On the record
Unnumbered little cities which might have rivalled Rome or Athens doubtless perished without a sign long before history was imagined.
Said by
Walter Bagehot
Source
gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “Unnumbered little cities which might have rivalled Rome or Athens doubtless perished without a sign long before history…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot laments the loss of countless cities that could have rivaled Rome or Athens, which vanished without recognition.
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More from Walter Bagehot
It is natural that those who by special and admirable culture have come to look at all things upon the artistic side, should start back from these queer peculiarities.
Just so the lines of our Constitution were framed in old eras of sparse population, few wants, and simple habits; and we adhere in seeming to their shape, though civilisation has come with its dangers, complications, and enjoyments.
The casual line was traced according to the strength of deceased combatants; succeeding generations fought elsewhere; and the hesitating line of a half-drawn battle was left to stand for a perpetual limit.
At last it strikes you that they grew up, house by house, on the devious tracks of the old green lanes; and if you follow on to the existing fields, you may often find the change half complete.
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