Tales from Boccaccio, with Modern Illustrations: And Other Poems (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Tales From Boccaccio, With Modern Illustrations: And Other Poems

One is not always compelled to be original in a fable, any more than in a story - (some of Boccaccio's are borrowed, and all the tales in this little volume are confessedly borrowed from him) - nor is one properly compellable to acknowledge whether the fable one tells is at first or second hand - enough that it is told, that you know not whence it is derived, and that it is applicable to the purpose. A fable etymo logically is only a word spoken, and a word spoken in season is good, and such a fable is the best of all spoken words.

Once upon a time the Fowls of Heaven took it into their wise heads to plant a Grove of Oaks, which the Druids might worship in, and thus make sacred. Property had not yet put up her pales, but when the oaks had grown to their full majesty, and enclosed the space which became sacred bv acts of devotion, the awe which they excited made them respected; and, in course of time, old age and custom made them venerable. But, at length, the Druids ceased to worship beneath the shadow of their branches.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.