THE COMPARISON OF NUMA WITH LYCURGUSby Plutarchtranslated by John DrydenHAVING thus finished the lives of Lycurgus and Numa, we shall now,though the work be difficult, put together their points ofdifference as they lie here before our view. Their points oflikeness are obvious; their moderation, their religion, their capacityof government and discipline, their both deriving their laws andconstitutions from the gods. Yet in their common glories there arecircumstances of diversity; for first Numa accepted and Lycurgusresigned a kingdom; Numa received without desiring it, Lycurgus had it...　

A Simpletonby Charles ReadePREFACE.It has lately been objected to me, in studiously courteous terms ofcourse, that I borrow from other books, and am a plagiarist. Tothis I reply that I borrow facts from every accessible source, andam not a plagiarist. The plagiarist is one who borrows from ahomogeneous work: for such a man borrows not ideas only, but theirtreatment. He who borrows only from heterogeneous works is not aplagiarist. All fiction, worth a button, is founded on facts; andit does not matter one straw whether the facts are taken frompersonal experience, hearsay, or printed books; only those booksmust not be works of fiction.Ask your common sense why a man writes better fiction 　

Common Senseby Thomas PaineINTRODUCTIONPerhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages,are not YET sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favour;a long habit of not thinking a thing WRONG, gives it a superficialappearance of being RIGHT, and raises at first a formidable outcryin defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides.Time makes more converts than reason.As a long and violent abuse of power, is generally the Meansof calling the right of it in question (and in Matters too whichmight never have been thought of, had not the Sufferers been aggravatedinto the inquiry) and as the King of England hath undertaken...　

The Pathfinder, or, The Inland Seaby James Fenimore CooperPREFACEThe plan of this tale suggested itself to the writer manyyears since, though the details are altogether of recent in-vention. The idea of associating seamen and savages inincidents that might be supposed characteristic of theGreat Lakes having been mentioned to a Publisher, thelatter obtained something like a pledge from the Authorto carry out the design at some future day, which pledgeis now tardily and imperfectly redeemed.The reader may recognize an old friend under new cir-cumstances in the principal character of this legend. Ifthe exhibition made of this old acquaintance, in the novel...　

APPENDIX DThe Awful German LanguageA little learning makes the whole world kin.Proverbs xxxii, 7.I went often to look at the collection of curiositiesin Heidelberg Castle, and one day I surprised the keeperof it with my German. I spoke entirely in that language.He was greatly interested; and after I had talked a whilehe said my German was very rare, possibly a "unique";and wanted to add it to his museum.If he had known what it had cost me to acquire my art,he would also have known that it would break anycollector to buy it. Harris and I had been hard atwork on our German during several weeks at that time,...　

　　Gentle reader, hear Poliphilo tell of his dreams,　Dreams sent by the highest heaven.　You will not waste your labour, nor will listening irk you,　For this wonderful work abounds in so many things.　If, grave and dour, you despise love-stories,　Know, I pray, that things are well ordered herein.　You refuse? But at least the style, with its novel language,　Grave discourse and wisdom, mands attention.　If you refuse this, too, note the geometry,　The many ancient things expressed in Nilotic signs . . .　Here you will see the perfect palaces of kings,　The worship of nymphs, fountains and rich banquets.　The guards dance, dressed in motley, and the whole　Of human life is expressed in dark labyrinths.　

A Ward of the Golden Gateby Bret HartePROLOGUE.In San Francisco the "rainy season" had been making itself areality to the wondering Eastern immigrant. There were short daysof drifting clouds and flying sunshine, and long succeeding nightsof incessant downpour, when the rain rattled on the thin shinglesor drummed on the resounding zinc of pioneer roofs. The shiftingsand-dunes on the outskirts were beaten motionless and sodden bythe onslaught of consecutive storms; the southeast trades broughtthe saline breath of the outlying Pacific even to the busy hauntsof Commercial and Kearney streets; the low-lying Mission road was aquagmire; along the City Front, despite of piles and pier and...　

The Life of Thomas Telford by Smilesby Samuel Smiles"Let us travel, and wherever we find no facility fortravelling from a city to a town, from a village to ahamlet, we may pronounce the people to be barbarous"Abbe Raynal"The opening up of the internal communications of acountry is undoubtedly the first and most importantelement of its growth in commerce and civilization"Richard CobdenCONTENTSPrefaceEARLY ROADS AND MODES OF TRAVELLINGCHAPTER I. Old RoadsRoads as agents of civilizationTheir important usesAncient British trackways or ridgewaysThe Romans and their roads in Britain...　

THE DIVINE COMEDYTHE DIVINE COMEDYDANTE ALIGHIERI (1265-1321)TRANSLATED BY HENRY WADSWORTHLONGFELLOW (1807-1882)CANTICLE III: PARADISO1- Page 2-THE DIVINE COMEDYParadiso: Canto IThe glory of Him who moveth everything Doth penetrate theuniverse, and shine In one part more and in another less.Within that heaven which most his light receives Was I, and thingsbeheld which to repeat Nor knows, nor can, who from above descends;...　

THE GREAT CONTROVERSYby ELLEN G. WHITE(iii)PREFACETHIS BOOK, READER, IS NOT PUBLISHED TO TELL US THAT THERE IS SIN AND WOE ANDMISERY IN THIS WORLD. WE KNOW IT ALL TOO WELL. THIS BOOK IS NOT PUBLISHED TOTELL US THAT THERE IS AN IRRECONCILABLE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN DARKNESS ANDLIGHT, SIN AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, WRONG AND RIGHT, DEATH AND LIFE. IN OUR HEARTOF HEARTS WE KNOW IT, AND KNOW THAT WE ARE PARTICIPATORS, ACTORS, IN THECONFLICT.BUT TO EVERY ONE OF US COMES AT TIMES A LONGING TO KNOW MORE OF THE GREATCONTROVERSY. HOW DID THE CONTROVERSY BEGIN? OR WAS IT ALWAYS HERE? WHAT...　

Second BookThe TheoryChapter 11Political and Cosmopolitical EconomyBefore Quesnay and the French economists there existed only apractice of political economy which was exercised by the Stateofficials, administrators, and authors who wrote about matters ofadministration, occupied themselves exclusively with theagriculture, manufactures, commerce, and navigation of thosecountries to which they belonged, without analysing the causes ofwealth, or taking at all into consideration the interests of thewhole human race.Quesnay (from whom the idea of universal free trade originated)...　

　　　On August 23, the day before the hurricane struck, Max and Bonnie Lamb awoke early, made love twice and rode the shuttle bus to Disney World. That evening they returned to the Peabody Hotel, showered separately, switched on the cable news and saw that the storm was heading directly for the southeastern tip of Florida. The TV weatherman warned that it was the fiercest in many years.　　Max Lamb sat at the foot of the bed and gazed at the color radar image-a ragged flame-colored sphere, spinning counterclockwise toward the coast. He said, "Jesus, look at that."　　A hurricane, Bonnie Lamb thought, on our honeymoon! As she slipped under the sheets, she heard the rain beating on the rental cars