Liber Amoris, or, The New Pygmalionby William HazlittADVERTISEMENTThe circumstances, an outline of which is given in these pages, happened a very short time ago to a native of North Britain, who left his own country early in life, in consequence of political animosities and an ill-advised connection in marriage. It was some years after that he formed the fatal attachment which is the subject of the following narrative. The whole was transcribed very carefully with his own hand, a little before he set out for the Continent in hopes of benefiting by a change of scene, but he died soon after i　

400 BCTHE BOOK OF PROGNOSTICSby HippocratesTranslated by Francis AdamsTHE BOOK OF PROGNOSTICSIT APPEARS to me a most excellent thing for the physician tocultivate Prognosis; for by foreseeing and foretelling, in thepresence of the sick, the present, the past, and the future, andexplaining the omissions which patients have been guilty of, he willbe the more readily believed to be acquainted with the circumstances...　

410 BCIPHIGENIA IN TAURISby Euripidestranslated by Robert PotterCHARACTERS IN THE PLAYIPHIGENIA, daughter of AgamemnonORESTES, brother of IPHIGENIAPYLADES, friend Of ORESTESTHOAS, King of the TauriansHERDSMANMESSENGERMINERVACHORUS OF GREEK WOMEN, captives, attendants on IPHIGENIA in thetempleIPHIGENIA IN TAURIS(SCENE:-Before the great temple of Diana of the Taurians. A blood-...　

THE STORY OF BIG KLAUS AND LITTLE KLAUSIn a certain village there lived two people who had both the samename. Both were called Klaus, but one owned four horses and theother only one. In order to distinguish the one from the other,the one who had four horses was called Big Klaus, and the one whohad only one horse, Little Klaus. Now you shall hear what befellthem both, for this is a true story.The whole week through Little Klaus had to plough for Big Klaus,and lend him his one horse; then Big Klaus lent him his fourhorses, but only once a week, and that was on Sunday. Hurrah!...　

The Magic Skinby Honore de BalzacTranslated by Ellen MarriageTo Monsieur Savary, Member of Le Academie des Sciences.ITHE TALISMANTowards the end of the month of October 1829 a young man entered thePalais-Royal just as the gaming-houses opened, agreeably to the lawwhich protects a passion by its very nature easily excisable. Hemounted the staircase of one of the gambling hells distinguished bythe number 36, without too much deliberation."Your hat, sir, if you please?" a thin, querulous voice called out. Alittle old man, crouching in the darkness behind a railing, suddenly...　

The Moon Poolby A. MerrittForewordThe publication of the following narrative of Dr. WalterT. Goodwin has been authorized by the Executive Councilof the International Association of Science.First:To end officially what is beginning to be called theThrockmartin Mystery and to kill the innuendo and scan-dalous suspicions which have threatened to stain the repu-tations of Dr. David Throckmartin, his youthful wife, andequally youthful associate Dr. Charles Stanton ever sincea tardy despatch from Melbourne, Australia, reported the...　

Mark Twain, A Biography, 1866-1875By Albert Bigelow PaineVOLUME I, Part 2: 1866-1875LIVTHE LECTURERIt was not easy to take up the daily struggle again, but it wasnecessary. [Clemens once declared he had been so blue at this periodthat one morning he put a loaded pistol to his head, but found he lackedcourage to pull the trigger.] Out of the ruck of possibilities (hisbrain always thronged with plans) he constructed three or four resolves.The chief of these was the trip around the world; but that lay monthsahead, and in the mean time ways and means must be provided. Another...　

The Hand of Ethelbertaby Thomas HardyPREFACEThis somewhat frivolous narrative was produced as an interludebetween stories of a more sober design, and it was given the sub-title of a comedy to indicatethough not quite accuratelythe aimof the performance. A high degree of probability was not attemptedin the arrangement of the incidents, and there was expected of thereader a certain lightness of mood, which should inform him with agood-natured willingness to accept the production in the spirit inwhich it was offered. The characters themselves, however, were...　

THE FROZEN DEEPby Wilkie CollinsFirst SceneThe Ball-roomChapter 1.The date is between twenty and thirty years ago. The place is anEnglish sea-port. The time is night. And the business of themoment isdancing.The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, incelebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from theirport. The ships of the expedition are two in numberthe_Wanderer_ and the _Sea-mew_. They are to sail (in search of theNorthwest Passage) on the next day, with the morning tide.Honor to the Mayor and Corporation! It is a brilliant ball. The...　

POETICSby AristotleTranslated by S. H. ButcherPOETICS|1II PROPOSE to treat of Poetry in itself and of its various kinds,noting the essential quality of each, to inquire into the structure ofthe plot as requisite to a good poem; into the number and nature ofthe parts of which a poem is composed; and similarly into whateverelse falls within the same inquiry. Following, then, the order ofnature, let us begin with the principles which come first....　

MARCUS BRUTUS85?-42 B.C.by Plutarchtranslated by John DrydenMARCUS Brutus was descended from that Junius Brutus to whom theancient Romans erected a statue of brass in the capitol among theimages of their kings with a drawn sword in his hand, in remembranceof his courage and resolution in expelling the Tarquins and destroyingthe monarchy. But that ancient Brutus was of a severe and inflexiblenature, like steel of too hard a temper, and having never had his...　

JESPER WHO HERDED THE HARESThere was once a king who ruled over a kingdom somewhere betweensunrise and sunset. It was as small as kingdoms usually were inold times, and when the king went up to the roof of his palaceand took a look round he could see to the ends of it in everydirection. But as it was all his own, he was very proud of it,and often wondered how it would get along without him. He hadonly one child, and that was a daughter, so he foresaw that shemust be provided with a husband who would be fit to be king afterhim. Where to find one rich enough and clever enough to be a...　

Modern Customs and Ancient Laws of Russiaby Maxime Kovalevsky1891Lecture IThe Matrimonial Customs and Usages of the Russian People, and theLight They Throw on the Evolution of MarriageThe wide historical studies pursued by members of theUniversity of Oxford necessarily include the study of theSlavonic race. The part which this race is beginning to play inthe economic and social progress of our time, and theconsiderable achievements which it has already made in the fieldsof literature and science have attracted the attention even ofthose nations whose political interests are supposed not to...　

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTLike most other young matrons, Meg began her married life with the determination to be a model housekeeper. John should find home a paradise, he should always see a smiling face, should fare sumptuously every day, and never know the loss of a button. She brought so much love, energy, and cheerfulness to the work that she could not but succeed, in spite of some obstacles. Her paradise was not a tranquil one, for the little woman fussed, was over-anxious to please, and bustled about like a true Martha, cumbered with many cares. She was too tired, sometimes, even to smile, Jo　

Aaron Trowby Anthony TrollopeI would wish to declare, at the beginning of this story, that Ishall never regard that cluster of islets which we call Bermuda asthe Fortunate Islands of the ancients. Do not let professionalgeographers take me up, and say that no one has so accounted them,and that the ancients have never been supposed to have gottenthemselves so far westwards. What I mean to assert is thisthat,had any ancient been carried thither by enterprise or stress ofweather, he would not have given those islands so good a name. Thatthe Neapolitan sailors of King Alonzo should have been w　

The Poor Clareby Elizabeth GaskellCHAPTER I.December 12th, 1747.My life has been strangely bound up with extraordinary incidents, some of which occurred before I had any connection with the principal actors in them, or indeed, before I even knew of their existence. I suppose, most old men are, like me, more given to looking back upon their own career with a kind of fond interest and affectionate remembrance, than to watching the events though these may have far more interest for the multitude immediately passing before their eyes. If this should be the case with the generality of old people