The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault
Ogre's, had a mind to go into it. Puss, who heard the noise of his
Majesty's coach running over the drawbridge, ran out and said to the
King:
"Your Majesty is welcome to this castle of my lord Marquis of
Carabas."
"What! my lord Marquis?" cried the King, "and does this castle also
belong to you? There can be nothing finer than this court, and all the
stately buildings which surround it; let us go into it, if you
please."
The Marquis gave his hand to the Princess, and followed the King,
who went up first. They passed into a spacious hall, where they found
a magnificent collation which the Ogre had prepared for his friends,
who were that very day to visit him, but dared not to enter knowing
the King was there. His Majesty was perfectly charmed with the good
qualities of my lord Marquis of Carabas, as was his daughter who was
fallen violently in love with him; and seeing the vast estate he
possessed, said to him, after having drank five or six glasses:
"It will be owing to yourself only, my lord Marquis, if you are not my
son-in-law."
The Marquis making several low bows, accepted the honour which his
Majesty conferred upon him, and forthwith, that very same day, married
the Princess.
Puss became a great lord, and never ran after mice any more, but only
for his diversion.
_The Moral_
_How advantageous it may be,
By long descent of pedigree,
T'enjoy a great estate,
Yet knowledge how to act, we see,
Join'd with consummate industry,
(Nor wonder ye thereat)
Doth often prove a greater boon,
As should be to young people known._
_Another_
_If the son of a miller so soon gains the heart
Of a beautiful princess, and makes her impart
Sweet languishing glances, eyes melting for love,
It must be remark'd of fine clothes how they move,
And that youth, a good face, a good air, with good mien,
Are not always indifferent mediums to win
The love of the fair, and gently inspire
The flames of sweet passion, and tender desire._
_Cinderilla; or, The Little Glass Slipper_
Cinderilla or The Little Glass Slipper
Once there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the
proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. She had, by a
former husband, two daughters of her own humour and they were indeed
exactly like her in all things. He had likewise, by another wife, a
young daughter, but of unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper,
which she took from her mother, who was the best creature in the
world.
No sooner were the ceremonies of the wedding over, but the stepmother
began to shew herself in her colours. She could not bear the good
qualities of this pretty girl; and the less, because they made her own
daughters appear the more odious. She employed her in the meanest work
of the house; she scoured the dishes, tables, &c. and rubbed Madam's
chamber, and those of Misses, her daughters; she lay up in a sorry
garret, upon a wretched straw-bed, while her sisters lay in fine
rooms, with floors all inlaid, upon beds of the very newest fashion,
and where they had looking-glasses so large, that they might see
themselves at their full length, from head to foot.
The poor girl bore all patiently, and dared not tell her father, who
would have rattled her off; for his wife governed him intirely. When
she had done her work, she used to go into the chimney-corner, and
sit down among cinders and ashes, which made her commonly be called
Cinder-breech; but the youngest, who was not so rude and uncivil as
the eldest, called her Cinderilla. However, Cinderilla,
notwithstanding her mean apparel, was a hundred times handsomer than
her sisters, tho' they were always dressed very richly.
It happened that the King's son gave a ball, and invited all persons
of fashion to it. Our young misses were also invited; for they cut a
very grand figure among the quality. They were mightily delighted at
this invitation, and wonderfully busy in chusing out such gowns,
petticoats, and head-clothes as might best become them. This was a new
trouble to Cinderilla; for it was she who ironed her sisters' linen,
and plaited their ruffles; they talked all day long of nothing but how
they should be dressed. "For my part," said the eldest, "I will wear
my red velvet suit, with French trimming." "And I," said the youngest,
"shall only have my usual petticoat; but then, to make amends for
that, I will put on my gold-flowered manteau, and my diamond
stomacher, which is far from being the most ordinary one in the
world." They sent for the best tire-woman they could get, to make up
their head-dresses, and adjust their double-pinners,[3] and they had
their red brushes, and patches from the fashionable maker.
[Footnote 3: 'Pinners' were coifs with two long side-flaps pinned on.
'Double-pinners'--with two side-flaps on each side--accurately
translates the French _cornettes à deux rangs_.]
Cinderilla was likewise called up to them to be consulted in all these
matters, for she had excellent notions, and advised them always for
the best, nay and offered her service to dress their heads, which they
were very willing she should do. As she was doing this, they said to
her:
"Cinderilla, would you not be glad to go to the ball?"
"Ah!" said she, "you only jeer at me; it is not for such as I am to go
thither."
"Thou art in the right of it," replied they, "it would make the people
laugh to see a Cinder-breech at a ball."
Any one but Cinderilla would have dressed their heads awry, but she
was very good, and dressed them perfectly well. They were almost two
days without eating, so much they were transported with joy; they
broke above a dozen of laces in trying to be laced up close, that they
might have a fine slender shape, and they were continually at their
looking-glass. At last the happy day came; they went to Court, and
Cinderilla followed them with her eyes as long as she could, and when
she had lost sight of them she fell a-crying.
