"TO tell "why, " simply and clearly, is the exceedingly ambitious aim of this book. Not "how, " which is the archaeologist"s affair, but "why, "-why the Forum of Rome became the centre of the nation"s life, why the Romans wore white togas, why the public Treasury was under Saturn"s charge, why the basilicas were built why the donkeys were decked with cakes during Vesta"s festival, why the temples stood on high foundations, why the magnificent monuments crumbled into ruins, and many other "whys" that travelers wish to know, that historical readers seek, that young students enjoy. The stories are but retold, the facts restated, but no legend is narrated, no statement made, that is unvouched for by a recognized authority. It may be added that the illustrations have been inserted more as aids to the imagination than as material for scientific study. "