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Full Chapter How It Works Book of Dinosaurs Imagine Publishing PDF
Full Chapter How It Works Book of Dinosaurs Imagine Publishing PDF
Full Chapter How It Works Book of Dinosaurs Imagine Publishing PDF
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BIGGEST FASTEST TALLEST LONGEST GREATEST
The weird From egg
Inside dinosaur and wonderful to adult
Why did
anatomy Triceratops
have horns?
How did
they evolve?
The mighty stegosaurus
BOOK OF
Terrors of
the sky
Dinosaur
teeth
Plesiosaur
anatomy
Reptilian
relatives
The humble
herbivore
How did
they hunt? Weapon or
tool?
BOOK OF
Publishing Director
Aaron Asadi
Head of Design
Ross Andrews
Production Editor
Jen Neal
Art Editor
Ali Innes
Printed by
William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT
Distributed in Australia by
Network Services (a division of Bauer Media Group), Level 21 Civic Tower, 66-68 Goulburn Street,
Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia Tel +61 2 8667 5288
Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the
post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may
be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are
recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has
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This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
How It Works Book Of Dinosaurs Second Edition © 2015 Imagine Publishing Ltd
Part of the
bookazine series
BOOK OF
DINOSAURS
CONTENTS
Most amazing Dinosaurs Dinosaurs’
dinosaurs legacy
008 The amazing creatures 064 What’s inside a 106 Death of the dinosaurs
that walked the Earth dinosaur egg?
108 What are fossils?
066 The world’s
The prehistoric biggest dinosaurs 112 Finding fossils
world 070 Dinosaur defence 116 101 dinosaur
questions answered
038 A to Z of the dinosaurs 072 The cleverest dinosaur
046 What was a dinosaur? 074 Diplodocus
048 How did the dinosaurs’ 076 Triceratops
world evolve? 078 Velociraptor
050 Where did 080 Stegosaurus
dinosaurs live?
082 Tyrannosaurus rex
060 The dinosaurs’
neighbours 084 Brachiosaurus
086 Ankylosaurus
088 Apatosaurus
090 Marine reptiles
092 Plesiosaurus
094 Pterosaurs
108
096 Quetzalcoatlus
Inside
098 The deadliest dinosaurs
amber
006
The biggest
dinosaur
066 What
are
fossils?
108
038 The A-Z of
dinosaurs
The plated
dinosaur
great
080
060
Dinosaur
neighbours
007
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
THE WORLD’S
MOST
AMAZING
DINOSAURS
Over 500 types of dinosaur
existed before they died out 65
million years ago. Here’s 26 of
the biggest, fiercest and weirdest
known to palaeontologists today
008
DID YOU KNOW? MYA is short for ‘million years ago.’ So if you see 56 MYA it means 56 million years ago
009
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
Long-lived
T-rex was able to live for
Tyrannosaurus rex
up to 30 years (‘Tyrant lizard king’)
Carnivore
Cretaceous period, 67-66 MYA
Found in: Western North America
Lived in: Forests with swamps and rivers
Balance
T-rex’s huge head was
balanced by its heavy tail
Scales or feathers?
T-rex may have had feathers
on at least part of its giant
body, just like a bird
Fact
The largest T-rex
skulls
ever to be found
are
1.5m across, and
some of the T-re
x
Clawed grip teeth were up to
Although T-rex’s arms 30cm long
were small, each with
two claws, they were
strong, able to grip
prey or push itself off
the floor
Dino skill
Tyrannosaurus rex
T-rex may have had the most vicious bite of any
animal to have lived, many times stronger than
lions and sharks and capable of crunching bone
and ripping apart its prey.
