CAUTIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR READING. VERSE 1.-Line 5: Avoid the verse-accent upon that.Line 8: Read from-Pieria's-top as one word, and make a slight pause after Till.-Line 9: Read Down-to-it as one word, and make a short pause. (The last four lines of this verse are one of the most perfect descriptions of flying in all literature.) VERSE 2.-Line 1: Make a short pause after And now.— Line 2: A short pause after and.-Line 5: Avoid the verseaccent on there. VERSE 3.-Line 5: Read with-a-green-vine as one word.Line 7: Avoid the verse-accent on from.-Line 9: Make a slight pause after While.-Line 11: Read So-that as one word, with no accent upon that. GREAT CITIES. MOSCOW. Oriental, eastern. From Lat. Convents, buildings for monks or oriens (sol), the rising sun. (Milton speaks of 'the sun's Core, heart. From Lat. cor, the Castellated, in the form of a nuns. From Lat. con, together, and venio, I come. Cognates: Conventual; convenient; convenience. Preponderance, over-balance. From Lat. præ, over, and pondus, a weight. Cognates: Ponderous; ponder (to weigh in the mind). Tortuous, twisting about. From Lat. torqueo (tort-um), I twist. Cognates: Torture; torment, etc. Consumption, using up. From Lat. consumo, I waste. Cognates: Consume; consumption, etc. Absorbed, sucked in. From Lat. ab, from, and sorbeo, I suck in. Cognates: Absorbent; absorption. 1. Moscow, the old capital and the Holy City of Holy Russia, forms in many respects the most complete contrast to its modern rival. It is an oriental city, while St Petersburg in appearance and in manners inclines to the west; it is situated in a smiling and fertile country, while St Petersburg is surrounded by dark forests; it stands in an amphitheatre formed by ranges of beautiful hills, while St Petersburg has been built upon low and marshy ground. 2. The core of Moscow is the Kreml or Kremlin. Just as in London and Paris, the core of these towns is the City, which stands at the centre and is the oldest and most varied part of the whole, so the Kremlin is the heart of the ancient Moscow. The Kremlin is the fortress of the town, and is an immense assemblage of buildings, old and new, lofty and low, castellated and ecclesiastical, civil and military-a perfect maze of temples, towers, ramparts, palaces, domes, minarets, and turrets, with innumerable points of gold and silver sparkling in the rays of the brilliant sun. It is surrounded by massive Tartar walls, which were raised five centuries ago to resist the attacks of the Eastern barbarians, who waged a perpetual war against the young strength of the growing Russia. 3. The Kremlin is the sanctuary of the nation. It is the Holy Place of the Holy City of Holy Russia. Within a radius of not more than three hundred yards, there rise the spires and gilded domes of above thirty churches, some of them quite close to each other. Here the emperors are crowned; here lie the remains of the czars; here repose the relics of the most revered Russian saints. The Kremlin is also an imperial residence, and contains magnificent palaces. The crowns of conquered kingdoms -such as those of Poland, Kasán, and the Crimeaare kept in safety here; and the guns, standards, and other trophies taken from conquered enemies are also stored up in the vast collection of the Kremlin. 4. The city itself is a confused collection of churches, convents, and towers; of gilded domes and painted cupolas; of all kinds of buildings, from the massive and magnificent down to the mean and miserable; of styles both European and Asiatic, but with the Asiatic in distinct preponderance. The streets are narrow, tortuous, and dark; but the view from the neighbouring hills is superb, especially in a summer evening, when the level beams of the sun fall full upon an endless series of golden and silvery domes and minarets. 5. And the effect is heightened to that of magic, if the day has been a festival, and the evening breeze carries to the ear of the beholder the varying tones of a thousand bells. For Russia is the country of musical church bells; and in this as well as in other respects Moscow is the true capital of Russia. 6. The population numbers about four hundred thousand. Every thirtieth man is a priest or monk; and every tenth man is a noble or an officer in the government service. But there are large and active manufactures in the city, manufactures of cotton, linen, and woollen cloth, of paper, leather, jewellery, and many other things. One peculiarity is that there is no coal; and hence the consumption of wood is enormous. 7. The history of Moscow is crowded with calamities -with siege, famine, war, fire, and plague. It was founded in 1147. Early in the fourteenth century it became the capital of what was then the grand-duchy of Muscovy and the states which were tributary to it; and it continued to be the capital of the ever-growing Russia for nearly four centuries. It was completely N destroyed by the sovereign of Kasán in 1176; and the Khan of the Crimea burned it down in 1571. 8. In 1812, when Napoleon took the city, the inhabitants themselves set fire to it. The fire raged for a week, and consumed two-thirds of the city and seven thousand public buildings. In the spring after the fire, seedling aspen plants were seen springing up everywhere among the ruins. Woods of aspen-trees stand all round Moscow; and, if the people had not returned and made haste to build, most of the city would have been absorbed by the powers of the forest. 9. Moscow is four hundred miles south-east of St Petersburg. The railway between the two is a perfectly straight line. Railways branch from Moscow in every direction, south to Odessa and Sevastopol on the Black Sea; west to St Petersburg, Warsaw, and Germany; east to Ekaterinburg and Asia; and north to Archangel and the White Sea. EXERCISES.-1. Write a SUMMARY of paragraphs 1 to 5 inclusive. 2. Write a short paper on 'Moscow' from your own summary. 3. Explain the following sentences and phrases, and give synonyms for the single words: (1) Moscow forms the most complete contrast to its modern rival. (2) It stands in an amphitheatre of hills. (3) A perfect maze of temples, domes, minarets, and turrets. (4) Here repose the relics of the saints. (5) The Asiatic style is in distinct preponderance. (6) Tortuous streets. (7) The effect is heightened to that of magic. (8) One peculiarity is that there is no coal. (9) Enormous consumption of wood. (10) Most of the city would have been absorbed by the powers of the forest. (11) In every direction. (12) Oriental. (13) Sanctuary. (14) Trophies. 4. Parse the words in the following sentence: The effect is heightened to that of magic, if the day has been a festival, and the evening breeze carries to the ear of the beholder the varying tones of a thousand bells.' |