The Project Gutenberg EBook of Forgotten Tales of Long Ago, by E. V. Lucas

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Title: Forgotten Tales of Long Ago

Author: E. V. Lucas

Illustrator: F. D. Bedford

Release Date: May 3, 2009 [EBook #28679]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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FORGOTTEN TALES OF LONG AGO.

SELECTED BY E. V. LUCAS

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY F. D. BEDFORD

3 PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS. LONDON 44 VICTORIA STREET

E. C. WELLS, GARDNER, DARTON & CO. LTD. S.W.

C & D Co.

_Fourth Impression, July, 1931._

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

WELLS GARDNER, DARTON AND CO., LTD.

[Illustration:

For me the backward glance; for me
The tales of old simplicity.
And this would be my dearest choice:
To hear them in the mother's voice.]

INTRODUCTION

In the present volume will be found twenty stories from early writers
for children, the period being roughly 1790 to 1830, with three later
and more sophisticated efforts added. Having so recently made remarks on
the character of these old books--in the preface last year to
_Old-Fashioned Tales_, a companion volume to this--I have very little to
say now, except that I hope the selection will be found to be
interesting. If it is not, it is less my fault than that of the authors,
who preferred teaching to entertaining, moral improvement to drama. The
pendulum has now perhaps swung almost too far the other way; but such
things come right.

My first story, 'Dicky Random,' is from a little book published in 1805,
entitled _The Satchel; or, Amusing Tales for Correcting Rising Errors in
Early Youth, addressed to all who wish to grow in Grace and Favour_. On
the title-page is this motto:

'Put on the cap, if it will fit,
And wiser grow by wearing it.'

There is no author's name. I do not consider the story of Dicky a very
brilliant piece of work, but it has some pleasing incidents, not the
least of which is