IT WAS THE PIVOTAL TEACHING of Pluthero Quexos, the most celebrated dramatist of the Second Dominion, that in any fiction, no matter how ambitious its scope or profound its theme, there was only ever room for three players. Between warring kings, a peacemaker; between adoring spouses, a seducer or a child. Between twins, the spirit of the womb. Between lovers, Death. Greater numbers might drift through the drama, of course-thousands in fact-but they could only ever be phantoms, agents, or, on rare occasions, reflections of the three real and self-willed beings who stood at the center. And even this essential trio would not remain intact; or so he taught. It would steadily diminish as the 　

　To love, and bear; to hope till Hope creates　From its own wreck the thing it contemplates.　Percy Bysshe Shelley,　Prometheus Unbound　Prologue　False Angels　　JERUSALEM　The wound was their path.　Nathan Lee Swift sat strapped in the belly of the cargo helicopter with a dozen assorted archangels, looking down upon what little remained. The earthquake was visible mostly by what was no longer visible. Cities and villages had simply vanished in puffs of dust. Even his ruins were gone. The map had gone blank.　The air was hot. It was summer. There was no horizon. The sands stretched into haze. He felt chained to the giant beside him, his former professor David Ochs. He had not wanted to leave, now he　

　Neither do they expect trouble with a cargo that is sewn up tight.　Only a privileged few knew exactly when the Kruxator Collection would arrive in the country. That it was due to e to Britain was mon knowledge, and you had only to read a newspaper to discover that March 15th was the day on which the fabled group of paintings and jewellery were to go on display - for two weeks - at the Victoria and Albert Museum.　The Kruxator Collection is called after its founder, the late Niko Kruxator, whose fabulous wealth arose from sources unknown, for he had arrived penniless in the United States at about the time of the Wall Street Crash in October 1929. By the time he died in 1977, most people th　

　　I ignored the questions in the eyes of the groom as I lowered the grisly parcel and turned the horse in for care and maintenance. My cloak could not really conceal the nature of its contents as I slung the guts over my shoulder and stamped off toward the rear entrance to the palace. Hell would soon be demanding its paycheck.　I skirted the exercise area and made my way to the trail that led toward the southern end of the palace gardens. Fewer eyes along that route. I would still be spotted, but it would be a lot less awkward than going in the front way, where things are always busy. Damn.　And again, damn. Of troubles I considered myself amply possessed. But those who have do seem to get. S　

BEAUTY AND THE BEASTONCE upon a time, in a very far-off country, therelived a merchant who had been so fortunate in all hisundertakings that he was enormously rich. As he had,however, six sons and six daughters, he found that hismoney was not too much to let them all have everythingthey fancied, as they were accustomed to do.But one day a most unexpected misfortune befell them.Their house caught fire and was speedily burnt to theground, with all the splendid furniture, the books, pic-tures, gold, silver, and precious goods it contained; andthis was only the beginning of their troubles. Theirfather, who had until this moment prospered in all ways,...　

The American RepublicCONSTITUTION, TENDENCIES, AND DESTINYby O. A. BrownsonTO THEHON. GEORGE BANCROFT,THE ERUDITE, PHILOSOPHICAL, AND ELOQUENTHistorian of the United States,THIS FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO SET FORTH THE PRINCIPLES OF GOVERN-MENT, AND TO EXPLAIN AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OFTHE AMERICAN REPUBLIC, IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,IN MEMORY OF OLD FRIENDSHIP, AND AS ASLIGHT HOMAGE TO GENIUS, ABILITY,PATRIOTISM, PRIVATE WORTH,AND PUBLIC SERVICE,BY THE AUTHOR.CONTENTS.PAGECHAPTER I.INTRODUCTION 1CHAPTER II....　

　　SABAT HAD smelled evil in the air for the past hour; a cloying cold mustiness that was stronger than the scent of the pine trees and belied the balmy late spring atmosphere. The silence, too, was noticeable. The absence of birdsong and the soughing of the mountain breeze seemed to have lapsed into a calm where not even a leaf rustled. As though the world held its breath and waited.　　　　The tall man in the dark, travel-stained and crumpled suit shrugged off the uneasiness he felt with a deliberate effort, paused on the long steep forest path to wipe the sweat from his high brow and aquiline features. A dry tongue flicked the fringes of his jet black moustache and his narrow, deep-sunken eye　

　DREAD　　THERE IS NO delight the equal of dread. If it were possible to sit, invisible, between two people on any train, in any waiting room or office, the conversation overheard would time and again circle on that subject. Certainly the debate might appear to be about something entirely different; the state of the nation, idle chat about death on the roads, the rising price of dental care; but strip away the metaphor, the innuendo, and there, nestling at the heart of the discourse, is dread. While the nature of God, and the possibility of eternal life go undiscussed, we happily chew over the minutiae of misery. The syndrome recognizes no boundaries; in bath-house and seminar-room alike, the　

　This novel is dedicated to Stan, Christopher, Michele and Howard; to Rosario and Patrice; to Pamela and Elaine; and to Niccolo.　This novel is dedicated by Vittorio to the people of Florence, Italy.　　　1　WHO I AM, WHY I WRITE, WHAT IS TO E　　WHEN I was a small boy I had a terrible dream. I dreamt I held in my arms the severed heads of my younger brother I and sister. They were quick still, and mute, with big fluttering eyes, and reddened cheeks, and so horrified was I that I could make no more of a sound than they could. The dream came true.　But no one will weep for me or for them. They have been buried, nameless, beneath five centuries of time. I am a vampire.　My name is Vittorio, and I writ　

The Maintenance of Free Tradeby Gerard de Malynes1622The Maintenance of Free Trade, According to the Three Essentiall Parts of Traffique; Namely Commodities, Moneys and Exchange of Moneys, by Bills of Exchanges for other Countries. Or answer to a Treatise of Free Trade, or the meanes to make Trade floushish, lately Published.Contraria iuxta se Pofita magis Elucescunt.by Gerard Malynes Merchant.London, Printed by I.L. for William Shefford, and are to be sold at his shop, at the entring in of Popes head Allie out of Lumbard Street, 1622.To The Most High and Mighty Monarch, James, by the grace of God, King of great Britaine, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc....　

TWICE-TOLD TALESTHE PROPHETIC PICTURESby Nathaniel HawthorneBUT THIS PAINTER!" cried Walter Ludlow, with animation. "He notonly excels in his peculiar art, but possesses vast acquirements inall other learning and science. He talks Hebrew with Dr. Mather, andgives lectures in anatomy to Dr. Boylston. In a word, he will meet thebest instructed man among us on his own ground. Moreover, he is apolished gentleman- a citizen of the world- yes, a true cosmopolite;for he will speak like a native of each clime and country of the globeexcept our own forests, whither he is now going. Nor is all this...　

460 BCPROMETHEUS BOUNDby AeschylusCharacters in the PlayKratosBiaHephaestusPrometheusChorus of the OceanidesOceanusIoHermesMountainous country, and in the middle of a deep gorge a Rock,towards which KRATOS and BIA carry the gigantic form OF PROMETHEUS.HEPHAESTUS follows dejectedly with hammer, nails, chains, etc.KRATOSNow have we journeyed to a spot of earthRemote-the Scythian wild, a waste untrod.And now, Hephaestus, thou must execute...