Romantic tales - 1809 Author:Matthew Gregory Lewis Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PREFACE. I AM equally unwilling to take any merit to myself, which does not justly belong to me, and to de-' prive another of that praise, which is his due , ... more »but I find it difficult to point out exactly, what portion of the following work is my individual property. Even in those Tales, which are least my own, I have made so many and such important alterations, omissions, and interpolations, that it would have been less trouble to write an entire new work ; but I doubt not, any such work composed by my own unassisted abilities, would have been greatly inferior to the present. I this dilemma, I believe, the best and shortest way will be to request my readers, to ascribe whatever pleases them to the authors of the original Tales, and to lay all the faults at my door. However, what little information I can give respecting this work, shall be laid before the public, and in as few words as possible " MISTRUST"" THE ANACONDA" " MY UNCLE'S GARRET WINDOW" " AMORASSAN" Are of a German origin. In particular, the idea of u Mistrust" was suggested by a Tragedy, from which I have borrowed a great part of the plot, and one ofthe most striking scenes: I have also occasionally inserted in my Narrative such speeches as pleased me. "THE ADMIRAL GUARINO" KING RODRIGO's FALL" Are translations (and I believe very faithful ones) of two ancient Spanish Romances. BERTRAND AND MARY-BELLE" " THE LORD OF FALKENSTEIN" Are in a great measure taken from some fragments of old German Ballads. SIR GUY THE SEEKER" Is founded npon a tradition current in Northumberland.Indeed, an adventure nearly similar to Sir Guy's, is said to have taken place in various parts of Great Britain, particularly on the Pentland Hills in, Scotland, (where the prisoners are supposed t...« less