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page