Excerpt from Lycidas Why is it thought necessary to edit the English Classics, after the manner of the Ancient, with copious notes? As a rule there are few things told in the notes appended to many editions that the average student could not, with a little diligence, find out for himself be merely needs to be put in the way of find ing them out. To clear the way of obstacles is to fore stall the very discipline that develops independent investigation. There is no surer way of making mental parasites than that of having everything served up in delectable notes. A boy with a nut only needs something with which to crack it in order to get at the kernel. With histories, dictionaries, and encyclo paadias to be found in every community, the student can do for himself almost everything that is usually done for him in the way of notes. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.