Killer rating: 5/5
Speed: 3/5
Defence: 3/5
010
DID YOU KNOW? T-rex’s jaws were so powerful it could crunch bone
Stegosaurus
(‘Roof lizard’)
Herbivore
Late Jurassic period, 150 MYA
Found in: Europe and Eastern North America
Lived in: Forests and vegetated plains
Fact
Stegosaurus’s
distinctive back
plat
may have been a es Tail spikes
type
of air conditionin The spike at the end of a
g. Stegosaurus’s tail was
Air cooled the bl
ood called a thagomiser
running through
the plates
Fossilised remains
This is a bony plate from
the back of a Stegosaurus
Brain power
Stegosaurus was not a very
smart dinosaur – it had a brain
no larger than a dog’s
011
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
Heavy skull
Triceratops were
big-heads – the largest
triceratops skulls found
by dinosaur-fossil hunters
are over 2m in length
Colourful frill
The large frill was
probably used to attract
a mate, like a peacock’s
feathers, but it could
also have doubled up as
a way of keeping their
blood cool
Heavyweight
Triceratops weighed the
same as two West
African elephants – that’s
almost 12 tonnes
Fact
During their lifet
im
Triceratops woul e
d go
through between
a
massive 400 to
800
teeth as they brow
sed
on ferns
012
DID YOU KNOW? Velociraptors probably hunted as individuals, rather than in a pack
Velociraptor
(‘Swift plunderer’)
Carnivore
Cretaceous period, 75-71 MYA
Found in: China, Mongolia
Lived in: Desert
Fact
In the Jurassic Pa
rk films
Velociraptors we
re tall and
scaly, but in reali
ty th
were more like lar ey
ge
birds and were m
uch,
much smaller
Small size
Velociraptors were small,
like a large chicken
Dino skill
Velociraptor
Velociraptors were loners, hunting
other small dinosaurs by launching
surprise attacks and then chasing
down their prey.
Killer rating: 2/5 Pounce
Speed: 2/5 They had very
Defence: 4/5 strong back legs
and sharp claws
on their feet
Hunting
Their curved claw
was a frightening
weapon, able to stab
and cut open prey
013
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
Brachiosaurus
(‘Arm lizard’)
Herbivore
Jurassic period, 150 MYA Small skull
Found in: North America Factnstantly Brachiosaurus had
a tiny head
Lived in: Forests Brachiosaurus co
that it ate
ate. It’s thought
d 400kg
between 200 an
of plants ev er y day –
’s like ea tin g 400 to
th at
80 0 lettu ce s
Earth-shaker
Adult Brachiosaurus
Foraging weighed over 100 tonnes
Dino skill Brachiosaurus may have
often held its long neck
parallel to the ground to sift
Brachiosaurus through the undergrowth for
Brachiosaurus just spent its day food, as well as to reach up
lumbering around, so wasn’t
to leaves on trees
particularly skilful, but it was so large
that no predator could harm it.
Killer rating: 1/5
Speed: 1/5
Defence: 4/5
Vertebra
This is a bone from the long
neck of the Brachiosaurus
called a vertebra
Extra height
Unlike many other dinosaurs,
their front legs were longer
than their back legs, which
provided additional elevation
for their neck and head
014
DID YOU KNOW? Dinosaurs are more closely related to birds than Pteranodons
Pteranodon
(‘Toothless wing’)
Carnivore
Late Cretaceous, 88-80 MYA Ptera
Fact
nod
reptile ons were fl
Found in: North America the sa s that live ying
m d
Lived in: Coastal/lake areas dinos e times a at
aurs. s the
scoop T h ey wo
up fi uld
rivers sh from
to eat
Head wear
The raised crests at
the back of their heads
may have been used
to attract mates, as
Dino skill well as help change
direction in flight Leathery wings
Pteranodons had
Pteranodon no feathers
Pteranodons were able to walk on four
legs when on the ground, using their
claws attached to their wings.
