Folks who believed in dragons as sincerely as that, must have gone in terror in many places where we should go with no particular emotion.

A picture of a dragon to them would mean much more than it would to us.

So if we are really to understand old pictures, we must begin by understanding the fancies of the artists who painted them, and of the people they were painted for.

You see how much study that means for any one who wants to understand all the art of all the world.
We shall not pretend to lead you on any such great quest as that, but ask you to look at just a few old pictures that have been found charming by a great many people of several generations, and to try and see whether they do not charm you as well.

You must never, of course, pretend to like what you don't like--that is too silly.