William Harlan Hale (1910–1974)

An opulent, at the same time erudite and content-rich, account of the best period of the Roman Empire of the dictators and proconsuls. There are good accounts of the greatest of the emperors, starting with Julius Caeser, and ending with the overrunning of Rome by the northern tribes like the Goths and Vandals, and just touching on the final eclipse by the taking of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire' is relegated to the end, so this book provides a show more good counter-weight to Gibbon's scasting, if scholarly, account of demise and doom. The author gives a fine assessment (that reads like a peroration!) of the longer-lasting bequest of the Roman civilization, such as the rule of law, equality of citizens, administrative framework including the maintenance of a competent bureaucracy, and of course their astonishing prowess with public constructions like roads, canals, harbours, citi planning, and so on. The fatal weaknesses are also well brought out, such as the inordinate dependence on mercenary armed forces, the intractable problem of succession (for which, ironically, one of the greatest, Marcus Aurelius, is held responsible for starting the hereditary line of succession with disastrous results), and the self-absorption of the rich. This story surely has important lessons for the regimes of the present day. show less

The best articles were on Orson Welles, the private art collection of the British Royal family that has been passed down for centuries (the best of which I think is Vermeer’s ‘The Music Lesson’), and the romantic poetry inscribed on tablets from ancient Sumer. The other articles are pretty nondescript, perhaps with the exception of one describing the confrontations between Mary, Queen of Scots, and the minister John Knox.

Unfortunately there is also the horrific and painfully long show more article “The Assault on English”, by Lincoln Barnett, assailing not just America’s youth but Jack Kerouac and the Beats (“…the beatniks are enemies of the language. They have no organized speech. For the most part they are determinedly anti-verbal, communicating by grunts, grimaces, and interjections.”)

Quotes:
This poem is from a clay tablet discovered in Nippur (in modern day Iraq), roughly 4000 years old, and was used by priestesses of the goddess Inanna, as a part of the rites of holy marriage between the goddess and King Shu-Sin, who reigned in Sumer from 1972-1964 B.C.:

“Bridegroom, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet,
Lion, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet.

You have captivated me, let me stand tremblingly before you.
Bridegroom, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber,
You have captivated me, let me stand tremblingly before you.
Lion, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber.

Bridegroom, let me caress you,
My precious caress is more savory than honey,
In the bedchamber, honey-filled,
Let me enjoy your goodly beauty,
Lion, let me caress you,
My precious caress is more savory than honey.

Bridegroom, you have taken your pleasure of me,
Tell my mother, she will give you delicacies,
My father, he will give you gifts.

Your spirit, I know where to cheer your spirit,
Bridegroom, sleep in our house until dawn,
Your heart, I know where to gladden your heart,
Lion, sleep in our house until dawn.

You, because you love me,
Give me pray of your caresses,
My lord god, my lord protector,
My Shu-Sin, who gladdens Enlil’s heart,
Give me pray of your caresses.

Your place goodly as honey, pray lay [your] hand on it,
Bring [your] hand over like a gishban-garment,
Cup [your] hand over it like a gishban-sikin-garment”

This poem is from a tablet dated roughly 1750 B.C., is sometimes called “Fooling Mother”, or “Love Finds a Way”, and has Inanna (the ‘Sumerian Venus’) pleading with Dumuzi (also known by other names, like Kulienlil), her mortal sweetheart:

“Come now, set me free, I must go home,
Kulienlil, set me free, I must go home,
What can I say to deceive my mother,
What can I say to deceive my mother Ningal?”

His answer to her:
“I will tell you, I will tell you,
Inanna, most deceitful of women, I will tell you.
[Say] ‘My girl friend took me with her to the public square,
There a player entertained us with dances,
His chant, the sweet, he sang for us.’
Thus deceitfully stand up to your mother,
While we by the moonlight take our fill of love;
I will prepare for you a bed pure, sweet, and noble,
The sweet day will bring you joyful fulfillment.” show less

What a delight it was to find this old hardbound series, which celebrates culture, art, and history. In this ‘issue’, from July, 1962, there are several outstanding articles, and I found I could not put it down. There is an article on artists in the abstract expressionist movement who had begun depicting more recognizable forms (‘Art Against the Grain’, which included among other full page reproductions, the brilliant ‘Malaguena’ by Alexander Brook, 1958), an article on Akira show more Kurosawa (‘Dostoevsky with a Japanese Camera’), and also the Seine (‘The Well-Loved River’, which included Cezanne’s ‘Bridge at Maincy’, 1879, Corot’s ‘The Bridge at Mantes’, 1868-70, and Monet’s ‘The Breakwater at Honfleur, 1864, among many others…wow!). Truly dazzling. show less

The Shah of Iran is the most stable line of royalty in the world. Nope. Claudia Cardinale might be the next Bridgett Bardot. Better. The Angry Young Man has found British Theatre. Pop Art may be too pop. You can improvise in classical music! A look back to the cutting edge of 48 years ago is quaint, fun and history in itself.