The first-sight phenomena of historic time, and the ocular mechanism of historic memory : developing organic principles for the most rapid possible acquisition and affixment of historical knowledge, and forming an elucidatory and illustrative companion to the fifth edition, coloured, of Major Bell's twenty-five royal folio synchrono-historic and biographic tables / by Major James Bell.

  • Bell, James, Major.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The first-sight phenomena of historic time, and the ocular mechanism of historic memory : developing organic principles for the most rapid possible acquisition and affixment of historical knowledge, and forming an elucidatory and illustrative companion to the fifth edition, coloured, of Major Bell's twenty-five royal folio synchrono-historic and biographic tables / by Major James Bell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    20/238 (page 6)
    BARBARISM. ments to our progress that will require, preparatorily, to be pioneered out of the way. Ascending to the contemplation of man in his rudest stages of existence, in his earliest state of helpless, and, seemingly, hopeless barbarism, we propose not to limit ourselves to the bourn of his written recollections—which stands, with Moses, the earliest recorded historian, about 1470 before Christ, within 394^ years of being exactly midway between the creation, 4004 before Christ, and the present 1853 after Christ*; but passing beyond even the period of his purely traditional memorials, remoter still, we shall seek to gather glimpses of what may be designated the analogous history of man, or of that portion of man's history which can alone be studied by analogy. The natural history of man, or rather the history of man's natural existence, seems to differ not materially from that of many inferior animals ; his body, like theirs, is subject to accidents, to pain, to diseases, and death! Nor does man, in the vicissi- tudes and inequalities of fortune and condition, stand alone, as we shall see strikingly exemplified by merely casting our eyes upon those animals which are nearest at hand for observation. Instance * If we exclude retrospective history, 2534 years of the world will constitute the wnrecorded, and 3323 years the historical ages of mankind ; if, therefore, we add but,ZU\ years to the 2534 unrecorded years, we make up 2928£ years, being exactly one-half of the 5857 years from the Creation, 4004 before to 1853 after Christ.