In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric king,
whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened
by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors, were
still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of
him which was barbaric.
— "The Lady, or the Tiger?," Frank R. Stockton
Why does Stockton use an “olden time" setting instead
of a modern one?
It allows him to use big words and fancy language.
It is more likely that a king would be cruel in an old
setting
There can't be characters who are kings and
princesses today
A king from the past is more likely to make goods
decisions than a king today.

It is more likely that a king would be cruel in an old  setting

Explanation:

In the passage from "The Lady, or the Tiger?" the author Frank R. Stockton sets the story in "the olden time" because it is not to be expected to conceive such a barbaric king in modern times. Thus, the king's cruel and savagely brutal method of deciding at random whether the prince will be killed by a tiger or live to marry another woman rather than his daughter, is not likely to be found in contemporary times. As a result, the further in time, the atrocity of the king is more distant in regard.

what are the lines. come on!

you need to make an explanation. so, since you did not include one, so no one, and i mean no one can unfortunately you,