Curiosities for the Ingenious: Selected from the Most Authentic Treasures of Nature, Science and Art, Biography, History, and General Literature |
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Page 17
... yet to know . - Ancient and Modern Prices . In the year 712 and 727 , an ewe and lamb were rated at one shilling , Saxon money , till a fortnight after Easter , Between 900 and 1000 , two hides of land , 2 * FOR THE INGENIOUS . 17.
... yet to know . - Ancient and Modern Prices . In the year 712 and 727 , an ewe and lamb were rated at one shilling , Saxon money , till a fortnight after Easter , Between 900 and 1000 , two hides of land , 2 * FOR THE INGENIOUS . 17.
Page 18
... shillings , à mare or a colt of a year old at twenty shillings , a mule or young ass at twelve shillings , an ox at thirty pence , a cow at twenty - four pence , a sow eight pence , a sheep one shilling . In 1043 a quar ter of wheat was ...
... shillings , à mare or a colt of a year old at twenty shillings , a mule or young ass at twelve shillings , an ox at thirty pence , a cow at twenty - four pence , a sow eight pence , a sheep one shilling . In 1043 a quar ter of wheat was ...
Page 19
... shillings and six - pence , and that of the foot to one shilling ; though it was reduced again at the Restoration , ) but soldiers were comparatively of a better rank formerly . In the time of Henry VI . corn was about half its present ...
... shillings and six - pence , and that of the foot to one shilling ; though it was reduced again at the Restoration , ) but soldiers were comparatively of a better rank formerly . In the time of Henry VI . corn was about half its present ...
Page 53
... shillings per yard , or nearly 1000l . per acre . This quantity refers to the stem or eatable part of the plant , leaving the fine luxuriant leaves , three feet in diameter , for other purposes . Pigs and cattle , it is said , will ...
... shillings per yard , or nearly 1000l . per acre . This quantity refers to the stem or eatable part of the plant , leaving the fine luxuriant leaves , three feet in diameter , for other purposes . Pigs and cattle , it is said , will ...
Page 87
... shillings . It is said that the building of two arches of London Bridge cost only £ 25 , which is £ 5 less than a copy of the Bible many years afterwards . Of what incalculable value is the art of printing ! We see its beneficial ...
... shillings . It is said that the building of two arches of London Bridge cost only £ 25 , which is £ 5 less than a copy of the Bible many years afterwards . Of what incalculable value is the art of printing ! We see its beneficial ...
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Popular passages
Page 138 - Life is a jest, and all things show it, I thought so once, but now I know it, with what more you may think proper.
Page 116 - I then went to the windward side, where they began to form ; and there the oil, though not more than a teaspoonful, produced an instant calm over a space several yards square, which spread amazingly, and extended itself gradually till it reached the lee side, making all that quarter of the pond, perhaps half an acre, as smooth as a looking-glass.
Page 117 - Now I imagine that the wind, blowing over water thus covered with a film of oil, cannot easily catch upon it, so as to raise the first wrinkles, but slides over it, and leaves it smooth as it finds it.
Page 17 - Lancashire, where it was manufactured into yarn; from Manchester it was sent to Paisley, where it was woven; it was sent to Ayrshire next, where it was tamboured...
Page 90 - If it begin to rain from the South, with a high wind for two or three hours, and the wind falls, but the rain continues, it is likely to rain twelve hours or more, and does usually rain till a strong North wind clears the air. These long rains...
Page 46 - ... steadfastly upon them, and in all probability he will see the singular spectacle of his own shadow extending to the length of five or six hundred feet at the distance of about two miles before him. This is one of the most agreeable phenomena I ever had an opportunity of remarking on the great observatory of Germany.
Page 64 - ... the publican, to show that he had a license, put out that mark as part of his sign. But, unfortunately for both solutions, unfortunately for the honors of Arundel, Sir W. Hamilton presented, some time ago, to the Society of Antiquaries, a view of a street in Pompeii, in which we find that shops with the sign of the chequers were common among the Romans! The real origin of this emblem is still involved in obscurity. The wittiest, though certainly not the most genuine, explanation of it was that...
Page 62 - I'm amazed at the signs, As I pass through the town : To see the odd mixture, A Magpye and Crown, The Whale and the Crow...
Page 110 - Phipps set sail in a ship of two hundred tons, having previously engaged to divide the profits according to the twenty shares of which the subscription consisted. At first all his labours proved fruitless ; but at last, when he seemed almost to despair...
Page 22 - At the commencement of a game, the automaton moves its head, as if taking a view of the board ; the same motion occurs at the close of a game. In making a move, it slowly raises its left arm from the cushion placed under it, and directs it towards the square of the piece to be moved. Its hand and fingers open on touching the piece, which it takes up, and conveys to any proposed square. The arm then returns with a natural motion to the cushion, upon which it usually rests. In taking...