Epigraph
“One... calling himself... Knight of the Golden Melice.”
Winthrop’s History of New England.
Alles weiderholt sich nur im Leben;
Ewig jung ist nur die Fantasie:
Was sich nie und nirgends hat begeben,
Das allein veraltet nie!
Shiller.
Note
To whom but to yourself; my H., should I dedicate this Romance, which may be said to be the fruit of our mutual studies? With what delight I have watched the unfolding, like a beautiful flower, of your youthful mind, while instead of indulging in frivolous pursuits, so common to your age, you have applied yourself to the acquiring of useful knowledge as well as of elegant accomplishments, none but a parent can know. Accept what I have written, my darling, as a tribute to a love which makes the happiness of my life.
J.T.A.