 |
| 0 |
Day 152: 7/14/19
And so the Buckle story continues with Volume II. This one is a bit longer than the first volume, so I should have more than two months with this lovely tome.
The bad news: this might not be a hell of a lot of fun to read. Just finished the first ten pages, and it consisted of about 30 paragraphs, each one a few notes on a small topic. Like the etymology of "Huguenot." Clearly these were notes Buckle took on what he was reading. I'm going to keep at it, if I can, but those were ten very long pages today. Alcohol might help with that.
 |
| 10 |
Day 153: 7/15/19
Ten pages...but only about half as many entries, which made it a little better. Although one of those entries was written entirely in French, so that was kind of a bust.
 |
| 20 |
Day 154: 7/16/19
Well...back to the short entries today. Mmm-hmm.
 |
| 30 |
Day 155: 7/17/19
All I could think after reading that bit was, "And a mere 761 years later in the U.S. of A. we have The Emancipation Proclamation. You'd think we could have led with that....
In other news, I thought this bit of etymology was pretty interesting:
The word "curfew" comes from French thusly:
Fear of a Talking Heads song caused people in days of yore to have a standing order to cover the fires at night, and eventually the exhortation to "Cover the fire!" became the way to say "Get the hell off of the street!"
So that was some rail larnin' t'day.
Also, at page 40 I have now read 94 entries (the last one I read was numbered 97, but for some reason numbers 4, 19, and 27 are MIA), so the average length of these entires is 2.35 per page, and I don't think any of them has been a full page. It's a very ADD kind of reading experience.
 |
| 40 |
Day 156: 7/18/19
 |
| 50 |
Day 157: 7/19/19
 |
| 60 |
Day 158: 7/20/19
Buckle made mention of a book by Thomas Moore entitled Travels of an Irish Gentleman in Search of a Religion which sounds muy interesante to me. Checked and it's available, so it might could happen.
 |
| 70 |
Day 159: 7/21/19
 |
| 80 |
Day 160: 7/22/19
 |
| 90 |
Day 161: 7/23/19
 |
| 100 |
Day 162: 7/24/19
Interesting couple of references to one Charles Blount, who wrote Anima Mundi: OR, AN Historical Narration OF THE HEATHENS Opinions of Man's SOUL after this Life. Wouldn't mind having a look at this...and I can (and you can, too) as it is online at https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A28430.0001.001?view=toc.
 |
| 110 |
Day 163: 7/25/19
Buckle quotes someone...perhaps the aforementioned Charles Blount...who says that the concept of the Trinity is not mentioned anywhere in the New Testament, and that it does not appear to have become church doctrine until well after the Christian religion had been established. Interesting. Perhaps worth some research. A quick Wikipedia check shows that while there was talk of a triune God from about 100 A.D. on, the doctrine was not formalized until the fourth century. Hmmm.
 |
| 120 |
Day 164: 7/26/19
 |
| 130 |
Day 165: 7/27/19
 |
| 140 |
Day 166: 7/28/19
As for this blank verse...this so-called blank verse.... According to Buckle's Day Book entry...
Which struck me as a bit curious. Not that I remembered anything which contradicted that per se...because my memory's not all that great...but because it just didn't feel right. I thought that the story went that Christopher Marlowe was the first to use blank verse, but according to Wikipedia that didn't happen until 1587 with Tamburlaine the Great. But still.... Well, I poked around a little more and found this: "The first documented use of blank verse in the English language was by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey in his translation of the Æneid (composed c. 1540; published posthumously, 1554–1557)." (That's also from Wikipedia--https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse--but being a go(o)d kissing carrion, I confirmed it on Oxford Scholarship Online.) So Buckle...or the person he was quoting here...was wrong. But Google was in its primitive stages in the mid-19th century, so I think he can be forgiven.
