Historic Boys: Their Endeavours, Their Achievements, and Their Times

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Elbridge Streeter Brooks. Historic Boys: Their Endeavours, Their Achievements, and Their Times

I. MARCUS OF ROME: THE BOY MAGISTRATE

II. BRIAN OF MUNSTER: THE BOY CHIEFTAIN

III. OLAF OF NORWAY: THE BOY VIKING

IV. WILLIAM OF NORMANDY: THE BOY KNIGHT

V. BALDWIN OF JERUSALEM: THE BOY CRUSADER

VI. FREDERICK OF HOHENSTAUFEN: THE BOY EMPEROR

VII. HARRY OF MONMOUTH: THE BOY GENERAL

VIII. GIOVANNI OF FLORENCE, THE BOY CARDINAL

IX. IXTLIL' OF TEZCUCO – THE BOY CACIQUE

X. LOUIS OF BOURBON, THE BOY KING

XI. CHARLES OF SWEDEN: THE BOY CONQUEROR

XII. VAN RENSSELAER OF RENSSELAERSWYCK: THE BOY PATROON

Отрывок из книги

A perfect autumn day. Above, the clear sky of Italy; below, a grassy plain, sloping gently down from the brown cliffs and ruined ramparts of old Veii – the city of the ancient Tuscan kings. In the background, under the shade of the oaks, a dozen waiting attendants; and here, in the open space before us, three trim and sturdy Roman youths, all flushed with the exercise of a royal game of ball. Come, boys and girls of to-day, go back with me seventeen and a half centuries, and join the dozen lookers-on as they follow this three-cornered game of ball. They call it the trigon. It is a favorite ball-game with the Roman youth, in which the three players, standing as if on a right-angled triangle, pitch and catch the ball, or pila, at long distances and with the left hand only. It is not so easy as you may think. Try it some time and see for yourself.

"This way – toss it this way, Aufidius; our good Sejus will need more lessons from old Trimalchio, the gladiator, ere he outranks us at trigon."

.....

"Ay, that could I, noble Prefect," replied the shepherd, boldly. "They were led on by three as villainous rascals as go unhung, and these had with them a crowd of riotous followers."

"Ha! is it so?" said Marcus. "Aufidius! Sejus! I pray you, step this way." His two friends, in some wonder as to his intention, approached the tribunal; and Marcus, stepping down from his curule chair, placed himself between them. "Three villainous rascals, thou didst say. Were they aught like us, think'st thou?"

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