Excerpt from Warleigh, or the Fatal Oak, Vol. 1 of 3: A Legend of Devon Many of the traditions to which I have alluded (no doubt, like all other tales) lose nothing Of their wonders by transmission from generation to generation. Nevertheless, there is that of simplicity and nature about them, which may be considered a strong presumptive evidence that they are founded in truth: in some instances, also, they are confirmed by points of known history, with which they are, more or less, connected. For my own part, I confess that I have ever felt a great delight in collecting the fragments of such old stories as are nearly forgotten, or in danger of becoming extinct; and, whilst listening to a tale Of other times, I have not been so over critical as to Object to every thing that is told unless I could find confirmation of its truth (to adopt a vulgar but expressive phrase) in black and white. It may be a deception, - it may be credulity to listen to it; still the illusion is harmless: nor can it fail to be replete with lively associations, that engage the imagination, and call up many a reflecting mood on times and things long past away. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.