Croper, thomas Propton FAIRY LEGENDS AND Traditions OF THE SOUTH OF IRELAND. 7.C. Crobi Second Edition. "Come l' afaba Fenice Che ci sia, ognun lo dice; Dove sia, nessun lo sa."-METASTASIO, LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET; AND MDCCCXXXVIII. P R E F A СЕ. of a book." THE erudite Lessing styles a preface" the history Now, though there can be no necessity for a preface in that sense of the word to the reprint of a work of mere whim, which has been nearly ten years before the public, yet a few words are requisite to prevent the present condensed and revised edition from being considered an abridg ment. However compact may be the mode of printing adopted, the act of compressing into one volume the three in which the "Fairy Legends" originally appeared, involved to a certain extent the necessity of selection, perhaps the most difficult of all tasks judiciously to perform; but the following statement will show the system proceeded on. Forty tales descriptive of Irish superstitions now appear instead of fifty. All superfluous annotations have been struck out, and a brief summary at the end of each section substituted, expla 280545 |