Maria Reg

Forums: English, Esl, Grammar
Email this Topic • Print this Page

-One of the stones had this inscription: 'Maria Reg. 1564.' It has probably been
neglected from the time that the whole island had the same king.

We left this little island with our thoughts employed awhile on the
different appearance that it would have made, if it had been placed at
the same distance from London, with the same facility of approach; with
what emulation of price a few rocky acres would have been purchased, and
with what expensive industry they would have been cultivated and adorned.
-------------------------------------------
1. Is MARIA REG simply a person's name?

2. What does HAD THE SAME KING mean? When the island was governed by the one governing London?

3. What does AT THE SAME DISTANCE FROM LONDON mean? The same distance as where from where?

4. Does SAME FACILITY OF APPROACH mean the way/method of going there?

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Question • Score: 3 • Views: 490 • Replies: 2

No top replies

1. Maria Reg is short for 'Maria Regina', which is Latin for 'Queen Mary' and refers to Queen Mary 1st of Scotland ('Mary Queen of Scots') who reigned from 1542 to 1567.

2. The 'whole island' is Great Britain, not the 'little island' (Inch Keith) they are visiting. In 1701 the Act Of Union united England and Scotland and the King of England became also the King Of Scotland.

3. At the same distance from London (the capital of England) as the little island is from Edinburgh (the capital of Scotland)

4. The same ease of approach.

You neglected to state that you were quoting from "A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland" by Samuel Johnson, published in 1775. This is an unhelpful omission. Luckily I know how to use Google.

1 Reply

@contrex,

Thank you~
-------------------
with what emulation of price a few rocky acres would have been purchased, and with what expensive industry they would have been cultivated and adorned.
------------------------------
1. In dictionaries I find WHAT WITH, used to list things, but what does WITH WHAT mean here?

2. INDUSTRY has a less common meaning I think: hard work. But when I see EXPENSIVE, the idea of BUSINESS/TRADE/PROFESSION/ the production of goods from raw materials, especially in factories, natural comes into mind; then what do you think EXPENSIVE INDUSTRY means?

0 Replies

Maria Reg

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know