David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.


02 April 2011

archeoLOGOS/HA HA down under

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On last evening's walk with Susie-the-Dog we encountered a juggler practising his art: stepping with care, tossing and catching the traditional wooden pins and balancing on his head a globe of planet Earth.
That came back while looking at the image below in today's The Australian newspaper. A digger who made history: Geoffrey Blainey's review of 'Digging Up a Past' by John Mulvaney

2011.04.02_J M looks at &<span class=
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A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/

someone looks at something ...


LOGOS/HA HA