Fish eater
Pteranodons are
thought to have been
able to swim on the
surface of water,
dipping their beaks
beneath the waves to
grab fish
Massive wingspan
Males had a 3m wingspan
015
MOST INCREDIBLE DINOSAURS
Allosaurus Eyesight
(‘Different lizard’) Forward-facing eyes
helped focus on prey
Carnivore
Late Jurassic, 155-150 MYA
Found in: North America
Lived in: Semi-arid plains and forests
Keeping balance
Dino skill Its large and terrifying
skull was balanced by
Allosaurus its heavy tail, so that it
didn’t fall forward all
Jaw strength
Allosaurus was able to sniff out its Its mighty jaws could clamp down
prey, like Stegosaurus and Diplodocus, the time hard on its prey, but not as hard as
with a keen sense of smell.
an alligator, for example
Killer rating: 4/5
Speed: 4/5
Defence: 4/5
Fact ward-
Allosaurus’ back
cm -lo ng teeth
facing, 10 d
meant that it coul
us ly pu sh its
continuo
n
Claws prey further dow
Razor-sharp claws its m ou th
Allosaurus skull
This is what the skull of an
Allosaurus looks like
Shorter stride
Their legs weren’t as
long as a Tyrannosaur’s
and they couldn’t run
as fast
016
DID YOU KNOW? Separated by millions of years, T-rex and Spinosaurus would never have met
Sail back
The giant 1.5m spine,
sometimes called its
‘sail’, could have been
used to attract mates,
control body
temperature and warn
off competitors
Crocodile-like
Its head was the
longest of any
carnivorous dinosaur,
the size of a human
being, and was shaped
like a crocodile’s head
Dino skill
Spinosaurus
Its teeth were arranged in a ‘fish trap’
at the front of its mouth to better
catch slippery fish, while its nostrils
were turned inward, so it could eat
and breathe at the same time while in
the water.
Killer rating: 4/5
Speed: 4/5
Grasping arms Defence: 4/5
Claws on its small
arms could grab prey
017
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
Cretaceous, 95 MYA
Found in: Argentina Armoured
We can tell from fossil finds
Lived in: Forests that its skin was armoured
Slow mover
Argentinosaurus was
incredibly slow and walked at
8km/h – a human could beat
it in a walking race
Manure
Argentinosaurus would have A rg e n
Fact
t
produced 15 litres’ worth of the la inosaurus w
dino droppings each time walk t rgest anim as
h a
– that’s about five big had to e Earth. B l to
buckets of poo in one go grow abies
25,00 a
0 time massive
origin s th
al size eir
Dino skill
Argentinosaurus
Argentinosaurus had the ability to stand up
on its back legs, then come crashing down
on any attackers.
Killer rating: 2/5
Speed: 1/5
Defence: 3/5
018
DID YOU KNOW? Carnotaurus was given its name due to the bull-like horns on its head
Carnotaurus
(‘Meat-eating bull’)
Carnivore
Late Cretaceous, 70 MYA
Found in: Argentina
Poor vision Lived in: Lake environments
Carnotaurus had small eyes,
so its vision was not very
good. Combined with not
being able to turn easily, it
probably just smashed
through obstacles
C arno
ta
Fact
fast, f urus could
aster
Searching smell but it than t run very
c o he T-r
very w u ld ex ,
ell, so not turn
It used its sense of
smell to hunt to cha it tend
rg ed
straig e prey in
ht line
s
Scaly hide
Carnotaurus’ scales were
small and pebble-like
Dino skill
Carnotaurus
With the horns on its forehead and
muscular neck, Carnotaurus could
head-butt its prey into submission.
Killer rating: 5/5
Speed: 4/5
Defence: 4/5
Strong thighs
Carnotaurus had powerful
thigh muscles that were
so big they weighed twice
as much as a human
being. The Carnotaurus
as a whole weighed the
same as a small car
Skull
The skull of a
Carnotaurus
019
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
Breathing out
When breathing out it would push
(‘Close to lizard’)
Carnivore
Early Jurassic, 195 MYA
Found in: England
Lived in: Forests
Breathing in
The Plesiosaurus
would breathe in
through its mouth
Streamlined
Smooth skin helped the
Plesiosaurus swim
Flippers
Plesiosaurus had flippers to
push itself through the
water at about 16km/h,
which is slower than
today’s dolphins or whales
As we
Fact
ll
Sneak attack Plesio as eating fi
Plesiosaurus’s eyes were on stone saurs also sh,
the side of its head, so that
s, w
diges hich helpe
t th e fi
ate Dino skill
it could look up at its prey, d
grind sh by
and attack from below down ing them
insid
Plesiosaurus
stoma e their
The long neck of the Plesiosaurus has
40 bones compared to human necks
chs that only have seven. This long neck
allowed the Plesiosaurus to reach food
in tight spaces.
