“There is a history in all men’s lives, figuring the nature of the times deceas’d; the which observ’d, a man may prophesy, with a near aim, of the main chance of things as yet not come to life, which in their seeds and weak beginnings lie intreasured. Such things become the hatch and brood of time.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Second Part 3.1
Month: July 2025
“That one might read the book of fate, and see the revolution of the times make mountains level, and the continent,—weary of solid firmness,—melt itself into the sea! and, other times, to see the beachy girdle of the ocean too wide for Neptune’s hips; how chances mock, and changes fill the cup of alteration with divers liquors! Oh, if this were seen, the happiest youth,—viewing his progress through, what perils past, what crosses to ensue,—would shut the book, and sit him down and die.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Second Part 3.1
“O thoughts of men accurst! Past, and to come, seems best; things present, worst.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Second Part 1.3
“In an early spring we see the appearing buds; which, to prove fruit, hope gives not so much warrant as despair that frost will bite them.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Second Part 1.3
“A good wit will make use of anything.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Second Part 1.2
“A man can no more separate age and covetousness than he can part young limbs and lechery: but the gout galls the one, and the pox pinches the other.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Second Part 1.2
“Byzantine art was anonymous and impersonal. In the art of western Europe, at any rate since the late Middle ages, individual personalities attract much of our attention, so that the history of European art does not concern itself merely with the evolution of forms: it is also the story of persons who lived known lives, who introduced innovations, who expressed their opinions on art, who exerted an influence on other known artists. Nothing of the kind applied to Byzantine art. In Byzantium artists were regarded as craftsmen and no interest was felt in recording their names or their personalities.” – Cyril Mango, “The Ideal Life,” Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome
“Time in its irresistible and ceaseless flow carries along on its flood all created things, and drowns them in the depths of obscurity, no matter if they be quite unworthy of mention, or most noteworthy and important, and thus, as the tragedian says, ‘he brings from the darkness all things to the birth, and all things born envelops in the night.’ But the tale of history forms a very strong bulwark against the stream of time, and to some extent checks its irresistible flow, and, of all things done in it, as many as history has taken over, it secures and binds together, and does not allow them to slip away into the abyss of oblivion.” – Anna Comnena, Alexiad (trans. Elizabeth A. S. Dawes)
“The body of history is indeed mute and empty if it is deprived of the causes of actions.” – Theophanes Continuatis (as quoted by Cyril Mango in Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome)
“Open your ears; for which of you will stop the vent of hearing when loud Rumour speaks? I, from the orient to the drooping west, making the wind my post-horse, still unfold the acts commenced on this ball of earth. Upon my tongues continual slanders ride, the which in every language I pronounce, stuffing the ears of men with false reports. I speak of peace, while covert enmity, under the smile of safety, wounds the world: And who but Rumour, who but only I, make fearful musters and prepar’d defence; whilst the big year, swoln with some other grief, is thought with child by the stern tyrant war, and no such matter? Rumour is a pipe blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures; and of so easy and so plain a stop that the blunt monster with uncounted heads, the still-discordant wavering multitude, can play upon it.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Second Part Induction
“The city was the setting of dances and jests, of taverns, baths and brothels. Women went about with uncovered heads. Everything about them was indecent: their speech, their gestures, their costume, their hair-style, the movement of their limbs and the sidelong glances they cast. Young men, too, such as were to be seen in the city, simulated effeminacy and let their hair grow long. Indeed, people went so far as to decorate their boots.” – Cyril Mango, “The Ideal Life,” Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome
“Anti-feminism was a fundamental tenet of Byzantine thinking until the sporadic introduction of western ideas of romantic love in about the twelfth century. The sight of a woman, we are told, is like a poisoned arrow: the longer the poison remains in the soul, the more corruption it produces. There was, of course, such a thing as a virtuous woman: it was the one who never showed her face to a stranger. Generally, however, she was a crawling worm, the daughter of mendacity, the enemy of peace. The catalogue of her vices and weaknesses is endless: she was frivolous, garrulous, and licentious. Above all, she was addicted to luxury and expense. She loaded herself with jewellery, powdered her face, painted her cheeks with rouge, scented her garments and thus made herself into a deadly trap to seduce young men through all their senses. No amount of wealth was sufficient to satisfy a woman’s desires. Day and night she thought of nothing but gold and precious stones, of purple cloth and embroidery, of ointments and perfumes. Were it not for sexual desire, no man in his right mind would wish to share his house with a woman and suffer the consequent injuries, in spite of the domestic services she performed. That is why God, knowing her contemptible nature, provided her from the beginning with the weapon of sexuality. Oblivious to the sorrows that awaited them, Byzantine men continued to marry.” – Cyril Mango, “The Ideal Life,” Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome
“The human soul was visualized as a citadel that had to be vigilantly guarded against external attack. Its weakest points were its gates which were five in number, corresponding to the five senses. The first gate, that of speech, needed to be fortified by the braces and cross-bars consisting in the constant recitation of Holy Scripture: in this way all undesirable entrants would be excluded. The second gate was that of hearing: it was essential not to admit through it any idle gossip or anything unseemly. The third gate, that of smell, had to be bolted in the face of all sweet scents which had the effect of slackening the ‘tension’ of the soul. The gate of sight was particularly exposed; hence it was important to see as few women as possible and avoid the theatre. The proper function of sight was to behold the beauties of nature. The fifth gate, that of touch, had to be guarded against soft clothing, comfortable beds and contact with other human bodies.” – Cyril Mango, “The Ideal Life,” Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome
“To die is to be a counterfeit; for he is but the counterfeit of a man who hath not the life of a man; but to counterfeit dying, when a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true and perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valour is discretion.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, First Part 5.4
“Thought’s the slave of life, and life time’s fool.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, First Part 5.4