From the author's preface: "It was remarked recently by a writer in The Times, propos of the centenary of Waverley, that a book might rank as a classic if it had retained popular favour a hundred years. The Orlando Furioso has stood this test for four times that period... There can be no question that both as a writer and as a man Ariosto has come out all the stronger after the exposure to the fierce light of modern criticism." At the time of original publication in 1914, J. Shield Nicholson was Professor of Political Economy in the University of Edinburgh.