Killer rating: 3/5
Speed: 2/5
Defence: 2/5
Fishy feast
Needle-like teeth were
able to trap fish
020
Diplodocus could replace teeth at a rate of one tooth every 35 days
Diplodocus
(‘Double beam lizard’)
Herbivore
Jurassic, 154-150 MYA
Fact’s tail was Found in: North America
The Diplodocus
apon,
an impressive we it at Lived in: Forests, plains and rivers
of sw in gi ng
capable
than
an enemy faster
soun d – ju st lik ea
whiplash
Long tail
The long tail helped the
Diplodocus to balance
Spiny back
Spines like an iguana
ran along its back
Vertebra
The neck and tail of a
Diplodocus had 100
bones or vertebrae
Double beam
The ‘double beam’ meaning of the
Diplodocus’s name is for the
double v-shaped bones on the
underside of its tail, which
provided support for the tail
Anatomy
Diplodocus was built like a
suspension bridge, with
the four legs acting like the
pair of towers from which
a long bridge is suspended
Dino skill
Diplodocus
An extra-long claw on its thumb
allowed Diplodocus to rake through
branches and vegetation for food,
as well as using the claw to defend
itself from predators.
Killer rating: 1/5
Speed: 3/5
Defence: 3/5
021
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
Striped tail
Feathers on its tail were
bands of orange and white
Sinosauropteryx
‘Chinese lizard wing’)
Carnivore
Cretaceous period, 135-120 MYA
Found in: China
Dino skill
Sinosauropteryx
Sinosauropteryx had a strong stomach
– poisonous small mammals were to
be found on its menu.
Killer rating: 3/5
Insulation Speed: 3/5
Feathers covered the body of
Defence: 2/5
Sinosauropteryx, providing
insulation to keep this reptile
warm, meaning it may have
been warm-blooded Fossil finds
Fossil evidence like this
showed scientists that
Sinosauropteryx had feathers
022
DID YOU KNOW? Ankylosaurus likely weighed up to four tonnes
Small brained
The Ankylosaurus had a
small brain
Ank y
Fact
like a losaurus w
ta as
plates nk and had built
th e sk of b o n strong
in on it e fused int
was im sb o
p e n et a c k th a t
even T r a b le
-rex to
Breaking bones
Powerful club-tail could
break an attacker’s bones
Early impression
This is an old sketch of an
Ankylosaur’s skeleton, before
the tail club was discovered
Five-toed
Ankylosaurus probably had
five toes on each foot Vulnerable Bone head
The underside of its belly Its entire head was
was the only place the covered in bony plates
Ankylosaurus was not
armoured – flipping it over
was the only way to kill it
023
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
Fly or glide?
It is unclear whether
Archaeopteryx was able to flap
its wings and fly, or more likely
whether it could just glide
Dark feathers
Tips of feathers coloured black
A s we
ll
Fact
the Ar as being a
c din
the fir haeopteryx osaur,
s t kno is also
was a w
bout t n bird and
a pige he siz
on , e of
had m although it
ore te
eth
Killer claws
Archaeopteryx had three
Dino skill
claws on each wing, plus
killing claws on its feet, with
Archaeopteryx
Its wings were made for gliding only short
which would hunt for insects distances – instead Archaeopteryx was well
and small reptiles adapted to spending most of its time living
in trees.
