Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1864-10-14
GREAT EVENTS FROM SLENDER
CAUSES

Dr. Paris observes, that Il" the history CT
great effects from small causes would
form an interesting work.
! How mOmentous," SAWS CamphclI
! " are the results of apparently trivial cir
! cumS:ances! When Mohammed was ily-
! ing from his enemies, he took refuge in a
; cave; which his pursucrs would have
! entered, if they had not seen a spiders
web at the entrance. Not knowing that
1t was freshly woven, they passed by the
! cave and thus spiders web changed the
| history Of the world"
When Louis VII, to obey the iniunc-
tons OF his bishops, cropped his hal: and
shaved his beard, Eleanor his consort.
| found him, with this unusual appearances
very ridiculous, and soon very contempti-
Die. She revenged herself as she thought
proper, and the poor shaved king received
divorce. She then married the Count
OF Anlou, atterward Henry II of Eng
land. She had for her marriage dover
the rich provinces Of Poictou and Guiemne;
and this was the origin Of those wars,
which for three hundred years rIvaged
France, and cost the French three mil
lions OF men. All this probably had never
occurred, had Louis not been so rash As TO
crop his head and shave his beard, by
which he became so disgustful in the eyes
of Queen Eleanor.
Warton mentions, in his Notes on Pope,
that the treaty Of Utrecht was occasioned
by quarrel between the Duchess OF
Marlborough and Queen Anne about
paiT Of gloves.
The coquetry of the daughter of Count
Julian introduced the Saracens into Spain.
W hat can be imagined more trivial"
remarks llunie, in one ofhis essays, ethan
the difference between one color of livery
ana another in horse races" Yet this
difference begat two most inveterate fac
tons IN the Greek empire, the Prasini and
Fenet1; who never suspended their ami
mosities til they ruined That unhappy GOV.
eTnEent
The murder Of Caesar in the capitol was
chiefly owing to his NOT rising from his seat
when the Senate rendered him some par
t;cHlar honors.
The negotiations win the Pope for dis
solving Henry Fights marriage (Which
brought on reformatipn) are said TO have
been interrupted by tho Earl of Whitshire's
dog biting his holiness's toe, when he put
ii out to,bc kissed by the ambassador; and
the Duchess of Marlborough's spilHng
basin Of water on Mrs. Masham's gown, in
Qnccn Anne's reign brought in the Tory
MINISTRY, and gave new turn to the affairs !
of Europe.
eff tic nose Of Cleopatra had been shor-
ter" said Paschal, in his epiyramnatic
manner, the condition ofthe world would |
have been different"
Luther might have been lawyer, hal !
his friend and companion escaped the thun- !
der storm; Scotland had wanted her stern /
Tc:ormer, ifthe appeal of the preacher, had
not startled him in the Chapel of st. An
drcw's Castle ;'anG ifMr. Greenville had not
carried, in 1874. his memorable resolution .
as to tie expedicncy Of charging certain
stamp duties on plantations in America, the
Western world might still have bowed to
the British sceptre.
Giotte, one of the early Florentine pain.
tcls might have continued a rude shepherd
boy, if a sheep drawn by him upon stone
had not, by the mercst acciden,, attracted
the notice Of Cimabue