Old England: A Pictorial Museum (page 20/48)

113.—The Thames at Coway Stakes.

Tall trees sway either side of a dirt road down which a cart is pulled way from us by a pair of heavy horses; two women and a dog approach us on the same road. In the background a barge is pulled along a wide, winding river by a team of maybe five horses walking along the riverbank. All [...] [more...]

114.—Conflict between Romans and Barbarians.

The wood engraving shows men with curved square shields and helmets fighting men with round shields at close range. The winners are always the ones to call the losers barbarians. [more...]

115.—Rome—A fragment after Piranesi.

An engraving showing a fragment of a statue, or, more likely, a reproduction of a drawing by Piranesi of a Roman statue. [more...]

116.—Roman Victory.

Succeeding emperors left the Britons in the quiet advancement of their civilization, until Claudius (Fig. 118) was stirred up to the hazard of an invasion. In the sonorous prose of Milton—“He, who waited ready with a huge preparation, as if not safe enough amidst the flower of all his Romans, like a great Eastern king with armed elephants marches through [...] [more...]

118.—Claudius.

Succeeding emperors left the Britons in the quiet advancement of their civilization, until Claudius (Fig. 118) was stirred up to the hazard of an invasion. In the sonorous prose of Milton—“He, who waited ready with a huge preparation, as if not safe enough amidst the flower of all his Romans, like a great Eastern king with armed elephants marches through [...] [more...]

Claudius Looks On

Detail of the Portrait of the Roman Emporer Claudius showing just a face looking out to empty space; I made this so it could be used as a computer desktop, wallpaper, or root image. [more...]

122.—The earliest figure of Britannia on a Roman coin.

Then came the terrible revolt of Boadicea or Bonduca,—a merciless rising, followed by a bloody revenge. [more...]

124.—Silchester. The North Wall.

The striking characteristic of Silchester is the ruined wall, with the flourising trees upon it and around it, and the old trees that have grown up around centuries ago, and are now perishing with it. This is the poetry of the place, and the old topographers felt it after their honest fashion. Leland says, “The walls remain in good measure entire, [...] [more...]