The natural history of pigeons / Illustrated by thirty-two plates, coloured, and numerous woodcuts. With memoir of Pliny by Andrew Crichton.

  • Prideaux John Selby
Date:
1835
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The natural history of pigeons / Illustrated by thirty-two plates, coloured, and numerous woodcuts. With memoir of Pliny by Andrew Crichton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    pressed to the nephew a wish to be acquainted with the particulars of that catastrophe, that he might mention them in his writings. The narrative is not only intimately connected with the subject of this Memoir, but so curious in itself, as containing the relation, by an eye-witness, of the first great eruption of Mount Vesuvius on record, by which the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii were destroyed, that we shall lay the entire epistle before the reader. “ Pliny to Tacitus.—Your request that I would send you an account of my uncle’s death, in order to transmit a more exact relation of it to posterity, deserves my acknowledgments; for if the circum- stances which occasioned this accident shall be ce- lebrated by your pen, the manner of his exit will be rendered for ever illustrious. Notwithstanding he perished by a misfortune, which as it involved at the same time a most beautiful country in ruins, and destroyed so many populous cities, seems to promise him an everlasting remembrance ; notwithstanding he has himself composed many works which will de- scend to latest times ; yet I am persuaded the men- tioning of him in your immortal writings, will great- ly contribute to eternalize his name. Happy I es- teem those to be whom the gods have distinguished with the abilities either of performing such actions as are worthy of being related, or of relating them in a manner worthy of being read. But doubly happy are they who are blest with both these un- common endowments ; in the number of whom my
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