Preface.

The following Tales are meant to be submitted to the young reader as an introduction to the study of Shakespeare, for which purpose his words are used whenever it seemed possible to bring them in; and in whatever has been added to give them the regular form of a connected story, diligent care has been taken to select such words as might least interrupt the effect of the beautifull English tongue in which he wrote: therefore words introduced into our language since his time have been as far as possible avoided.

...I have wished to make these Tales easy reading for very small children. To the utmost of my ability I have constantly kept this in my mind;... When time and leave of judicious friends shall put them into your hands [the original plays], you will discover in such of them as are here abridged (not to mention almost as many more which are left untouched,) many surprising events and turns of fortune, which, for their infinite variety, could not be contained in this little book, besides a world of sprightly and cheerful characters, both men and women, the humour of which I was fearful of losing if I attempted to reduce the length of them.

What these Tales have been to you in childhood, that and much more it is my wish that the true Plays of Shakespeare may prove to you in older years—enrichers of the fancy, strenghtheners of virtue, a withdrawing from all selfish and mercenary thoughts, a lesson of all sweet and honourable thoughts and actions, to teach you courtesy, benignity, generosity, humanity: for of examples, teaching these virtues, his pages are full.

From the book