Read Ebook: Tietoja maailman kansoista heidän tavoista uskonnoista ja vaiheista by Forsman Jaakko

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Ebook has 257 lines and 25660 words, and 6 pages

"Really?"

"Quick, tell us, dear Ulrik."

"In the first place, Bologna, and Venice afterward, have been for several days in a state of incredible agitation, for reason of a series of events not less incredible."

"A revolution?"

"A movement of young Italy?"

"Perhaps a new mandate from the papal defender?"

"No, gentleman, it concerns a woman."

"A woman?"

"Yes, if it is not the devil, which I am inclined to believe."

"Ulrik, you are putting us to entreaty, do explain."

"Do you remember, gentlemen, last year, having heard in Germany that young Mexican widow, the Marquise de Miranda, spoken of?"

"Zounds! the one whom our poet, Moser-Hartmann, wrote of in such magnificent and passionate verse, under the name of the modern Aphrodite."

"Ah, ah, ah, what a charming mistake!" said one of the inquirers, roaring with laughter. "Moser-Hartmann, the religious and soulful poet, the chaste poet, pure and cold as the immaculate snow, sings Aphrodite, in burning verses. I have heard those admirable verses repeated, but, evidently, they are the production of another Hartmann."

"And I assure you, my dear sir, and Ulrik will confirm it, that this poem, which they say rightfully ranks with the most beautiful odes of Sappho, is truly the work of Moser-Hartmann."

"Nothing more true," replied Ulrik. "I heard Moser-Hartmann recite the verses himself,--they are worthy of antiquity."

"Then I believe you, but how do you explain this sudden incomprehensible transformation?"

"Ah, my God! This transformation which has changed a cold, correct man, but a man of estimable talent, indeed, a man of genius, full of fire and power, whose name is renowned through Europe--this transformation has been wrought by the woman whom the poet has praised, by the Marquise de Miranda."

"Moser-Hartmann so changed? I would have thought the thing impossible!"

"Bah!" replied Ulrik, "the marquise has done several things, and here is one of her best tricks, written to me from Bologna. There was there a cardinal legate of the Pope, the terror and aversion of the country."

"His name is Orsini, a man as detestable as he is detested."

"And his exterior reveals his nature. I saw him in Lombardy. What a cadaverous, sinister face! He always seemed to me the very type of an inquisitor."

"Well, the marquise took him to a ball at the Casino in Bologna, disguised as a Hungarian hussar!"

"The cardinal legate as a Hungarian hussar!" cried the company, in one voice.

"Come, Ulrik, you are telling an idle tale."

"You can read this letter, and when you see who signs it you will doubt no longer, skeptical as you are," replied Ulrik. "Yes, the marquise made Orsini accompany her so disguised; then, in the midst of the dance, she tore his mask from his face and said, in a loud voice: 'Good evening, Cardinal Orsini,' and, laughing like a crazy woman, she disappeared, leaving the legate exposed to the hoots and hisses of the exasperated crowd. He would have run some danger if his escort had not protected him. The next day Bologna was in a stir, demanding the dismissal of Orsini, who, after two days of excitement, was forced to leave the city by night. In the evening every house was illuminated for joy, and my correspondent says the monogram of the marquise was seen on many transparencies."

"And what became of her?"

"She was not seen again, she left for Venice," replied Ulrik, showing a second letter, "and there, they write me, another thing has happened."

"What a woman! What a woman!"

"What sort of a woman is she?"

"Have you seen her?"

"No."

"They say she is very tall and very slender."

"They told me she was above the ordinary height."

"One thing is sure, she is a brunette, because Moser-Hartmann praises her black eyes and black eyebrows."

"All I can say is," replied Ulrik, "that in this letter from Venice, which place the marquise has recently left for France, as I am informed, she is poetically called the 'blonde star,' so I think she must be a blonde."

"But what has she done in Venice? What has happened there?"

"My faith!" exclaimed Ulrik, "it is an adventure which smacks of the manners of pagan antiquity and the middle ages of Italy at the same time."

Unfortunately for the curiosity of Ulrik's auditors, the sudden beating of a drum outside announced the return of the Archduke Leopold, and each person in the house of the prince at once went to his post, ready to receive the Royal Highness.

In fact, the sentinel of the ?lys?e, descrying the approach of several carriages in the livery of the King of the French, had called "To arms!" The soldiers on guard with their commanding officer were immediately in line, and at the moment the carriages entered successively the immense court of the ?lys?e, the drums beat and the troops presented arms.

