commandments, and knew well what was right and what was wrong. And
they believed (and that was what gave them courage) that the gods
loved men, and taught them, and that without the gods men were sure
to come to ruin. And in that they were right enough, as we know--
more right even than they thought; for without God we can do
nothing, and all wisdom comes from Him.

Now, you must not think of them in this book as learned men, living
in great cities, such as they were afterwards, when they wrought
all their beautiful works, but as country people, living in farms
and walled villages, in a simple, hard-working way; so that the
greatest kings and heroes cooked their own meals, and thought it no
shame, and made their own ships and weapons, and fed and harnessed
their own horses; and the queens worked with their maid-servants,
and did all the business of the house, and spun, and wove, and
embroidered, and made their husbands' clothes and their own. So
that a man was honoured among them, not because he happened to be
rich, but according to his skill, and his strength, and courage,
and the number of things which he could do. For they were but
grown-up children, though they were right noble children too; and
it was with them as it is now at school--the strongest and
cleverest boy, though he be poor, leads all the rest.

Now, while they were young and simple they loved fairy tales, as
you do now. All nations do so when they are young: our old
forefathers did, and called their stories 'Sagas.' I will read you
some of them some day--some of the Eddas, and the Voluspa, and
Beowulf, and the noble old Romances. The old Arabs, again, had
their tales, which we now call the 'Arabian Nights.' The old
Romans had theirs, and they called them 'Fabulae,' from which our