BTW...Shake-speare is often credited as the person who brought blank verse to English literature, and it's easy to understand why, as he certainly perfected its use. Kind of like the way that he is even (literally) nominally seen as the inventor of The Shakespearean Sonnet...when, in truth, he was not. That honor actually goes to...Henry Howard. Hmpf. Small world, ennit? Oh, also btw...those two Big Things that are associated with Shakespeare but were created by Henry Howard? HH was Edward de Vere's uncle. Interesting coinky dinky.
https://deveresociety.co.uk/pdf/OxfordPedigreeTree.pdf
 |
| 150 |
Day 167: 7/29/19
Day 168: 7/30/19
Day 169: 7/31/19
Day 170: 8/1/19
Day 171: 8/2/19
Oh, my, this is just too perfect:
Day 172: 8/3/19
Day 173: 8/4/19
Day 174: 8/5/19
Day 175: 8/6/19
Day 176: 8/7/19
Day 177: 8/8/19
More etymologies...with a side order of Bubonic Plague. Also, some information on St. Vitus.
Day 178: 8/9/19
Day 179: 8/10/19
This is only disturbing if you happen to have a cat named Jet:
Day 180: 8/11/19
Day 181: 8/12/19
Lots of French entries in today's ten pages...and one in Latin...so a quick one.
Day 182: 8/13/19
On the Road: Syracuse, N.Y.
Day 183: 8/14/19
Day 184: 8/15/19
In Rutland, Vermont.
Day 185: 8/16/19
Still in Rutland, Vermont.
Day 186: 8/17/19
And still in Rutland, Vermont. *
There's a note on Pope Benedict IX which says he was 9 years old when he was chosen as Pope. That didn't sound likely, so I had a look-see and found this: he was the youngest pope ever, and may have been as young as 12, but was probably 20. Also interesting is that he was pope three times: October 1032 (first term), April 1045 (second term), November 1047 (third term). I didn't even know that that was a thing.
Also, here's a line (no pun intended) I liked: "...have their kick at the dead lion."
* Though after reading today's ten, I went for an overnight in Queens, New York.
Day 187: 8/18/19
Back in Rutland.
Day 188: 8/19/19
On the road again: Mentor, Ohio.
Day 189: 8/20/19
Hey, it's good to be back home again. Oh, yes it is.
Day 190: 8/21/19
Encountered several particularly interesting things today.
(1) Another mention of Edward de Vere:
(2) This rather startling detail about the size of a library during the the reign of Henry VIII:
"The 'highest library' at Greenwich contained...three hundred and twenty-nine volumes...."
I have more books than that in each of the six rooms of my house (aka every room excepting only the two bathrooms and the kitchen).
(3) Someone named Gifford is noted as saying that Ben Jonson had the best library in England. Which kind of makes you wonder all over again about the absence of any Shakespeare library, doesn't it? (As a matter of fact, we can't even ascertain that Shakespeare owned a single book. There certainly was no mention of any books in "his" will, and no one has ever found a book with his name inscribed in it. Hmmm.)
So this was a particularly good Buckle Day.
Day 191: 8/22/19
Day 192: 8/23/19
Day 193: 8/24/19
Day 194: 8/25/19
Day 195: 8/26/19
A landmark...of sorts.
(There were some skipped numbers, so it's not really the 1000ths entry...but pretty close.)
Day 196: 8/27/19
Day 197: 8/28/19
If I were a real writer, this would be the title of my next novel:
Day 198: 8/29/19
I was just thinking...I started my Daily Devotional reading on November 2, 2017, and so far as I can recall I have only missed one reading in all that time...when I was in the hospital (2/22/19). So we're coming up on two almost contiguous years pretty soon. And in that time I've read all eleven volumes of A History of Philosophy (5,344 pages), all three volumes of History of Civilization in England (1,650 pages), and over 1 1/2 volumes of Buckle's Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works (1,068 pages as of today). That's 8,062 pages. Not bad for twenty minutes a day.
And with "only" 1 1/2 volumes of Buckle left to me, I am starting to wonder where to turn next for my Daily Devotional. There are lots of possibilities, of course. I think I want to stick to non-fiction for this project, though, so I guess that cuts down the possibilities by one half...kind of.
Hmmmm.
