Edmund Gosse, _The Realm_, 1895 436

92. Steele's Letters
Austin Dobson, _Eighteenth Century Vignettes_ 441

93. A Defence of Nonsense
G. K. Chesterton, _The Defendant_ 446

94. The Colour of Life
Alice Meynell, _The Colour of Life_ 450

95. A Funeral
E. V. Lucas, _Character and Comedy_ 453

96. Fires
" " _Fireside and Sunshine_ 456

97. The Last Gleeman
W. B. Yeats, _The Celtic Twilight_ 462

98. A Brother of St. Francis
Grace Rhys, _The Vineyard_ 467

99. The Pilgrim's Way
Edward Thomas, _The South Country_ 469

100. On a Great Wind
H. Belloc, _First and Last_ 471

A CENTURY OF ESSAYS

A PRINTER'S PROLOGUE

After that I had accomplished and finished divers histories, as well
of contemplation as of other historical and worldly acts of great
conquerors and princes, and also of certain books of ensamples and
doctrine, many noble and divers gentlemen of this realm of England,
came and demanded me, many and ofttimes, why that I did not cause to
be imprinted the noble history of the Sancgreal, and of the most
renowned Christian king, first and chief of the three best Christian
and worthy, King Arthur, which ought most to be remembered among us
Englishmen, before all other Christian kings; for it is notoriously
known, through the universal world, that there be nine worthy and the
best that ever were, that is, to wit, three Paynims, three Jews, and
three Christian men. As for the Paynims, they were before the
Incarnation of Christ, which were named, the first, Hector of Troy, of
whom the history is common, both in ballad and in prose; the second,
Alexander the Great; and the third, Julius Caesar, Emperor of Rome, of
which the histories be well known and had. And as for the three Jews,
which also were before the Incarnation of our Lord, of whom the first
was Duke Joshua, which brought the children of Israel into the land of
behest; the second was David, King of Jerusalem; and the third Judas
Maccabeus. Of these three, the Bible rehearseth all their noble
histories and acts. And, since the said Incarnation, have been thr