A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty--: Being the Only Authentic History of the Times that Ever Hath Been Or Ever Will be Published |
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Other editions - View all
A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the ... Washington Irving No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
Amster Amsterdam ancient Antony the Trumpeter Antony Van Corlear arms bosom breeches burghers burgomasters called CHAPTER commander Communipaw descendants divers doubt Dutch earth enemy ernor eyes fair Fort Casimir Fort Christina fortress gallant garrison Gibbet Island Goed Hoop GOLDEN REIGN governor hand head heart heaven hero High Mightinesses historian honest honor Hudson huge Indian ingenious inhabitants island Jacobus Van Curlet kind Knickerbocker Kortlandt land linsey-woolsey Manhattoes Manna-hata manner ment mind moss-troopers Mynheer neighbors Netherlands never Nicholas Nieuw Nederlands nose Oloffe the Dreamer oysters patroon perils Peter Stuyvesant Peter the Headstrong philosophers pipe Poffenburgh potent present province readers reign renowned Wouter Risingh river sage savages shores smoke sound sturdy Swedes sword tion took tranquil true trumpet turned valiant venerable voyage warriors whole William Kieft William the Testy words worthy Wouter Van Twiller Yankees yore
Popular passages
Page 180 - He was exactly five feet six inches in height and six feet five inches in circumference. His head was a perfect sphere, and of such stupendous dimensions that Dame Nature, with all her sex's ingenuity, would have been puzzled to construct a neck capable of supporting it; wherefore she wisely declined the attempt, and settled it firmly on the top of his backbone, just between the shoulders.
Page 181 - His habits were as regular as his person. He daily took his four stated meals, appropriating exactly an hour to each; he smoked and doubted eight hours, and he slept the remaining twelve of the four-and-twenty.
Page 204 - At these primitive tea-parties the utmost propriety and dignity of deportment prevailed. No flirting nor coquetting; no gambling of old ladies nor hoyden chattering and romping of young ones; no' self-satisfied struttings of wealthy gentlemen with their brains in their pockets ; nor amusing conceits and monkey divertisements of smart young gentlemen with no brains at all. On the contrary, the young ladies seated themselves demurely in their rush-bottomed chairs and knit their own woollen stockings,...
Page 207 - ... and what is still more praiseworthy, they were all of their own manufacture — of which circumstance, as may well be supposed, they were not a little vain. These were the honest days, in which every woman...
Page 181 - Van Twiller — a true philosopher, for his mind was either elevated above, or tranquilly settled below, the cares and perplexities of this world. He had lived in it for years, without feeling the least curiosity to know whether the sun revolved round it, or it round the sun ; and he had watched, for at least half a century, the smoke curling from his pipe to the ceiling, without once troubling his head with any of those numerous theories, by which a philosopher would have perplexed his brain, in...
Page 183 - This summary process was as effectual in those simple days as was the seal-ring of the great Haroun Alraschid among the true believers. The two parties being confronted before him, each produced a book of accounts, written in a language and character that would have puzzled any but a High-Dutch commentator, or a learned decipherer of Egyptian obelisks. The sage Wouter took them one after the other, and...
Page 204 - Vrouw, to any question that was asked them; behaving in all things like decent, well-educated damsels. As to the gentlemen, each of them tranquilly smoked his pipe, and seemed lost in contemplation of the blue and white tiles with which the fireplaces were decorated; wherein sundry passages of Scripture were piously portrayed...
Page 202 - Dinner was invariably a private meal, and the fat old burghers showed incontestable signs of disapprobation and uneasiness at being surprised by a visit from a neighbor on such occasions. But, though our worthy ancestors were thus singularly averse to giving dinners, yet they kept up the social bands of intimacy by occasional banquetings called tea-parties.
Page 185 - ... rule over them. But its happiest effect was, that not another lawsuit took place throughout the whole of his administration; and the office of constable fell into such decay, that there was not one of those losel scouts known in the province for many years. I am the more particular in dwelling on this transaction, not only because I deem it one of the most sage and righteous judgments on record, and well worthy the attention of modern magistrates, but because it was a miraculous event in the...
Page 184 - The sage Wouter took them one after the other, and having poised them in his hands and attentively counted over the number of leaves, fell straightway into a very great doubt, and smoked for half an hour without saying a word; at length, laying his finger beside his nose and shutting his eyes for a moment, with the air of a man who has just caught a subtle idea by the tail, he slowly took his pipe from his mouth, puffed forth a column of...