Lectures on Evolutionby Thomas Henry HuxleyITHE THREE HYPOTHESES RESPECTING THE HISTORY OF NATUREWe live in and form part of a system of things of immensediversity and perplexity, which we call Nature; and it is amatter of the deepest interest to all of us that we should formjust conceptions of the constitution of that system and of itspast history. With relation to this universe, man is, in extent,little more than a mathematical point; in duration but afleeting shadow; he is a mere reed shaken in the winds of force.But as Pascal long ago remarked, although a mere reed, he is athinking reed; and in virtue of that wonderful capacity of...　

Their Silver Wedding Journey V3by William Dean HowellsPART III.XLVIII.At the first station where the train stopped, a young German bowedhimself into the compartment with the Marches, and so visibly resisted animpulse to smoke that March begged him to light his cigarette. In thetalk which this friendly overture led to between them he explained thathe was a railway architect, employed by the government on that line ofroad, and was travelling officially. March spoke of Nuremberg; he ownedthe sort of surfeit he had suffered from its excessive mediaevalism, andthe young man said it was part of the new imperial patriotism to cherishthe Gothic throughout Germany; no other sort of architecture wa　

Rosamund, Queen of the Lombardsby Algernon Charles SwinburnePERSONS REPRESENTEDALBOVINE, King of the Lombards.ALMACHILDES, a young Lombard warrior.NARSETES, an old leader and counsellor.ROSAMUND, Queen of the LombardsHILDEGARD, a noble Lombard maiden.SCENE, VERONATime, June 573ACT IA hall in the Palace: a curtain drawn midway across it.Enter ALBOVINE and NARSETES.ALBOVINE.This is no matter of the wars: in warThy king, old friend, is less than king of thine,And comrade less than follower. Hast thou lovedEverloved woman, not as chance may love,But as thou hast loved thy sword or friendor me?Thou hast shewn me love more stout of heart than death....　

Joan of Naples1343-1382By ALEXANDER DUMAS, PERECHAPTER IIn the night of the 15th of January 1343, while the inhabitants of Naples lay wrapped in peaceful slumber, they were suddenly awakened by the bells of the three hundred churches that this thrice blessed capital contains. In the midst of the disturbance caused by so rude a call the first bought in the mind of all was that the town was on fire, or that the army of some enemy had mysteriously landed under cover of night and could put the citizens to the edge of the sword. But the doleful, intermittent sounds of all these fills, which disturbed the silence at regular and distant intervals, were an invitation to the faithful pray for a pas　

Ferragusby Honore de BalzacTranslated by Katharine Prescott WormeleyDEDICATIONTo Hector Berlioz.PREFACEThirteen men were banded together in Paris under the Empire, allimbued with one and the same sentiment, all gifted with sufficientenergy to be faithful to the same thought, with sufficient honor amongthemselves never to betray one another even if their interestsclashed; and sufficiently wily and politic to conceal the sacred tiesthat united them, sufficiently strong to maintain themselves above thelaw, bold enough to undertake all things, and fortunate enough tosucceed, nearly always, in their undertakings; having run the greatestdangers, but keeping silence if defeated; inaccessible to fe　

The Bridge-Buildersby Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens]The least that Findlayson, of the Public Works Department,expected was a C.I.E.; he dreamed of a C.S.I. Indeed, hisfriends told him that he deserved more. For three years he hadendured heat and cold, disappointment, discomfort, danger, anddisease, with responsibility almost to top-heavy for one pair ofshoulders; and day by day, through that time, the great KashiBridge over the Ganges had grown under his charge. Now, in lessthan three months, if all went well, his Excellency the Viceroywould open the bridge in state, an archbishop would bless it, andthe first trainload of soldiers would come over it, and there...　

Of Taxesby David HumeThere is a prevailing maxim, among some reasoners, that everynew tax creates a new ability in the subject to bear it, and thateach encrease of public burdens encreases proportionably theindustry of the people. This maxim is of such a nature as is mostlikely to be abused; and is so much the more dangerous, as itstruth cannot be altogether denied: but it must be owned, whenkept within certain bounds, to have some foundation in reason andexperience.When a tax is laid upon commodities, which are consumed bythe common people, the necessary consequence may seem to be,either that the poor must retrench something from their way of...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENIN THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE SEAby Hans Christian AndersenSOME years ago, large ships were sent towards the north pole, toexplore the distant coasts, and to try how far men could penetrateinto those unknown regions. For more than a year one of these shipshad been pushing its way northward, amid snow and ice, and the sailorshad endured many hardships; till at length winter set in, and thesun entirely disappeared; for many weeks there would be constantnight. All around, as far as the eye could reach, nothing could beseen but fields of ice, in which the ship remained stuck fast. The...　

370 BCPARMENIDESby Platotranslated by Benjamin JowettPARMENIDESPERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE: CEPHALUS; ADEIMANTUS; GLAUCON; ANTIPHON;PYTHODORUS; SOCRATES; ZENO; PARMENIDES; ARISTOTELES. Cephalusrehearses a dialogue which is supposed to have been narrated in hispresence by Antiphon, the half-brother of Adeimantus and Glaucon, tocertain Clazomenians.We had come from our home at Clazomenae to Athens, and metAdeimantus and Glaucon in the Agora. Welcome, Cephalus, saidAdeimantus, taking me by the hand; is there anything which we can do...　

The Seven Poor Travellersby Charles DickensCHAPTER IIN THE OLD CITY OF ROCHESTERStrictly speaking, there were only six Poor Travellers; but, being aTraveller myself, though an idle one, and being withal as poor as Ihope to be, I brought the number up to seven. This word ofexplanation is due at once, for what says the inscription over thequaint old door?RICHARD WATTS, Esq.by his Will, dated 22 Aug. 1579,founded this Charityfor Six poor Travellers,who not being ROGUES, or PROCTORS,May receive gratis for one Night,Lodging, Entertainment,and Fourpence each.It was in the ancient little city of Rochester in Kent, of all the...　

Oliver Wendell Holmesby William Dean HowellsElsewhere we literary folk are apt to be such a common lot, withtendencies here and there to be a shabby lot; we arrive from all sorts ofunexpected holes and corners of the earth, remote, obscure; and at thebest we do so often come up out of the ground; but at Boston we were ofascertained and noted origin, and good part of us dropped from the skies.Instead of holding horses before the doors of theatres; or capping versesat the plough-tail; or tramping over Europe with nothing but a flute inthe pocket; or walking up to the metropolis with no luggage but the MS.of a tragedy; or sleeping in doorways or under the arches of bridges; or...　

Father Damienby Robert Louis StevensonAN OPEN LETTER TO THE REVEREND DR. HYDE OF HONOLULUSYDNEY,FEBRUARY 25, 1890.Sir, - It may probably occur to you that we have met, and visited,and conversed; on my side, with interest. You may remember thatyou have done me several courtesies, for which I was prepared to begrateful. But there are duties which come before gratitude, andoffences which justly divide friends, far more acquaintances. Yourletter to the Reverend H. B. Gage is a document which, in my sight,if you had filled me with bread when I was starving, if you had satup to nurse my father when he lay a-dying, would yet absolve me...