Killer rating: 2/5
Speed: 2/5
Defence: 2/5
024
DID YOU KNOW? Theropods were ancestrally carnivorous
Compsognathus
(‘Elegant jaw’)
Carnivore
Late Jurassic, 155-145 MYA
Found in: Germany and France
Lived in: Lagoons
Equilibrium
Sharp sight To help it run fast, its long tail
Large eyes with binocular helped to give the
vision aided hunting Compsognathus balance
Comp
Fact
time f sognathus
or ha
– a wh chewing it d no
ole Ba s food
has b e va r
en fou isaurus
Comp n
sogna d in
t
fossils hus
Short arms Pointed teeth
Compsognathus had short It had a small pointed head
arms with two clawed fingers with sharp teeth
on each hand
Deadly
Sharp claws made
Compsognathus a Complete skeleton
deadly dinosaur Compsognathus skeletons
might have looked like this
Dino skill
Compsognathus
Compsognathus may have been small, but
they were incredibly fast, able to run at
60km/h – that’s half as fast as cheetahs – to
escape predators and to catch small prey.
Killer rating: 2/5
Speed: 4/5
Defence: 1/5
025
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
Deadly grip
Herrerasaurus Dino skill Inwardly curving teeth allowed it
to hang onto its prey
(‘Herrera’s lizard’) Herrerasaurus
Carnivore One of the first dinosaurs, Herrerasaurus
had an semi-opposable thumb among its
claws, allowing it to grab more firmly onto
Late Triassic, 231 MYA its prey
Grasping jaws
Its lower jaw was jointed,
allowing it to slide back and
forth to grasp and bite prey
Long reach
Longer arms than
Comp
Fact
T-rex or Allosaurus Herre ared to T-r
r e
It live asaurus is x,
d in a tiny.
all din time w
small, os were fa hen
m ea irly
a top ning it was
p re d a
tor
Sawing bite
It could slide its lower jaw
forward and backward in a
sawing bite
Big feet
Herrerasaurus had big feet,
which, along with its strong
legs and powerful thigh
muscles, meant it could gallop
quite fast, up to 40km/h
026
DID YOU KNOW? The Jurassic Coast in South-West England stretches 96 miles long
Armoured skull
Bony dome protected
its small brain
Five fingers
Hands with five-fingered claws
Fighting fit
Some scientists think they
used their thick skulls for
fighting each other
Running from danger
Despite the powerful legs,
Pachycephalosaurus was not
much of a sprinter, although its
first line of defence from
attackers would have been to run
027
MOST AMAZING DINOSAURS
Deinonychus
(‘Terrible claw’)
Carnivore
Early Cretaceous, 110 MYA
Found in: North America
Lived in: Swamps
Intelligent
Deinonychus had quite large
brains compared to other
dinosaurs, making them Proficient predator
some of the smartest A flexible neck helped it
dinosaurs around attack from all angles
Birds
ar
Fact They had long fingers
with claws at end, the
evolve e thought wrist bone is shown in red
df to h
and it rom dinosa ave
Deino w a s fossils urs,
n
made ychus that of
scie fir s t
the co ntists mak
nnect e
ion
028
DID YOU KNOW? Lipoleurodon was the apex predator of its time and location
Flippers
The rear two flippers were
larger than the front
Speed
The Liopleurodon’s four
flippers propelled it through
the water, but not very fast,
swimming at only 10kmh
Super size
The Liopleurodon was longer
than a sperm whale
029
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rei de facto! Quixote, rei de direito!... É a litteratura que é uma
hypocrita. (Garrett, Viagens).
Hypocrisia? não: innocencia, propria de litteratos ou doutrinarios.
O romantismo ficava sendo um genero e falso; a sociedade seguia o
seu caminho. Sancho reinava. O municipalismo ficava sendo o que
era, o que podia ser, um instrumento administrativo. Dir-se-hia, pois,
que tudo eram tambem ruinas por este lado, e tudo anarchia? Não.
