English Prose and Verse
Pancoast, Henry Spackman Excerpt from English Prose and Verse: From Beowulf to StevensonTranslation or modernization was necessary if the earlier literature were to be made generally accessible, but the original texts have been changed as little as was consistent with this object, and in many cases obsolete words or quaint and unusual expressions have been retained and-explained. In order that the student may have some idea of the nature and extent of these changes, a...