One more civilized …

… First Known When Lost: Another Time.

Reading "The Salutation" and "The Retreat," I am compelled to report, dear readers, that the 17th century is a nobler, more gracious and graceful, and altogether more civilized place than the world we inhabit today. Yes, I know: those moderns who believe in the gods of Progress, Science, and political and social utopianism will howl in disagreement. They will say: "For centuries, humanity has been ridding itself of its ignorant and superstitious ways. We in the modern world have arrived at the apex of human progress and enlightenment." Well, no.

No, indeed.