The world: historical and actual . Country grew into distinctive-ness. There were several dukedoms: Brabant, Lim-bourgand Luxembourg; eountships: Artois, Flan-ders and Holland ; bishoprics : Mechlin and upon the outskirts of the continent, and in-habiting a country then far from its present stateof cultivation, even as compared to other parts ofEurope, they were allowed to regulate their ownaffairs pretty nearly in their own way. The rod ofimperialism was lightly felt. The fierce conflictwith the sea which the people were obliged to wagecultivated boldness and energy of character
The world: historical and actual . Country grew into distinctive-ness. There were several dukedoms: Brabant, Lim-bourgand Luxembourg; eountships: Artois, Flan-ders and Holland ; bishoprics : Mechlin and upon the outskirts of the continent, and in-habiting a country then far from its present stateof cultivation, even as compared to other parts ofEurope, they were allowed to regulate their ownaffairs pretty nearly in their own way. The rod ofimperialism was lightly felt. The fierce conflictwith the sea which the people were obliged to wagecultivated boldness and energy of character. Lo-cated as they were upon the seaboard, having riverswhich were arms of the sea, their position was pe-culiarly favorable to commercial development. , The feudal lords had/ their castles and arm-ed retainers, but sideby side with themgrew up and flour-ished marts of trade,fortified against inva-sion, prepared for warwithout being devot-ed to it. The com-mercial spirit of theold Phoenicians pre-heroism which would haveThe Medie-. A Feudal Castle. vailed, coupled with done honor to Rome in her best days. val Dutch were the pioneers of modern commercial thrift. Late in the fourteenth century the Duke of Bur-gundy became also Count of Flanders, the Unionhaving been effected by marriage. In 1477 thehouse of Hapsburg absorbed the Netherlands, anda great stimulus was given to Dutch a time Austria, the Netherlands and Spain,with some minor possessions, owed allegiance to thesame crown. They never formed one the empire of Charles V. was divided theNetherlands and Spain went together, and this un-natural union produced the most important that time both peoples were enterprising, and itwas a very great good fortune, so far as that went, tothe Dutch that they were linked politically with thediscoverers of America. The Spaniard soughtgold and silver in the new world; the Dutch weretrue to their strictly commercial instincts. But inany other regard the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectworldhistory, bookyea