Her godmother, who saw her all in tears, asked her what was the
matter.
"I wish I could----, I wish I could--;" she was not able to speak the
rest, being interrupted by her tears and sobbing.
This godmother of hers, who was a Fairy, said to her:
"Thou wishest thou couldest go to the ball, is it not so?"
"Y--es," cried Cinderilla, with a great sigh.
"Well," said her godmother, "be but a good girl, and I will contrive
that thou shalt go." Then she took her into her chamber, and said to
her:
"Run into the garden, and bring me a pumpkin."
Cinderilla went immediately to gather the finest she could get, and
brought it to her godmother, not being able to imagine how this
pumpkin could make her go to the ball. Her godmother scooped out all
the inside of it, leaving nothing but the rind; which done, she struck
it with her wand, and the pumpkin was instantly turned into a fine
coach, gilded all over with gold.
She then went to look into her mouse-trap, where she found six mice
all alive, and ordered Cinderilla to lift up a little the trap-door,
when giving each mouse, as it went out, a little tap with her wand,
the mouse was at that moment turned into a fair horse, which
altogether made a very fine set of six horses of a beautiful
mouse-coloured dapple-grey.
Being at a loss for a coachman, "I will go and see," says Cinderilla,
"if there be never a rat in the rat-trap, that we may make a coachman
of him."
"Thou art in the right," replied her godmother; "go and look."
Cinderilla brought the trap to her, and in it there were three huge
rats. The Fairy made choice of one of the three, which had the largest
beard, and, having touched him with her wand, he was turned into a fat
jolly coachman, who had the smartest whiskers eyes ever beheld.
After that, she said to her:
"Go again into the garden, and you will find six lizards behind the
watering pot; bring them to me."
She had no sooner done so, but her godmother turned them into six
footmen, who skipped up immediately behind the coach, with their
liveries all bedaubed with gold and silver, and clung as close behind
it, as if they had done nothing else their whole lives. The Fairy then
said to Cinderilla:
"Well, you see here an equipage fit to go to the ball with; are you
not pleased with it?"
"O yes," cried she, "but must I go thither as I am, in these poison
nasty rags?"
Her godmother only just touched her with her wand, and, at the same
instant, her clothes were turned into cloth of gold and silver, all
beset with jewels. This done she gave her a pair of glass-slippers,[4]
the prettiest in the whole world.
[Footnote 4: In Perrault's tale: _pantoufles de verre_. There is no
doubt that in the medieval versions of this ancient tale Cinderilla
was given _pantoufles de vair_--_i.e._, of a grey, or grey and white,
fur, the exact nature of which has been a matter of controversy, but
which was probably a grey squirrel. Long before the seventeenth
century the word _vair_ had passed out of use, except as a heraldic
term, and had ceased to convey any meaning to the people. Thus the
_pantoufles de vair_ of the fairy tale became, in the oral tradition,
the homonymous _pantoufles de verre_, or glass slippers, a delightful
improvement on the earlier version.]
Being thus decked out, she got up into her coach; but her godmother,
above all things, commanded her not to stay till after midnight,
telling her, at the same time, that if she stayed at the ball one
moment longer, her coach would be a pumpkin again, her horses mice,
her coachman a rat, her footmen lizards, and her clothes become just
as they were before.
She promised her godmother, she would not fail of leaving the ball
before midnight; and then away she drove, scarce able to contain
herself for joy. The King's son, who was told that a great Princess,
whom nobody knew, was come, ran out to receive her; he gave her his
hand as she alighted out of the coach, and led her into the hall,
among all the company. There was immediately a profound silence, they
left off dancing, and the violins ceased to play, so attentive was
every one to contemplate the singular beauty of this unknown new
comer. Nothing was then heard but a confused noise of,
"Ha! how handsome she is! Ha! how handsome she is!"
The King himself, old as he was, could not help ogling her, and
telling the Queen softly, "that it was a long time since he had seen
so beautiful and lovely a creature." All the ladies were busied in
considering her clothes and head-dress, that they might have some made
next day after the same pattern, provided they could meet with such
fine materials, and as able hands to make them.
The King's son conducted her to the most honourable seat, and
afterwards took her out to dance with him: she danced so very
gracefully, that they all more and more admired her. A fine collation
was served up, whereof the young Prince ate not a morsel, so intently
was he busied in gazing on her. She went and sat down by her sisters,
shewing them a thousand civilities, giving them part of the oranges
and citrons which the Prince had presented her with; which very much
surprised them, for they did not know her.
While Cinderilla was thus amusing her sisters, she heard the clock
strike eleven and three quarters, whereupon she immediately made a
curtesy to the company, and hasted away as fast as she could.
Being got home, she ran to seek out her godmother, and after having