Quando os homens valem, as suas obras fructificam, apesar das
formulas a que obedecem. A natureza é mais forte do que as
doutrinas, a realidade sobrepuja as chimeras. Como obra de
homens ficaram os trabalhos de erudição historica de Herculano;
ficou, para attestar o genio do artista Garrett, uma tragedia em que a
tradição realmente o inspirou, o Frei Luiz de Sousa.
Na sua commovedora simplicidade, o drama representa o
fundo intimo da vida portugueza, com a mistura de anceios e
tristezas, esperanças envenenadas de fortunas apparentes e
impossiveis que conduzem a essa devoradora melancolia
que se chama saudade. O effeito é tanto mais desolador,
quanto a esperança realisada apenas serve para despedaçar
os corações. No fim, quando os personagens principaes
dizem adeus ao mundo para entrar no convento, parece que
a nação inteira pronuncía os votos.
(Quinet, Vacances en Espagne).
O Frei Luiz de Sousa é a tragedia portugueza, sebastianista.[25] O
fatalismo e a candura, a energia e a gravidade, a tristeza e a
submissão do genio nacional, estão alli. Não é classico, nem
romantico: é tragico, na bella e antiga accepção da palavra: superior
ás escholas e aos generos, dando a mão, por sobre Shakespeare e
Goethe, a Sophocles. N’um momento unico de intuição genial,
Garrett viu por dentro o homem e sentiu o palpitar das entranhas
portuguezas. Que ouviu? Um choro de afflicções tristes, uma
resignação heroicamente passiva, uma esperança vaga, etherea, na
imaginação de uma rapariga phtysica, e no tresvario de um
escudeiro sebastianista.
Quando o genio tinha uma revelação d’estas, estaria forte, viva,
crente n’uma tradição seguida, ávida por um futuro certo, a nação
entregue aos braços da Liberdade?
Balouçada nos joelhos do tribuno a filhinha sorria, e elle
tristemente se consolava, esperando, esperando ... mas para longe,
quando, tudo acabado, D. Sebastião voltasse em uma manhan do
nevoa ... um D. Sebastião iberico ...
4.—A ORDEM
Por ora, não. O povo inteiro pronunciava os votos cada dia mais
formaes de uma abstenção decidida. Deixal-os, os politicos, fazer
systemas e revoluções, cartas, juntas, programmas, côrtes, leis;
deixal-os comer e engordar e devorarem-se: elles cançarão!
Já desanimados, tinham cançado Mousinho e Passos; mas havia
gente nova, para uma terceira investida, um terceiro liberalismo: a
Ordem. Mas como póde haver ordem nos factos, se as idéas são
uma desordem? Como conciliar as instituições e as idéas, quando
as primeiras, reconhecendo a aristocracia n’uma segunda camara,
a, theocracia n’uma religião d’Estado obedecem ainda ao
pensamento do primeiro romantismo, ou do tradição historica?
quando o segundo fez recuar essa tradição para o campo vago de
uma poesia, além de insufficiente para dar consistencia ao
organismo social, falsa e artificial, obra de litteratos, paixão de
archeologos e eruditos, inaccessivel ao povo? Como conciliar essas
instituições com o principio da soberania do individuo, já combinado
pela revolução com o da soberania do povo? e com o systema da
concorrencia livre, prejudicado pela revolução, tambem, com o
systema da protecção ás industrias? Essa ordem é um cháos, de
instituições e idéas. Já não ha, é claro, uma Anarchia systematica,
tal como a concebera Mousinho; mas em vez d’ella ha uma mistura
de elementos contradictorios, liberaes, democraticos, romanticos,
d’onde sae a supposta ordem da constituição de 38.
