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current he proceeds shortly afterwards to describe in the following
terms : *—" In the elder ages , as they are depicted by Homer , when population was yet scant , education and wealth , as well as the knowledge of the art of war and the possession of arms , to be found but with the few , patriarchal kings reigned in Greece , the sole possessors of chariots , t the chiefs of armies , the administrators alike of divine
rites and of human justice . "When , gradually , the number of the wise , the wealthy , and the warlike increased , and when superiority in war was decided by the cavalry , the equestrian order , the knights , the aristocracy , became the ruling power in the state , and the regal influence was , in Sparta , limited—in every other place abrogated . As then , contemporaneously with the growing prosperity of the middle
class , the aristocracy sank into egotism and self-exaltation , the infantry grew in importance in proportion as the military art became developed . While there was a necessity for the lowest grade of society for the marine service , the sovereignty of the people , the democratical form of government , took the place of the aristocratical ;
or there arose by the increased power and territorial extent of some nations , by the increased complexity of politics and war , mixed forms of government , in which the nobles , the middle class , and the populace appear ranged in certain relative positions , with mutual definite rights . "
The same process has taken placfe m the development of the states of modern Europe , although the relative proportions of number , space , and time have been far greater . The patriarchal kings and chieftains of the rude Teutonic tribes derived their descent from the gods just in the same manner as the Hellenic chiefs of old
time . This was in the heathen age . But even in Christian times there was one great instance , that of Charlemagne , in which power was surrendered up to one man by reason of his superior intellect and enterprise . Nay , it is known that even in this case the popular legend of the age immediately succeeding Charles ran to the effect of his being himself a god , or directly derived from one . J
Here again we pass through the rise of the aristocracy > as evinced by the rise of feudal institutions , in the increased importance of the horse in war ; here again , we find the regal power gradually limited , and the popular element rising into power , a process which is now still going on .
Thus this current of history is not regulated by chance , but the result , like every other appearance in nature or humanity , of Divine Law , instituted from the beginning and constantly controlled by the Almighty Hand . If , therefore , in the course of these chapters I may be found on some occasions apparently allowing the religious beliefs of the ancients , let it be , I pray , remembered that they are
* Einleitung , p . 14 . + See the instances of the Canaanitish peoples , where horses and chariots appear always to be the peculiar property of the kings . t See Eginhardt , De Carolo Magno . VOX . I . 3 B
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
current he proceeds shortly afterwards to describe in the following
terms : *—" In the elder ages , as they are depicted by Homer , when population was yet scant , education and wealth , as well as the knowledge of the art of war and the possession of arms , to be found but with the few , patriarchal kings reigned in Greece , the sole possessors of chariots , t the chiefs of armies , the administrators alike of divine
rites and of human justice . "When , gradually , the number of the wise , the wealthy , and the warlike increased , and when superiority in war was decided by the cavalry , the equestrian order , the knights , the aristocracy , became the ruling power in the state , and the regal influence was , in Sparta , limited—in every other place abrogated . As then , contemporaneously with the growing prosperity of the middle
class , the aristocracy sank into egotism and self-exaltation , the infantry grew in importance in proportion as the military art became developed . While there was a necessity for the lowest grade of society for the marine service , the sovereignty of the people , the democratical form of government , took the place of the aristocratical ;
or there arose by the increased power and territorial extent of some nations , by the increased complexity of politics and war , mixed forms of government , in which the nobles , the middle class , and the populace appear ranged in certain relative positions , with mutual definite rights . "
The same process has taken placfe m the development of the states of modern Europe , although the relative proportions of number , space , and time have been far greater . The patriarchal kings and chieftains of the rude Teutonic tribes derived their descent from the gods just in the same manner as the Hellenic chiefs of old
time . This was in the heathen age . But even in Christian times there was one great instance , that of Charlemagne , in which power was surrendered up to one man by reason of his superior intellect and enterprise . Nay , it is known that even in this case the popular legend of the age immediately succeeding Charles ran to the effect of his being himself a god , or directly derived from one . J
Here again we pass through the rise of the aristocracy > as evinced by the rise of feudal institutions , in the increased importance of the horse in war ; here again , we find the regal power gradually limited , and the popular element rising into power , a process which is now still going on .
Thus this current of history is not regulated by chance , but the result , like every other appearance in nature or humanity , of Divine Law , instituted from the beginning and constantly controlled by the Almighty Hand . If , therefore , in the course of these chapters I may be found on some occasions apparently allowing the religious beliefs of the ancients , let it be , I pray , remembered that they are
* Einleitung , p . 14 . + See the instances of the Canaanitish peoples , where horses and chariots appear always to be the peculiar property of the kings . t See Eginhardt , De Carolo Magno . VOX . I . 3 B