The first of the carriages stopped before the palace; the footmen in bright red livery opened the door, and his Royal Highness, the Archduke Maximilian Leopold, slowly ascended the steps, conversing with a colonel, officer of ordinance, whose office it was to accompany him; a few steps behind the prince came his aids-de-camp, dressed in brilliant foreign uniforms, and took their places in order at the foot of the steps by the royal carriages. The archduke, thirty-nine years old, was robust, yet slenderly proportioned. He wore with military severity the full-dress uniform of the field-marshal, white coat, with epaulettes of gold; scarlet casimir breeches over which reached the shining black of his high riding-boots, a little dusty, as he had assisted in the review appointed in his honour. The great cordon red, the collar of the fleece of gold, and five or six medallions of different orders ornamented his breast; his hair was pale blond, as was his long moustache turned up in military style, which gave a still more severe expression to his features, and strongly augmented the breadth of his chin and the prominent angle of his nose; his eye, cold and penetrating, half-covered by the eyelid, was set under a very heavy eyebrow, which gave him the air of always looking very high. This severe and disdainful glance, united to an imperious manner and an inflexible carriage of the head, gave to the whole personal bearing of the archduke a remarkable character of arrogant, icy authority.

About a quarter of an hour after the prince had returned to the ?lys?e, the carriage of a French minister, and that of an ambassador from a great power in the North, stopped successively before the entrance, and the statesman and the diplomatist entered the palace.

Almost at the same moment, one of the principal persons of this story arrived on foot in the court of the ?lys?e-Bourbon.

M. Pascal, for such was our hero's name, appeared to be about thirty-six years old. He was of middle stature, very dark, and wore quite a long beard, as rough and black as his eyebrows, beneath which glittered two little very piercing gray eyes. As he had the habit of holding his head down, and his two hands in the pockets of his trousers, the attitude served to increase the roundness of his broad shoulders. His features were especially remarkable for their expression of sarcastic sternness, to which was joined that air of inexorable assurance peculiar to people who are cluonnon kasvattama ihminen koettaa ajatuksiansa selitell?. Mit? t?ss? on puhuttu erin?isist? ihmisist?, se my?skin sopii kokonaisiin kansoihin.

My?skin elatus-keinot ovat aikojen kuluessa ihmisiss? paljon edistyneet. Alussa elettiin ainoastansa puitten hedelmist?, joka ihmiskunnan ensim?isess? asunto-paikassa, tuossa satoisassa ja l?mp?isess? Aasiassa oli vallankin sopiva. Vasta sittemmin opittiin maan-hedelmist? elatusaineita hankkimaan. Taas kun huomattiin, ett? muutamat el?imet hankkivat itsellens? ruokaa toisien el?vien lihasta, t?ss?p? se ajatus, eik?s olisi my?skin ihmisillen tuosta jotakin ruuan-puolta. Mutta kun t?m? joksikin karvaalta ja kitker?lt? maistui, raa'alta sy?d?, juohtui jonkun mieleen, eik? sit? voisi kuinkaan ma'ustaa. T?st?p? sitten ruvettiin keitt?misen ja paistamisen keinoa viljelem??n. -- Tarve my?skin pakoitti ihmiset maanviljelykseen ryhtym??n. Kun ihmiset yh? karttuivat karttumistansa, ei riitt?nyt en??n ihmisten tarpeesen tuo vilja, joka itsest?ns? nousi maan povesta. No, sitten ei muuta neuvoa ollut, kun koetella, mill? keinolla saataisiin viljasato enenem??n. T?st?p? keksittiin tuo ihmiskunnan sivistykselle aivan t?rke? maan-viljelys, joka vieroitti kansat kolkasta kierto-el?m?st? ja tuimasta mets?st?misest?, kiinnitt?en heid?t vakinaisiin asunto-sioihin. Ihmiskunnan viimeiset keksinn?t olivat tieteet ja taiteet. Ensim?inen tiede, joka oli ihmisille tuttu, oli t?htitiede. Karja-kansat, jotka ?isin oleskelivat ulkona it?-maitten kirkkaan ja l?mpim?n taivaan alla, tottuivat pian t?htien s??nn?llist? juoksua tarkastelemaan, aina n?hdess?ns? heit? kimaltavaisella taivaalla. He koettivat t?m?n j?rjestyksen ijankaikkisia lakiloita tiedustella ja oppivatkin pian sek? heille tuttujen t?htein ett? my?skin auringon ja kuun juoksua luvunlaskulla m??r??m??n. Ruoko-putki, johon paimen sattumuksesta puhalsi, antoi ??nt? jonkunmoista ja niinp? oli ensim?inen askel soittokalujen keksint??n otettuna. Vedenpinnalla uiskenteleva vesilintu kiihoitti ihmist? koettamaan, eik? olisi my?skin h?nen mahdollista vesi? kuljeskella. Muutamat yhteen liitetyt hirret eli ontaksi koverrettu ranka olivat ensim?iset alukset. N?m?t tulivat pian yh? t?ydellisemmiksi, sittenkun niihin liitettiin airot ja purjeet. T?mm?inen oli alus-rakennuksen alku. -- T?mm?isist? pienist? alkuseikoista synnytty?ns?, ovat vuosisatojen kuluessa tieteet ja taiteet edistyneet, kunnes ovat p??sseet siihen isoon kuntoon, jossa meid?n aikoina ovat.

