First Sentence

"IT may be asked why for so many years, during which ever so many books and articles have been published expressing undisguised contempt for Comparative Mythology, as understood by Sanskrit, and more particularly by Vedic scholars, and conveying the strongest condemnation of all the etymologies and mythological equations which had been proposed by myself and other comparative philologists, I should have remained silent and allowed the clamour to grow stronger and stronger."