I. THE FIRST BOOKS IN THE WORLD Scribes and priests-The works of Confucius-Latin literature— Achilles the hero-Helen of Troy-The rank and file-The Iliad -The wrath of Achilles-The forge of Vulcan-The wander- ings of Ulysses-The writing of the Odyssey-Ulysses' adven- A book of many books-The Israelites-The people of the Old The Bible and our national style-Tributes to the authorized ver- sion-The English versions-Four versions compared-An error of form-Parallelism in Hebrew poetry-A "balance of 33 67 V. THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE EAST The Vedas of the Brahmans-Thirty-three thousand gods-The castes-A feat of memory-The Buddhist scriptures-The early days of Gautama-The Gospel of Buddha-The Books of Confucius-The literary and religious ideals of China-The Words and phrases-The great god Pan-Mercury's son-Cupid and Psyche The road to ruin--The chariot of the Sun-Stories of the stars-Perseus and Andromeda-Echo and Narcissus- The Greek spirit-The love of justice, freedom, and truth-The Greek theatre-The dress of actors-Eschylus-Sophocles- The Antigone-Euripides-Aristophanes-Sappho and the Greek Anthology-The Greek orators and historians—Plato— The Roman spirit—Virgil—A national story-Horace-Lu- In darkest Europe-The gradual creation of nationalities-St. Jerome Saint Augustine-The Niebelungen Lied-The Troubadours-Fantastic legends-Dante-Dante and Beatrice -The life of Dante-The Divine Comedy-Froissart's Chron- icles-History of the Fourteenth Century-Chaucer and his contemporaries-The Father of English Poetry-Malory's The new learning-The causes of the awakening-Ariosto and Machiavelli-The influence of Italian Renaissance literature- The Renaissance-Rabelais and Montaigne-Cervantes-Don ILLUSTRATIONS "A READING FROM HOMER," BY SIR LAWRENCE ALMA-TADEMA Coloured Frontispiece Photo: Rischgitz Collection. PORTION OF THE STORY OF THE DELUGE, FROM A TABLET WHICH Photo: W. A. Mansell & Co. FACING PAGE 10 ENGRAVING, TAKEN FROM A DRAWING IN GELL's Pompeiana, CONSIST- FACSIMILE OF THE PAPYRUS INSCRIBED WITH HIEROGLYPHIC TEXT OF The Photo: W. A. Mansell & Co. PAPYRUS INSCRIBED IN THE HIERATIC CHARACTER WITH AN EGYPTIAN 10 11 14 Photo: W. A. Mansell & Co. JEAN MIELOT, A FAMOUS SCHOLAR AND CALLIGRAPHER OF THE MIDDLE : 15 Photo: Rischgitz Collection. THE VIRGIN AND CHILD ATTENDED BY ANGELS, FROM A COPY OF THE "OFFICES OF THE VIRGIN" "APOLLO AND DAPHNE," BY BERNINI Photo: Anderson. "PAN AND PSYCHE," BY SIR EDWARD BURNE-JONES. Photo: Fredk. Hollyer, London. "ENDYMION," BY G. F. WATTS Photo: Fredk. Hollyer, London. 18 19 20 21 "ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE," BY G. F. WATTS. 24 Photo: Fredk. Hollyer, London. FACING PAGE STORY OF PYGMALION, "THE HEART DESIRES," BY SIR EDWARD BURNE- 25 From a drawing by Paul Chenavard in the Museum, Lyons. Photo: Braun PREPARING FOR THE SIEGE OF TROY 43 From a drawing by Paul Chenavard in the Museum, Lyons. Photo: Braun "THE WINE OF CIRCE" (Coloured Illustration) 44 From the painting by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. Reproduced by per- From a drawing by Paul Chenavard in the Museum, Lyons. Photo: Braun "THE FORGE OF VULCAN," BY VELASQUEZ 47 Photo: Rischgitz Collection. "PENELOPE AND HER SUITORS," BY J. W. WATERHOUSE 50 Reproduced by special permission of the Director of the Aberdeen Art "CIRCE AND THE COMPANIONS OF ULYSSES" BY BRITON RIVIÈRE, R.A. Photo: Rischgitz Collection. "THE JUDGMENT OF PARIS," BY RUBENS 57 60 National Gallery, London. Photo: Rischgitz Collection. GEORGE CHAPMAN. 61 Photo: Rischgitz Collection. HOMER, "THE GREAT BLIND FATHER OF SONG," BY HARRY BATES. 61 Photo: W. A. Mansell & Co. "THE SCAPEGOAT," BY W. HOLMAN HUNT Photo: W. A. Mansell & Co. 70 MOSES: PROPHET, LAWGIVER, STATESMAN, AS CONCEIVED BY MICHAEL FACING 71 "MOSES BREAKING THE TABLES OF THE LAW," BY REMBRANDT VAN RYN Photo: Braun, Clément & Co. 74 "AND THERE WAS A GREAT CRY IN Egypt," BY ARTHUR HACKER, A.R.A. Reproduced by special permission. 75 "JOSEPH INTERPRETS PHARAOH'S DREAMS," BY HAROLD SPEED 78 Reproduced by permission of the artist. A PAGE OF THE Codex Sinaiticus Reproduced by kind permission of the British and Foreign Bible Society 79 DAVID, THE GREATEST OF THE HEBREW KINGS. 32 82 ISAIAH: THE STATESMAN AND PROPHET ROUND WHOSE NAME 83 From Michael Angelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. JEREMIAH: PERHAPS THE FINEST EXAMPLE In the Old TESTAMENT OF A 84 From Michael Angelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. EZEKIEL: THE MYSTIC AND PRIEST WHO, MORE THAN ANY OTHER MAN, 85 From Michael Angelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. "RUTH AND NAOMI," BY P. H. CALDERON 88 From the picture in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Reproduced by "TOBIT WITH THE ARCHANGEL," BY BOTTICELLI 89 CHRIST, AS IMAGINED BY LEONARDO DA VINCI 92 "CHRIST WASHING PETER'S FEET," BY FORD MADOX BROWN. Photo: W. A. Mansell & Co. MASACCIO'S FRESCO OF ST. PETER VISITED IN PRISON BY ST. PAUL. 99 BISHOP WESTCOTT 102 Photo: Elliott & Fry, Ltd. |