NOTES-BIOGRAPHICAL AND EXPLANATORY Page 9. Books. This selection is adapted from "Sesame and Lilies," a volume of essays addressed to girls, which Mr. Ruskin published in 1864. John Ruskin was an eminent English art critic and author (1819-1900). His writings are noted for the strength and purity of their style. 14. My Brute Neighbors. Henry David Thoreau (thō'rō), the author of "Walden" and other pleasing books on out-door subjects, was born at Concord, Massachusetts, 1817; died there, 1862. — duellum: a duel, a fight between two. - bellum: war, a fight among many. Myrmidons: a reference to the warriors of Achilles, who were said to have been originally ants. 21. September Days. called locust, or cicada. cicala (chê kä’lå): an insect commonly George Arnold was an American poet and journalist, born at New York, 1834; died, 1865. 22. Autumn's Mirth. Samuel Minturn Peck, an American poet, was born at Tuskaloosa, Alabama, 1854. 23. Under the Greenwood Tree. This little song is from Shakespeare's comedy, "As You Like It." William Shakespeare, the greatest of English poets, was born at Stratford-on-Avon, 1654; died, 1616. 24. The High Court of Inquiry. Josiah Gilbert Holland, an American author, was born in Massachusetts, 1819; died in New York, 1881. He was the first editor of "The Century Magazine," and the writer of several excellent books, both prose and poetry. "Arthur Bonnicastle," his best novel, is supposed to be partly an autobiography. 31. Moses goes to the Fair. This extract is from "The Vicar of Wakefield," one of the most famous of English prose tales, published in 1766. The author, Oliver Goldsmith, was born at Pallas, Ireland, 1728; died at London, 1774.- shagreen: a kind of untanned leather. 36. A Legend of Bregenz. Adelaide Procter, an English poet, was born at London, 1825; died, 1864. 43. Parables. The first of these parables, although usually attributed to Franklin, is of much earlier origin. It has been traced to Jeremy Taylor, a famous English divine of the seventeenth century, who probably obtained it from a still older source. 51. The Man without a Country. The story was originally published in 1861, just at the beginning of the Civil War. Edward Everett Hale, a Unitarian clergyman, and the writer of many helpful books, was born at Boston, 1822. 63. The Battle of Lexington. George Bancroft, a famous American historian and statesman, was born at Worcester, Massachusetts, 1800; died, 1891. — Louisburg, a fortress on the coast of Cape Breton, captured from the French by New England soldiers in 1745. 69. The Bell of Liberty. Joel T. Headley, a once popular American writer, was born in New York, 1813; died, 1897. 73. The Rising in 1776. Thomas Buchanan Read, an American poet and painter, born in Pennsylvania, 1822; died, 1872. This selection is an extract from "The Wagoner of the Alleghanies," published in 1862. 77. Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth. This is a selection from the historical novel entitled "Kenilworth." Sir Walter Scott, a famous poet and novelist, was born at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1771; died, 1832. liegeman: a subject of a sovereign or lord. 83. Silas Marner and Eppie. George Eliot (Marian Evans), one of the greatest of English novelists, was born in Warwickshire, England, 1819; died, 1880. 93. The Bell of Atri. This is an old story put into rhyme.- Syndic: a chief magistrate.-bryony (sometimes spelled, briony): a climbing vine resembling the cucumber. - Domeneddio: equivalent in English to "Lord, God." 101. The Mocking Bird. Alexander Wilson (1776-1813) was a Scottish-American naturalist. 102. The Water Ouzel. Water ouzel (or ousel): sometimes called the American dipper, a bird found among the mountains and along the rivers of the West. sierra: a ridge of mountains. (căn'yon): a narrow and very deep valley. cañon 107. The Daffodils. William Wordsworth (1770-1850), a famous English poet, was the author of many pleasing short poems relating to nature or to domestic subjects. 120. The Sea Voyage. Charles Lamb (1775–1834) was one of the 129. Oliver Goldsmith. This extract is from an essay by William 153. The American Flag. This famous patriotic lyric, written in 161. The Lost Child. Henry Kingsley (1830-1876) was an English 170. Hervé Riel. Hogue: a cape on the coast of Holland. The 189. The Battle of Blenheim. Blenheim is a village in Bavaria 192. Burial of Sir John Moore. Sir John Moore, a British general, 210. The Bells. Edgar Allan Poe, one of the most gifted of 213. Little Gavroche. This selection is an extract translated from 233. Speech and Silence. Thomas Carlyle, a celebrated essayist |