Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-04-15
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LIGHTHOUSES FROM HISTORY


thenticated extracts dealing with his
torical examples Of the good and bad
in human nature, mostly good; but all
furnishing an admirable chart Of con-
duct to be emulated or avoided:
CRUELTY.
Sentiments.
Cruelty Is so contrary to nature
that 1t is distinguished by the scandal
Gus name of inhumanity.
None more impatiently suffer In
lures than those who are most for
ward in doing them.
There never was found any pre-
tended conscientious zeal, but 1t was
always most certainly attended with
fierce spirit Of implacable cruelty.
All Of the monstrous passions and
opinions which have crept into the
world there is none SO wonderful as
that they who profess the common
name Of Christians should pursue
each other with rancour and hatred
for differences in the way of fol-
lowing the example Of their Savior.
Examples.
Olympias, after the death of her
son, Alexander the Great, having
taken King Philip and his wife
Eurydice prisoners, confined them in
so small a place that they could
scarcely turn themselves in 1t; and
caused them to be fed with the very
worst kind of food through a hole In
the door. Perceiving that the people
were far from being pleased with her
conduct. and that they began to COM
miserate the condition of the king and
queen, she resolved to have them
both despatched. In order to do this,
certain Thracians, armed with poign-
ards, entered the place Of their con-
finement, and with numberless
wounds left the king dead upon the
floor. Then a messenger presented
Eurydice with a dagger, rope and a
cup of poison, telling her that Olym-
pias left to her choice by which she
should die: II pray the gods" said
same present made to her." Then
tearing her linen, she bound up lhe
bleeding wounds of her husband,
after which, with great intrepidity
she strangled herself with her own
garter. After having thus murdered
the king and queen, Olympias, with
unheard-of cruelty, broiled their in
nocent babe between two copper
plates. But her barbarity did not
long elude the vengeance 1t deserved;
for, having once escaped danger by
the majesty Of her appearance, she
was more concerned about forming
a court than an army; and therefore,
taking with her many persons OF
qualify, she, as II infatuated, shut her
self in the city OF Pydna, where she
was beseiged by Cassander. During
the seige, the court fed on horse
flesh, the soldiers on their dead COM
panions, and the elephants on saw
dust. At last she surrendered the
place and her person to Cassander
who permitted the relations of those
she had murdered to glut their ven-
geance on her person. After up
braiding her with her cruelty, and
treating her with great indignity,
they put an end to her life by cutting
her throat; after which she was suf-
fered to lie sometime unburied in re-
turn for the injury she had done to
the ashes Of Cassander's brother,
which she had caused to be taken out
Of the tomb and thrown into the pub
lie streets.-Arrian. Justin.
Commodus, the Roman emperor,
when but twelve years old, gave a
shocking instance OF his cruelty al
Centumcellae now called Civita Vec-
he bathed somewl at too warm, he
commanded the Pc rson who attended
the bath to be thrown into the furn-
ace; nor was he satisfied till those
who were about him pretended 10
have put his order in execution.
After his succession to the empire, he
eQualed, II he did not exceed in cruel.
ty, Caligula, Domitian, and even Ne
ro himself; playing, we may say, with
the blood of his subjects and fellow
creatures, Of whom he caused great
numbers to be racked and butchered
in his presence, merely Tor his cl-
version. Historians relate many in-
stances Of his cruelty, very odd and
thrown to wild beasts for reading rhe
life of Caligual, written by Suetonius;
because that tyrs.nt and he had been
born on the same day of the month,
and in many bad qualities resembled
each other. Seeing one day corpu-
lent man pass by, he Immediately cut
him asunder, partly to try his
strength in which he excelled all men,
and partly out Of curiosity, as himself
owned, to see his entrails drop out at
once. He took pleasure in cutting Of
the feet and putting out the eyes of
such as he met in his rambles through
the city; telling the former after he
had thus MANNED them, by way Of
raillery, that they now belonged %
the nation Of the Monopodii; and the
latter that they were now become
Luscenii, alluding to the words luscin-
la. a nightingale, and luscus, one-eye l.
Some he muro ered because they were
negligently dres Sed; others because
they seemed trimmed with too much
nicely. He assumed the name and
habit of Hercules, appearing public
ly in a lions skin, with a huge club
in his hand, and ordering several
persons, though not guilty of any
crimes, to be disguised like monsters
that. by knocking out their brains
he might have better claim to the IT,
tie, the great destroyer Of monsters
In short, the shedding of blood seem
ed to be his chief diversion.
Edwy ascended the throne Of Eng
land in the year 955. This young
monarch was sc remarkably hand
some that he acquired the surname OF
Panculus. or the Fair. At his acces-
sion to the throne he was highly es-
teemed by Odo, archbishop Of Canter-
bury. who crowned him with his own
hands at Kingston. The king had
married a beautiful lady, Aelgiva, OIL
lAethelgiva whose very name imports
that she was of a noble extraction, II
not nearly related to the crown. But
this match not pleasing the bishop
some of the nobility gave rise to such
series of trouble as deprived her OF
her life. and Edwy Of part Of his
kingdom. After his coronation din.
ner, the youthful king, perhaps tc
avoid excessive drinking, then toe
common in such entertainments, with
drew to enjoy the conversation Of his
beautiful bride, who was in company
with her mother in a private apart
ment. The nobility resenting Edwy's
absence as a great inde corum, the
archbishop commanded him to be
fetched back again. When everybody
else refused, one Dunstan, an un-
worthy favorite of the late king, was
very ready to execute Odo's orders:
he rushed into the queens apart
ment, and after reproaching him with
his fondness, dragged him to the
company.
Such an outrage on majesty could
not fail to excite the resentment Of the
young monarch. and the kings friends
who were offended at the overbear-
ing pride Of Dunstan. used all their
interest to have him removed from
court In short after being accused