Hodder & Sioughton Tne, Fee Fiswms—J. Buchan, Hodder Stoughton Davia ano Disriny.—I. Hay, Modder Stoughton.
Tue. Ponrcutuas Roos—V. Williams Wodder Stoughton Dean iw ition "Socrert—I, Holden, Keean Paul Gown RurrieC. Roberts, Modder Stoughton adaptation Is the story of Buddha' protected childhood and youth, exempt from knowledge "of pain and dis and serves preface to conversion Christianity.
Josaphat is the son of Avennir, heathen king of India. At the boy's birth astrologers foretell that he wil become a Christian. To prevent this the king has a rich hall prepare for his son to live in, and commands intermingled in the most audacious manner with native lore about trolls and giants and witches to form what the Icelanders with fine irony called lyglsogur, "lying sagas."
Christianity and the Latin alphabet came together to the far north from Rome. Therefore even the earliest of the native literature was written down under the auspices of the new religion. To be sure, the Christianity of Teelandic authors' did not prevent them from retaining a keen interest in the deeds and pagan bel their unregenerate ancestors. Equivalents of the old gods and heroes appear in various forms in the ro: mantic or lying sagas.
One of the most interesting cases of oriental indebtedness is found legend dating from about 1200, "Barlaams saga ok Josaphats." This ich (or sorrow in this life, not with death oF age or any" kind of "luess Poverty, "or "anything which might Giminish is Joy_and delight... One Whenever "a servant. of this" house fell il oF died, the king lace another in hia stent his spirit might" not be saddened.
'There sagas. give an' insight into the cultural influences which were Drought to bear in the middle ages fon this remote but highly civilized Island. There is evident much wandering and adventure onthe part of a restless people, far-fung, trade and a lively interest in other peoples. The technical problems involved have mot been touched in this review—but enough has been said to show the rich material which awaits the medievalist—r.xts port librarians and ether book: at extremely reasonable prleon
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.