Introductory Note: Socrates and Plato

Introductory note on Socrates and Plato (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)

The Apology of Socrates, by Plato

Condemned for impiety, Socrates felt so justified in the virtue of his past action that instead of receiving a death sentence, he told the judges he should be maintained at public expense as a public benefactor. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)

Introductory Note: Ernest Renan

Introductory note on Ernest Renan (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)

The Poetry of the Celtic Races (Ch. II), by Ernest Renan

Chessboards on which, of their own accord, black pieces played against white; chariots that swiftly turned hither and yon without a driver; pots in which a coward's meat would not cook --- all these are woven into bewitching stories. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)

Introductory Note: Dante Alighieri

Introductory note on Dante Alighieri (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)

The Divine Comedy (Inferno XXV-XXVII), by Dante Alighieri

The best part of the Divine Comedy for a few minutes' reading is the "Inferno." There the reader finds the most vivid descriptions, the most startling and unforgettable pictures. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)

Dante born May 15, 1265.

Introductory Note: Edward Jenner

Introductory note on Robert Burns (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)

An Inquiry Into the Causes and Effects of the Variolæ Vaccinæ, Or Cow-Pox, by Edward Jenner

Edward Jenner found that disease in the heel of a horse, transmitted through a cow to the dairy attendants, was an agent in making human beings immune from smallpox. His amazing experiments inaugurated a new epoch. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)

Edward Jenner makes his first vaccination May 14, 1796.

Introductory Note: Robert Burns

Introductory note on Robert Burns (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)

The Two Dogs, by Robert Burns

Two dogs fell a-gossiping about their masters and about a dog's life among the humble Scotch folk. Each "rejoic'd they werena men but dogs; an' each took aff his several way." (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)