Assim, tambem, já não ha bandidos: os marechaes voltaram e
juraram; mas sob a paz apparente lavram os germens de novas
desordens. A anarchia fôra até 36 um systema. Agora pedia-se
ordem; mas as vida antiga ia continuar contra a vontade dos
homens já saciados, já desejosos de gozar em paz o fructo dos
seus trabalhos. Rodrigo apparecia á frente dos setembristas e
cartistas fusionados para o descanço: Rodrigo sceptico desde o
berço, mas talvez crente em que no scepticismo estivesse a
sabedoria, e por isso na constituição de 38 o porto desejado da vida
liberal.
Não, não podia ser: a confusão dos elementos não podia dar a
ordem nas instituições. Foi a rainha quem fez da Costa Cabral um
instrumento para restaurar a carta (1842), cudilhar Rodrigo e os
ordeiros fusionados, e os romanticos? Talvez fosse; talvez não
fosse: logo o vermos. Mas o facto é que o status quo não era viavel,
apezar das affirmações em contrario dos vencidos.
Palmella com o seu romantismo aristocratico pugnára pela
conservação de uma camara de pares vitalicia, hereditaria; mas a
revolução veiu e destruiu-a. Depois, em 38, o meio-termo creou a
camara dos senadores temporarios, electivos. É verdade que,
extincta ou protestante por miguelista, a antiga aristocracia não
podia preencher os lugares da camara; mas não é menos verdade
que um senado temporario e electivo só é viavel dentro de um
systema de representação de orgãos e classes da sociedade; sendo
uma chimera, um accessorio inutil, uma duplicação van (como agora
mesmo se vê em França), quando procede, como a camara-baixa,
do suffragio popular, directo ou indirecto.
A antiga aristocracia demittira-se, é verdade; mas a liberdade e a
concorrencia tinham creado um poder real e novo, uma plutocracia:
a classe dos burguezes ricos que não podiam deixar o seu poder, os
seus interesses, á mercê dos acasos das eleições; que não
pactuavam com o individualismo, nem com a democracia, querendo
para si o dominio seguro a que de facto lhes dava direito o seu
poder estavel. Derrubadas todas as authoridades em holocausto á
doutrina, só uma não podiam os doutrinarios destruir: o dinheiro. O
dinheiro, pois, creou para si uma doutrina nova, que teve por
defensor Costa-Cabral. Era um quarto, ou quinto liberalismo que
surgia e vencia todos os anteriores.
Guizot e Luiz-Philippe tiveram de fazer em França o mesmo que
D. Maria ii e Cabral fizeram cá. Aos burguezes diziam—enriquecei-
vos! e ás instituições e garantias reformavam-nas no sentido de
crear e consolidar a nova aristocracia dos ricos. Era uma fórma de
Ordem que escapou ás previsões dos romanticos: os seus medos e
coleras tinham-se voltado e consumido contra a democracia! O
inimigo surgia abruptamente d’onde o não esperavam, e bateu-os
com a maxima fortuna. Restaurou-se a carta, sem ser necessario
um tiro: é verdade tambem que da mesma fórma caíra em 10 de
setembro. Os romanticos sinceros, ingenuos, esperando a acção
dos meios moraes, esqueciam a força dos elementos positivos: a
ordem que tinham fundado era uma bola de sabão. Um sopro
desmanchou-a.
E assim devia ser tambem, perante a natureza das doutrinas. Pois
se a unica fonte da authoridade moral e politica era o individuo, pois
se a propriedade era a sagração de uma personalidade soberana,
onde se havia de ir buscar o mandato, senão á vontade da maioria?
como se havia de desconhecer a importancia suprema da riqueza?
Porque protestavam, pois, contra os setembristas, chamando
ignaras ás maiorias? e contra os cabralistas chamando nomes aos
argentarios? Ou o dominio do numero, ou o imperio do dinheiro: eis
ahi onde a liberdade conduzia fatalmente. Onde conduziria, senão á
affirmação de uma authoridade cega do numero ou das forças
brutas, a doutrina que negára a authoridade social em nome da
natureza do individuo?
Falhára a conclusão democratica; mas ia vencer a aristocracia
nova: assim terminavam no absolutismo illustrado os diversos
liberalismos.
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