PREFACE 



C INS of omission and commission are the way 

 of every compiler of anthologies, and without 

 doubt this little collection has its share. I can only 

 plead that these are no result of carelessness, but 

 purely of faulty taste, for the passages herein 

 gathered are the result of much weighing, the 

 residue after much sifting, and at any rate I hope 

 that, even though the reader is certain to object to 

 some of my choice, and to regret the absence of 

 favourites of his own, he will bear in mind the 

 difficulties of selection, having in view a moderate 

 compass for the whole. 



A word is needed with reference to the transla- 

 tions from the classics. To the classical scholar, 

 translation of Homer is heresy. The " modern 

 side" would be equally affronted with the original 

 only. There was no room for both. The choice 

 had to be made, and perhaps my choice has been 

 the wrong one. 



It may be complained that writers like Mr. Clark 

 Russell and Captain Marryat are very poorly 

 represented, but one aim of this anthology has 

 been to offer as murli variety of aulhorbhip as 



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