roemischen Altertum fuer Schueler_, the latter of which contains the cuts of
the larger work, and is so cheap and so useful that it ought to lie on
the desk of every teacher of Greek or Latin.




INTRODUCTORY NOTE


The _Fabulae Faciles_, or 'Easy Stories.' are four Greek myths retold in
Latin, not by a Roman writer, however, but by an Englishman, who believed
that they would afford interesting and pleasant reading for young folks
who were just beginning the study of the Latin language. By myth is meant
an imaginative tale that has been handed down by tradition from remote
antiquity concerning supernatural beings and events. Such tales are
common among all primitive peoples, and are by them accepted as true.
They owe their origin to no single author, but grow up as the untutored
imagination strives to explain to itself the operations of nature and the
mysteries of life, or amuses itself with stories of the brave exploits of
heroic ancestors.

The most beautiful and delightful of all myths are those that have come
down to us in the remains of the literature and the art of ancient Greece
and Rome; they are also the most important to us, for many of the great
masterpieces of English literature and of modern art have been inspired
by them and cannot be understood and appreciated by one ignorant of
classical mythology.

Of this mythology the _Fabulae Faciles_ give but a small part. If you