the East, from the "Clericalis
Disciplina," a work by Petrus Alfonsus, a baptized Jew who lived in
1106, and borrowed professedly from the Arabian fabulists. Mediaeval
tales of all kinds suitable for the purpose of the "Gesta Romanorum"
were freely incorporated, and the book so formed became a well-known
storehouse of material for poetic treatment. Gower, Shakespeare,
Schiller are some of the poets who have used tales which are among the
thirty given in this volume.

The "Gesta Romanorum" was first printed in 1473, and after that date
often reprinted. It was translated into Dutch as early as the year 1484.
There was a translation of forty-three of its tales into English, by
Richard Robinson, published in 1577, of which there were six or seven
editions during the next twenty-four years. A version of forty-five of
its tales was published in 1648 as "A Record of Ancient Histories." The
fullest English translation was that by the Rev. C. Swan, published in
1824. In this volume two or three tales are given in the earlier English
form, the rest from Mr. Swan's translation, with a little revision of
his English. Mr. Swan used Book English, and was apt to write "an
instrument of agriculture" where he would have said "a spade." I give
here thirty of the Tales, but of the "Applications" have left only
enough to show how they were managed.

* * * * *

In the volume of this Library, which contains Marlowe's "Faustus" and
Goethe's "Faust," reference has been made to the old German History of
Faustus, first published at Frankfort in September 1587, and reprinted
with slight change in 1588. There was again a reprint of it with some
additions in 1589. This book was written by a Protestant in early days
of the Reformation, but shaped by him from mediaeval tales of magic, with
such notions of demons and their home as had entered deeply in the
Middle Ages into popular belief. From it was produced within two years
of its first publication Marlowe's play of "Faustus," which has already
been given, and that English translation of the original book which will
be found in the present volume. It was reprinted by Mr. William J. Thoms
in his excellent collection of "Early English Prose Romances," first
published in 1828, of which there was an enlarged second edition, in
three volumes, in 1858. That is a book of which all students of English
literature would like to see a third and cheap edition.

H. M.
_October