Without the Loss of a Syllable or Letter

"We see then how far the monuments of wit and learning are more durable than the monuments of power, or of the hands. For have not the verses of Homer continued twenty-five hundred years, or more, without the loss of a syllable or letter; during which time infinite palaces, time, temples, castles, cities have been decayed and demolished?~ Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626) English statesman, author, scientist.
"Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind, which are delivered down from generation to generation, as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn."
~ Joseph Addison (1672 - 1719) English essayist, poet.

"When others fail him, the wise man looks to the sure companionship of books." ~ Andrew Lang (1844 - 1912) Scottish writer ~ famous for the "coloured" fairy books.

Quotations from Lines to Live By, Edited by Clinton T. Howell, Thomas Nelson Publishers 1972.