THE DECAMERONby Boccaccio GiovanniTHE INDUCTION OF THE AUTHOR TO THE FOLLOWING DISCOURSESGracious Ladies, so often as I consider with my selfe, and observerespectively, how naturally you are enclined to compassion; as manytimes doe I acknowledge, that this present worke of mine, will (inyour judgement) appeare to have but a harsh and offensive beginning,in regard of the mournfull remembrance it beareth at the verieentrance of the last Pestilentiall mortality, universally hurtfull...　

The Woman-Hatersby Joseph C. LincolnFOREWORD(By Way of Explanation)A story of mine called, like this, "The Woman-Haters," appearedrecently in one of the magazines. That story was not this one,except in partthe part dealing with "John Brown" and Miss RuthGraham. Readers of the former tale who perhaps imagine they knowall about Seth Atkins and Mrs. Emeline Bascom will be surprised tofind they really know so little. The truth is that, when I began torevise and rearrange the magazine story for publication as a book,new ideas came, grew, and developed. I discovered that I had been...　

The Divine Comedytranslated by Henry Wadsworth LongfellowPARADISOParadiso: Canto IThe glory of Him who moveth everythingDoth penetrate the universe, and shineIn one part more and in another less.Within that heaven which most his light receivesWas I, and things beheld which to repeatNor knows, nor can, who from above descends;Because in drawing near to its desireOur intellect ingulphs itself so far,That after it the memory cannot go.Truly whatever of the holy realmI had the power to treasure in my mindShall now become the subject of my song....　

Juanaby Honore de BalzacTranslated by Katharine Prescott Wormeley)DEDICATIONTo Madame la Comtesse Merlin.JUANA(THE MARANAS)CHAPTER IEXPOSITIONNotwithstanding the discipline which Marechal Suchet had introducedinto his army corps, he was unable to prevent a short period oftrouble and disorder at the taking of Tarragona. According to certainfair-minded military men, this intoxication of victory bore a strikingresemblance to pillage, though the marechal promptly suppressed it....　

Lecture XThe Primitive Forms of Legal RemediesIII pass from the early law of procedure in the roman andTeutonic societies to the corresponding branch of another.ancient legal system which has been only just revealed to us, andwhich, so far as its existence was suspected, was supposed untillately to be separated by peculiarly sharp distinctions from allGermanic bodies of usage.Rather more than half of the Senchus Mor is taken up with theLaw of Distress. The Senchus Mor, as I told you, pretends to be a...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE WILD SWANSby Hans Christian AndersenFAR away in the land to which the swallows fly when it iswinter, dwelt a king who had eleven sons, and one daughter, namedEliza. The eleven brothers were princes, and each went to schoolwith a star on his breast, and a sword by his side. They wrote withdiamond pencils on gold slates, and learnt their lessons so quicklyand read so easily that every one might know they were princes.Their sister Eliza sat on a little stool of plate-glass, and had a...　

THE CRITIC AS ARTIST - WITH SOME REMARKS UPON THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING NOTHINGA DIALOGUE. Part I. Persons: Gilbert and Ernest. Scene: the library of a house in Piccadilly, overlooking the Green Park.GILBERT (at the Piano). My dear Ernest, what are you laughing at?ERNEST (looking up). At a capital story that I have just come across in this volume of Reminiscences that I have found on your table.GILBERT. What is the book? Ah! I see. I have not read it yet. Is it good?ERNEST. Well, while you have been playing, I have been turning over the pages with some amusement, though, as a rule, I　

