he present series.
Originally they were to be exclusively written in English, but as it
was desired that they should be as characteristic as possible, and not
merely extracted from reference books, but real studies of the various
authors and their works, it was decided that the editors should write
them in their own native language.

Whenever it has been possible each volume has been adorned with a
portrait of the author at the time he wrote his book.

In conclusion, I wish to repeat here what I have said in the General
Preface to the 'Oxford Modern French Series,' that 'those who speak a
modern language best invariably possess a good literary knowledge of
it.' This has been endorsed by the best teachers in this and other
countries, and is a generally admitted fact. The present series by
providing works of high literary merit will certainly facilitate the
acquisition of the French language--a tongue which perhaps more than any
other offers a variety of literary specimens which, for beauty of style,
depth of sentiment, accuracy and neatness of expression, may be equalled
but not surpassed.

LEON DELBOS.

OXFORD, _December_, 1905.

INTRODUCTION

Victor Hugo's conception of the scheme of the series of poems to which
he gave the title of _La Legende des Siecles_ is thus described in
the preface to the first scenes: 'Exprimer l'humanite dans une espece
d'oeuvre cyclique; la peindre successivement et simultanement sous tous
ses aspects, histoire, fable, philosophie, religion, science, lesquels
se resument en un seul et immense mouvement d'ascension vers la lumiere;
faire apparaitre, dans une sorte de miroir sombre et clair--que
l'interruption naturelle de travaux terrestres brisera probablement
avant qu'il ait la dimension revee par l'auteur--cette grande figure une
et multiple, lugubre et rayonnante, faible et sacree, L'Homme.' The poet
thus dreamt of a vast epic, of which the central figure should be no
mythical or legendary hero, but Man himself, conceived as struggling
upwards from the darkness of barbarism to the light of a visionary
golden age. Every epoch was to be painted in its dominant
characteristic, every aspect of human thought was to find its fitting
expression. The first series could pretend to no such completeness,
but the poet promised that the gaps should be filled up in succeeding
volumes. It cannot be said that this stupendous design was ever carried
out. The first volumes, which were publi