The end of the ancient world
Michael McCormick
Daily I grow weaker from the pain, and sigh longingly for remedy of death. So much sickness fevers has assaulted clergy people this city that practically no free man, slave remains who is good any work or service. From neighboring towns, devastations epidemic are announced to us every day; how Africa wasted by fevers, you know more exactly, suppose, being closer it. People arriving East describe worse desolations still. By all these things, as end world draws near, affliction general … In August 599, Pope Gregory Great found comforting words about Rome rest empire console a noble couple on their own sufferings in Sicily. Awareness impending doom pervades his work. Epidemic, enemy invasion, riot, economic dislocation encroached understanding himself civilization. To an Anglo-Saxon king he climatic catastrophe: “As approaches, many things menace which never existed before: inversions climate, horrors heavens storms contrary season, wars, famine, plagues, some places earthquakes …” Mere protestations gloom popular preacher bent putting fear God into wayward flock terrorizing them reform? Certainly not: believed it, acted perception was coming end.
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