Produced by Karl Hagen, Tapio Riikonen and Online
Distributed Proofreaders
BYJOHN COPELAND KIRTLAND, Jr.Professor of Latin in The Phillips Exeter Academy
Some time ago a fellow-teacher brought the Fabulae Faciles to mynotice, and I have since used two of them each year with my class ofbeginners in Latin with increasing appreciation. Indeed, I know nothingbetter to introduce the student into the reading of connected narrative,and to bridge the great gulf between the beginner's book of theprevailing type and the Latinity of Caesar or Nepos. They are adapted tothis use not merely by reason of their simplicity and interest, but moreparticularly by the graduating of difficulties and the large use ofCaesarian words and phrases to which Mr. Ritchie calls attention in hispreface.
Doubtless many American teachers have become familiar with portions ofthe Fabulae, for they have been freely drawn upon in several Latinreaders recently published in this country. I venture to hope that thosewho have made the acquaintance of the work in this way will welcome acomplete edition.
In England the little book has had a large use. Its pedagogicalexcellencies are well summed up in a letter addressed to Mr. Ritchie bythe Very Rev. E.C. Wickham, formerly Head-Master of Wellington College,the well-known editor of Horace:—
"It launches the student at once in ancient life. The old classicalstories, simply told, seem to me much the best material for early Latinreading. They are abundantly interesting; they are taken for granted inthe real literature of the language; and they can be told withoutstarting the beginner on a wrong track by a barbarous mixture of ancientand modern ideas.
"It combines, if I may say so, very skilfully, the interest of acontinuous story, with the gradual and progressive introduction ofconstructions and idioms. These seem to me to be introduced at the rightmoment, and to be played upon long enough to make them thoroughlyfamiliar."
In revising Mr. Ritchie's book for the use of American schools it hasseemed best to make extensive changes. Long vowels have been markedthroughout, and the orthography of Latin words has been brought intoconformity with our practice. Many liberties have been taken with thetext itself, especially in the latter part, in the way of making itapproximate more closely to our rather strict notions of the standards ofmodel prose. A few words and uses of words not found in the prose writersof the republic have been retained, but nothing, it is hoped, that willseriously mislead the young student. I shall welcome any criticism thatmay lead to further changes in the text in future editions.
The notes are entirely new, and are intended for students who have butjust finished the beginner's book or have not yet finished it. Some notesmay appear at first sight unnecessary or unnecessarily hard, but thereason for their insertion should be evident when the student begins thereading of classical Latin, the difficulties of which will be less likelyto appal the beginner if some of them have been already conquered. Ibelieve it a mistake to postpone all treatment of the uses of thesubjunctive, for instance, or of the