The Autobiography of a QuackS. Weir Mitchell, MD, LLDTHE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A QUACKANDTHE CASE OF GEORGE DEDLOWBYS. WEIR MITCHELL, M.D.,LL.D. HARVARD AND EDINBURGHCONTENTSTHE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A QUACKTHE CASE OF GEORGE DEDLOWINTRODUCTIONBoth of the tales in this little volume appeared originally in the ``Atlantic Monthly' as anonymous contributions. I owe to the present owners of that journal permission to use them. ``The Autobiography of a Quack ' has been recast with large additions.``The Case of George Dedlow' was not written with any intention that it should appear in print. I lent the ma　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE UGLY DUCKLINGby Hans Christian AndersenIT was lovely summer weather in the country, and the goldencorn, the green oats, and the haystacks piled up in the meadows lookedbeautiful. The stork walking about on his long red legs chattered inthe Egyptian language, which he had learnt from his mother. Thecorn-fields and meadows were surrounded by large forests, in the midstof which were deep pools. It was, indeed, delightful to walk aboutin the country. In a sunny spot stood a pleasant old farm-house...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE DUMB BOOKby Hans Christian AndersenIN the high-road which led through a wood stood a solitaryfarm-house; the road, in fact, ran right through its yard. The sun wasshining and all the windows were open; within the house people werevery busy. In the yard, in an arbour formed by lilac bushes in fullbloom, stood an open coffin; thither they had carried a dead man,who was to be buried that very afternoon. Nobody shed a tear over him;his face was covered over with a white cloth, under his head they...　

Balladsby Robert Louis StevensonTHE SONG OF RAHEROA LEGEND OF TAHITITO ORI A ORIORI, my brother in the island mode,In every tongue and meaning much my friend,This story of your country and your clan,In your loved house, your too much honoured guest,I made in English. Take it, being done;And let me sign it with the name you gave.TERIITERA.I. THE SLAYING OF TAMATEAIT fell in the days of old, as the men of Taiarapu tell,A youth went forth to the fishing, and fortune favoured him well....　

THE RED ONETHE RED ONEby Jack London1- Page 2-THE RED ONETHE RED ONETHERE it was! The abrupt liberation of sound! As he timed it withhis watch, Bassett likened it to the trump of an archangel. Walls of cities,he meditated, might well fall down before so vast and compelling asummons. For the thousandth time vainly he tried to analyse the tone-...　

THE BOY AND THE WOLVES, OR THE BROKEN PROMISE[18][18] A North American Indian story.Once upon a time an Indian hunter built himself a house in themiddle of a great forest, far away from all his tribe; for hisheart was gentle and kind, and he was weary of the treachery andcruel deeds of those who had been his friends. So he left them,and took his wife and three children, and they journeyed on untilthey found a spot near to a clear stream, where they began to cutdown trees, and to make ready their wigwam. For many years theylived peacefully and happily in this sheltered place, never...　

The Great War Syndicateby Frank StocktonIn the spring of a certain year, not far from theclose of the nineteenth century, when the politicalrelations between the United States and Great Britainbecame so strained that careful observers on both sidesof the Atlantic were forced to the belief that aserious break in these relations might be looked for atany time, the fishing schooner Eliza Drum sailed froma port in Maine for the banks of Newfoundland.It was in this year that a new system of protectionfor American fishing vessels had been adopted in...　

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christby Lew Wallaceto THE WIFE OF MY YOUTH who still abides with meBOOK FIRSTCHAPTER IThe Jebel es Zubleh is a mountain fifty miles and more in length, and so narrow that its tracery on the map gives it a likeness to a caterpillar crawling from the south to the north. Standing on its red-and-white cliffs, and looking off under the path of the rising sun, one sees only the Desert of Arabia, where the east winds, so hateful to vinegrowers of Jericho, have kept their playgrounds since the beginning. Its feet are well covered by sands tossed from the Euphrates, there to l　

The Life and Perambulations of a Mouseby Dorothy KilnerINTRODUCTIONDuring a remarkably severe winter, when a prodigious fall of snow confined everybody to their habitations, who were happy enough to have one to shelter them from the inclemency of the season, and were hot obliged by business to expose themselves to its rigour, I was on a visit to Meadow Hall; where had assembled likewise a large party of young folk, who all seemed, by their harmony and good humour, to strive who should the most contribute to render pleasant that confinement which we were all equally obliged to share. Nor were