Jos luomme silm?t maankarttaan, joka esittelee koko maanpallon pintaa, n?ytt?? se meille melkein mahdottomalta, ett? ihmiset yhdest? ainoasta paikasta olisivat voineet levit? kaikkiin maanpallon osiin. Kysytt?neen, kuinka ovat ihmiset voineet p??st? Amerikkaan eli Etel?meren saariin siihen aikaan, jona merenkulku tapahtui ainoastaan pienill? ja heikoilla aluksilla. T?h?n voimme ehk? vastata, ett? maan erityiset osat ennen vedenpaisumista, ja milt'ei j?lkeenkin p?in, olivat useammissa kohden toisiinsa yhdistettyin? ja ett? Amerikka siis oli Aasian tahi Ahrikan kanssa jonkunmoisessa yhdistyksess?. Alku-kansan siirtyminen toisiin maanosiin tapahtui silloin, kuin se karttui niin lukuiseksi, ett'ei en??n mahtunut yhteen asunto-paikkaan. Osa siit? l?ksi joko omalla ehdolla tahi muitten pakoittamisesta vanhasta asunto-siastaan vaeltamaan. Ensim?iset matkustukset ihmiskunnan alku-kodista n?ytt?v?t k??nt?ytyneen it??np?in auringon nousua kohden. N?in tulivat Kiina ja Intia ensiksi kansoitetuiksi; vasta my?hemmin Etel?-aasia ja Ahrikka; viimeiseksi on kaiketi Eurooppa saanut asukkaansa.

N?it? tarkastellessamme, emme taida olla ihmettelem?tt? Jumalan viisautta, joka niin on varustanut ihmisruumiin, ett? ihminen voi asuskella miss? osassa hyv?ns? maanpalloa ja nauttia kaikki sen sy?t?v?t tuotteet. Monta el?imen ja kasvun lajia lakastuu ja kuolentuu, jos heit? kauaksi alkuper?isest? kotopaikastansa muutetaan.

Viel?kin luokaamme silm?mme itse maanpalloon, tuohon isoon n?ytelm?-paikkaan, jossa kansakunnat h??r??v?t.

Kuinka maanpallo on saanut nykyisen muotonsa selittelee meille Pyh? Raamattu. Maanpallon muodostuminen ynn? el?in- ja kasvu-kunnan luominen tapahtui aika-kausissa, joitten pituus rippui siit?, kuinka pian yli-ymp?rin paisuva vesi oli voinut siaa j?tt??. Kun nyt tuo ??ret?n veden-paljous oli juossut maanpallon syviin koloihin, syntyiv?t meret, ja veden-pintaa ylemm?ksi nousivat erityiset maan-osat vuorinensa, jotka olivat ik??nkuin maanpallon luut. Tuimat virrat raivosivat itsellens? tien ja tekiv?t laaksoja. Kasvukunta syntyi koristaen maanpintaa. T?h?n loi Jumala sitten el?imet ja ihmisen.

Se maanpiirin osa, jossa ihmisill? ensiksi oli asunto-siansa, oli Aasia. Sitten mainitsee historia Ekyptil?iset Ahrikassa ja viimeiseksi kansakunnat Euroopassa, joka sittemmin viljelyksens? puolesta tuli maanpallon etevimm?ksi osaksi.

Mimmoisessa tilaisuudessa Amerikan ja Australian asukkaat olivat, ennenkuin n?m?t maanpiirin osat 15:nnen vuosisadan lopulla l?ydettiin, emme ollenkaan tied?, koska kirjoitustaito oli n?ille kansoille ihan outo ja he eiv?t siis ole voineet mit??n kirjallisia j??nn?ksi? j?tt??.

L?htek??mme nyt erin?isten kansojen historiaa tarkastelemaan.

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