Produced by William Flis, Keren Vergon, and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.
[Illustration]
The present volume contains all the stories and verses for childrenwhich we know Charles and Mary Lamb to have written. The text is thatof the first or second editions, as explained in the Notes. ThePoetry for Children and Prince Dorus have been set up from the lateAndrew W. Tuer's facsimiles. The large edition of this volume containsall the original pictures, together with the apochryphal Beauty andthe Beast.
In Mr. Bedford's design for the cover of this edition certain Eliansymbolism will be found. The upper coat of arms is that of Christ'sHospital, where Lamb was at school; the lower is that of the InnerTemple, where he was born and spent many years. The figures at thebells are those which once stood out from the façade of St. Dunstan'sChurch in Fleet Street, and are now in Lord Londesborough's garden inRegent's Park. Lamb shed tears when they were removed. The tricksysprite and the candles (brought by Betty) need no explanatory words ofmine.
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Preface 1
The Tempest 3
A Midsummer Night's Dream 13
The Winter's Tale 23
Much Ado About Nothing 33
As You Like It 44
The Two Gentlemen of Verona 58
The Merchant of Venice 69
Cymbeline 81
King Lear 92
Macbeth 106
All's Well that Ends Well 115
The Taming of the Shrew 126
The Comedy of Errors 136
Measure for Measure 148
Twelfth Night; or, What You Will 161
Timon of Athens 173
Romeo and Juliet 184
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark 199
Othello 213
Pericles, Prince of Tyre 225
Preface 240CHAPTER I. The Cicons—The fruit of the lotos tree—Polyphemus and the Cyclops—The kingdom of the winds, and god Æolus's fatal present—The Læstrygonian man-eaters 241CHAPTER II. The House of Circe—Men changed into beasts—The voyage to hell—The banquet of the dead 250CHAPTER III. The song of the Sirens—Scylla and Charybdis—The oxen of the Sun