Day 199: 8/30/19
Day 200: 8/31/19
Day 201: 9/1/19
Well, shit, I'd messed up my numbering and thought that today was Day 200, but this morning I recalibrated and found out that I missed my chance for The Big Par-Tay. Sigh. Well...there's always Day 300, right?
But in celebration of Buckle Day 201, how about this bit:
Nothing like that old time religion to get you going, am I right?
Day 202: 9/2/19
Sorry to say that Jet is not alone in this reaction to Mr. Buckle's work, but I'm used to wearing out things that nobody wears.
In further WTF is up with religion news, check this out:
Day 203: 9/3/19
Day 204: 9/4/19
Day 205: 9/5/19
You know, it's funny. I've pretty much given up on writing, playing music, going to church, and other things...at least in part because nobody seemed to give a shit about whether I was doing it or not. I just didn't have enough inner drive to keep me going without support. Which I know is my weakness, not anyone else's. No one is obliged to be my cheerleader squad. But when it comes to reading...I don't think anybody I know gives a shit about that, either, but I don't think I'd ever give up on reading. In fact, this morning I was feeling particularly shitty...in a fuck, I will probably die in the not so distant future way...and one of the thoughts that crossed my mind was, "To hell with all of this reading and all of these books. I just read them and forget them, anyway. I'm just not going to waste my time on them any more." And after a minute, the horror of that thought was enough to make me go sit down and read my ten pages of Buckle way earlier than I usually do.
Speaking of which...only 160 more pages in Volume II of Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works of Henry Thomas Buckle. That's just a little more than two weeks! Very exciting.
Day 206: 9/6/19
Day 207: 9/7/19
Hey, look: Buckle said something nice about Catholicism:
Day 208: 9/8/19
First, from the world of fashion:
So...that's kind of an early 19th century weave, ennit?
Day 209: 9/9/19
Day 210: 9/10/19
Two things of particular note in today's Daily Devotional:
1. Buckle corrects a French quotation:
2. As for this death...this so-called death...
So hey...thanks, Christianity.
Day 211: 9/11/19
Day 212: 9/12/19
Read this--
--and thought, TREAcle? isn't that molasses? How can molasses be deadly? So looked around, didn't find anything about poisonous molasses because I happened upon this bit in Wikipedia--
A traditional Cornish fisherman's celebratory drink is "Mahogany", made from two parts local gin—now usually Plymouth Gin—mixed with one part black treacle.
--and had to pursue that instead. My goodness. Can you imagine? Hmmm. I might could give that a try, actually. We'll see.
Day 213: 9/13/19
Day 214: 9/14/19
Day 215: 9/15/19
Well, this took me by surprise:
Day 216: 9/16/19
I've thought it before, but today it really hit me: monasteries, monasteries, monasteries. There's an awful lot of information about monasteries in this book. What's up with that?
Day 217: 9/17/19
More monasteries and monks...but in the last section I read for today there was an interesting little discussion as to whether the Egyptians were Negroes or Caucasians. The conclusion seemed to be that the ruling Egyptians were Caucasians, but that the Sphinx was a Negro. And that the Egyptians kept black slaves. Hmpf.
Day 218: 9/18/19
Day 219: 9/19/19
Day 220: 9/20/19
Well, lookee there: unless something goes awry, I'll be finishing Volume II tomorrow. That's pretty exciting!
Day 221: 9/21/19
It has been a bit of a slog at times, but I'm still glad that I hung in there for it...and I did gain a bit of something from the experience. At least enough to say, "Bring on Volume III!"
But first...
P.S. I had to make it a bit skinnier than I'd have liked due to the fact that my finished file exceeded the tonnage that ImageFlip allows freeloaders to have. Still looks good, though, right?
 |
| 160 |
Day 168: 7/30/19
 |
| 170 |
Day 169: 7/31/19
 |
| 180 |
Day 170: 8/1/19
 |
| 190 |
Day 171: 8/2/19
Oh, my, this is just too perfect:
 |
| 200 |
Day 172: 8/3/19
 |
| 210 |
Day 173: 8/4/19
 |
| 220 |
Day 174: 8/5/19
 |
| 230 |
Day 175: 8/6/19
 |
| 240 |
Day 176: 8/7/19
 |
| 250 |
Day 177: 8/8/19
More etymologies...with a side order of Bubonic Plague. Also, some information on St. Vitus.
