And yet we somehow trust that good
Will be the final goal of ill,
That not a worm is cloven in vain;
That not a moth with vain desire
Is shriveled in a fruitless fire
Or but subserves another’s gain.”
* * * * *
The Maritza river, at one time called the Orestes river, is formed by the confluence of two unimportant streams. Adrianople is favorably situated, and ranks next to Constantinople in natural advantages.
Orestes, son of Agamemnon, built the city and gave his name both to the city and the principal river. Emperor Hadrian changed the name to Hadrianopolis (Hadrian’s city), thence our modernized Adrianople. One almost regrets that the name of the restless Orestes did not continue appropriately to designate the city of so varying fortunes and vivid vicissitudes.