Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 4.djvu/12

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"Thanks for that lesson—it will teach To after-warriors more Than high Philosophy can preach,  And vainly preach'd before.  That spell upon the minds of men  Breaks, never to unite again,  That led them to adore  Those Paged things of sabre sway,  With fronts of brass and feet of clay."

The conclusion of this marvellous drama of nations brings us into the very midst of our own times, and will close our next volume. It is obvious that as we come nearer to our own times, each successive year will require more ample space in our pages. Instead of the scanty records upon which we have hitherto had to rely, we are able to avail ourselves henceforth of the fullest and most authentic accounts of every occurrence we have to describe. Meantime, the area of our history is gradually widening. England, no longer isolated and self-contained, is playing a foremost part, and sustaining important interests in each quarter of the globe; by wars, by treaties, by commerce, mixing with and taking part in the transactions of every existing nation. Thus, in order to give a faithful idea of the history of this country, it will be necessary to give a sketch of nearly all contemporaneous events. The history of England is henceforth the history of the world.