 |
| 260 |
Day 178: 8/9/19
 |
| 270 |
Day 179: 8/10/19
This is only disturbing if you happen to have a cat named Jet:
 |
| My cat, Jet. |
 |
| 280 |
Day 180: 8/11/19
 |
| 290 |
Day 181: 8/12/19
Lots of French entries in today's ten pages...and one in Latin...so a quick one.
 |
| 300 |
Day 182: 8/13/19
On the Road: Syracuse, N.Y.
 |
| 310 |
Day 183: 8/14/19
 |
| 320 |
Day 184: 8/15/19
In Rutland, Vermont.
 |
| 330 |
Day 185: 8/16/19
Still in Rutland, Vermont.
 |
| 340 |
Day 186: 8/17/19
And still in Rutland, Vermont. *
There's a note on Pope Benedict IX which says he was 9 years old when he was chosen as Pope. That didn't sound likely, so I had a look-see and found this: he was the youngest pope ever, and may have been as young as 12, but was probably 20. Also interesting is that he was pope three times: October 1032 (first term), April 1045 (second term), November 1047 (third term). I didn't even know that that was a thing.
Also, here's a line (no pun intended) I liked: "...have their kick at the dead lion."
 |
| 350 |
* Though after reading today's ten, I went for an overnight in Queens, New York.
Day 187: 8/18/19
Back in Rutland.
 |
| 360 |
Day 188: 8/19/19
On the road again: Mentor, Ohio.
 |
| 370 |
Day 189: 8/20/19
Hey, it's good to be back home again. Oh, yes it is.
 |
| 380 |
Day 190: 8/21/19
Encountered several particularly interesting things today.
(1) Another mention of Edward de Vere:
(2) This rather startling detail about the size of a library during the the reign of Henry VIII:
"The 'highest library' at Greenwich contained...three hundred and twenty-nine volumes...."
I have more books than that in each of the six rooms of my house (aka every room excepting only the two bathrooms and the kitchen).
(3) Someone named Gifford is noted as saying that Ben Jonson had the best library in England. Which kind of makes you wonder all over again about the absence of any Shakespeare library, doesn't it? (As a matter of fact, we can't even ascertain that Shakespeare owned a single book. There certainly was no mention of any books in "his" will, and no one has ever found a book with his name inscribed in it. Hmmm.)
So this was a particularly good Buckle Day.
 |
| 390 |
Day 191: 8/22/19
 |
| 400 |
Day 192: 8/23/19
 |
| 410 |
Day 193: 8/24/19
 |
| 420 |
Day 194: 8/25/19
 |
| 430 |
Day 195: 8/26/19
A landmark...of sorts.
(There were some skipped numbers, so it's not really the 1000ths entry...but pretty close.)
 |
| 440 |
Day 196: 8/27/19
 |
| 450 |
Day 197: 8/28/19
If I were a real writer, this would be the title of my next novel:
 |
| 460 |
Day 198: 8/29/19
 |
| 470 |
I was just thinking...I started my Daily Devotional reading on November 2, 2017, and so far as I can recall I have only missed one reading in all that time...when I was in the hospital (2/22/19). So we're coming up on two almost contiguous years pretty soon. And in that time I've read all eleven volumes of A History of Philosophy (5,344 pages), all three volumes of History of Civilization in England (1,650 pages), and over 1 1/2 volumes of Buckle's Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works (1,068 pages as of today). That's 8,062 pages. Not bad for twenty minutes a day.
And with "only" 1 1/2 volumes of Buckle left to me, I am starting to wonder where to turn next for my Daily Devotional. There are lots of possibilities, of course. I think I want to stick to non-fiction for this project, though, so I guess that cuts down the possibilities by one half...kind of.
Hmmmm.
Day 199: 8/30/19
 |
| 480 |
Day 200: 8/31/19
 |
| 490 |
Day 201: 9/1/19
Well, shit, I'd messed up my numbering and thought that today was Day 200, but this morning I recalibrated and found out that I missed my chance for The Big Par-Tay. Sigh. Well...there's always Day 300, right?
But in celebration of Buckle Day 201, how about this bit:
Nothing like that old time religion to get you going, am I right?
 |
| 500 |
Day 202: 9/2/19
Sorry to say that Jet is not alone in this reaction to Mr. Buckle's work, but I'm used to wearing out things that nobody wears.
In further WTF is up with religion news, check this out:
 |
| 510 |
Day 203: 9/3/19
 |
| 520 |
Day 204: 9/4/19
 |
| 530 |
Day 205: 9/5/19
You know, it's funny. I've pretty much given up on writing, playing music, going to church, and other things...at least in part because nobody seemed to give a shit about whether I was doing it or not. I just didn't have enough inner drive to keep me going without support. Which I know is my weakness, not anyone else's. No one is obliged to be my cheerleader squad. But when it comes to reading...I don't think anybody I know gives a shit about that, either, but I don't think I'd ever give up on reading. In fact, this morning I was feeling particularly shitty...in a fuck, I will probably die in the not so distant future way...and one of the thoughts that crossed my mind was, "To hell with all of this reading and all of these books. I just read them and forget them, anyway. I'm just not going to waste my time on them any more." And after a minute, the horror of that thought was enough to make me go sit down and read my ten pages of Buckle way earlier than I usually do.
Speaking of which...only 160 more pages in Volume II of Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works of Henry Thomas Buckle. That's just a little more than two weeks! Very exciting.
 |
| 540 |
Day 206: 9/6/19
 |
| 550 |
Day 207: 9/7/19
Hey, look: Buckle said something nice about Catholicism:
 |
| 560 |
Day 208: 9/8/19
First, from the world of fashion:
So...that's kind of an early 19th century weave, ennit?
 |
| 570 |
Day 209: 9/9/19
 |
| 580 |
Day 210: 9/10/19
Two things of particular note in today's Daily Devotional:
1. Buckle corrects a French quotation:
2. As for this death...this so-called death...
So hey...thanks, Christianity.
 |
| 590 |
Day 211: 9/11/19
 |
| 600 |
Day 212: 9/12/19
Read this--
--and thought, TREAcle? isn't that molasses? How can molasses be deadly? So looked around, didn't find anything about poisonous molasses because I happened upon this bit in Wikipedia--
A traditional Cornish fisherman's celebratory drink is "Mahogany", made from two parts local gin—now usually Plymouth Gin—mixed with one part black treacle.
--and had to pursue that instead. My goodness. Can you imagine? Hmmm. I might could give that a try, actually. We'll see.
 |
| 610 |
Day 213: 9/13/19
 |
| 620 |
Day 214: 9/14/19
 |
| 630 |
Day 215: 9/15/19
Well, this took me by surprise:
 |
| 640 |
Day 216: 9/16/19
I've thought it before, but today it really hit me: monasteries, monasteries, monasteries. There's an awful lot of information about monasteries in this book. What's up with that?
 |
| 650 |
Day 217: 9/17/19
More monasteries and monks...but in the last section I read for today there was an interesting little discussion as to whether the Egyptians were Negroes or Caucasians. The conclusion seemed to be that the ruling Egyptians were Caucasians, but that the Sphinx was a Negro. And that the Egyptians kept black slaves. Hmpf.
 |
| 660 |
Day 218: 9/18/19
 |
| 670 |
Day 219: 9/19/19
 |
| 680 |
Day 220: 9/20/19
 |
| 690 |
Well, lookee there: unless something goes awry, I'll be finishing Volume II tomorrow. That's pretty exciting!
Day 221: 9/21/19
 |
| 704 |
AKA...The End
It has been a bit of a slog at times, but I'm still glad that I hung in there for it...and I did gain a bit of something from the experience. At least enough to say, "Bring on Volume III!"
But first...
P.S. I had to make it a bit skinnier than I'd have liked due to the fact that my finished file exceeded the tonnage that ImageFlip allows freeloaders to have. Still looks good, though, right?
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