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CHAPTER III.

THE PLEASANT NIGHTS-THE

DANCING WATER,

THE

SINGING APPLE AND THE BEAUTIFUL GREEN BIRDTHE THREE LITTLE BIRDS-LACTANTIUS-ULYSSES AND SINDBAD.

HAVING shown, then, that a tale of the Thousand and One Nights was known in Europe in the thirteenth century, I might consider my theory established. To make, however, assurance doubly sure, I will show that one of them was printed in the sixteenth century.

In the year 1550 appeared at Venice, under the title of the Pleasant Nights (Le Notti Piacevoli), a collection of tales written by a person named Straparola. They are divided into thirteen Nights, and are seventy-four in number. Though some of them are very indelicate, the author assures us that they are not his, but that he heard them from the lips of ten young ladies. It is probable, however, that this is merely a literary artifice, and that he picked up the tales wherever he found them. At all events, they seem not to be any of them his own invention.

The following is the third story of the Fourth Night:

THE DANCING WATER, THE SINGING APPLE AND THE BEAUTIFUL GREEN BIRD.

In Provino, a famous and royal city, dwelt in times past three sisters, fair of face, polished in manners, and correct in conduct, but of low extraction; for they were the daughters of one Master Rigo, a baker, who baked other people's bread in his oven. One of them was called Brunora, the other Lionella, and the third Chiaretta.

As these three maidens were one day all together in their garden, in which they took great delight, Ancilotto, the king, passed by with much company, on his way to amuse himself at the chase. Brunora, who was the eldest, seeing such a fine and honourable company, said to her sisters, "If I had the king's major-domo for a husband, I would undertake to satisfy the whole court with a single glass of wine." "And I will make this boast," said Lionella,-" if I had the king's privy chamberlain for a husband, I would with a rock of my thread make so much linen, that I should supply the whole court with the finest and most beautiful shirts." "And I will declare," said Chiaretta, "that if I had the king for my husband, I would bear him three children, two boys and a girl, at a birth, and each of them would have its hair hanging down on its shoulders, mixed with the finest gold, and a collar round its neck, and a star in its forehead."

These words were overheard by one of the

courtiers, who immediately rode up to the king and informed him exactly of all that the girls had been saying. The king had them brought before him, and asked them one after the other what it was they had said when they were together in the garden. They all three, with the utmost respect, repeated in order what they had been saying. King Ancilotto was greatly pleased with them, and he did not leave the spot till the major-domo had taken Brunora, the chamberlain Lionella, and himself Chiaretta to wife: and giving up all idea of going to the chase, they all returned home, when the nuptials were celebrated with great pomp.

The king's mother was greatly displeased at his marriage; for although the maiden was of a beautiful and agreeable countenance, of a handsome person, and expressed herself with the utmost sweetness, yet as she was of a mean and low origin, she was not suited to the greatness and power of the king: neither could his mother in any way endure that a major-domo and a chamberlain should be called the brothers-in-law of her son. Her hatred to her daughter-in-law became, therefore, so intense, that she could not hear of her, much less see her. However, not to grieve her son, she kept her hatred concealed in her own bosom.

It came to pass, according to the pleasure of Him who ruleth all, that the queen proved with child. This caused the greatest joy to the king,

who was now in the utmost raptures, expecting to see the beautiful progeny which she had promised him. Having, however, to journey to another country, and to stay there a few days, he most earnestly commended to his mother the queen, and the children which she should bear. And though she did not love her daughter-in-law, or even wish to see her, still she made lavish promises to her son that she would take good care of them.

Soon after the king had taken leave and set out on his journey, the queen lay-in of three children, two males and one female, and all three, exactly as she had promised the king before marriage, had their hair hanging down in ringlets on their shoulders, with handsome chains round their necks, and stars on their foreheads. The cruel and malignant mother of the king, devoid of all pity, and inflamed with mortal and destructive hatred, as soon as the three dear infants were born, resolved, without ever changing her perfidious design, to put them all to death, so that they should never more be heard of, and the queen should fall into disgrace with the king. Besides this, ever since Chiaretta had been queen and ruled over all, her two sisters had conceived the greatest possible envy of her, and with their arts and practices continually laboured to increase the hatred of the foolish queen-mother against her. Now it happened just at the time that the queen lay-in, a shepherd's bitch had had three whelps in the

court-yard, two male and one female, with stars on their faces, and a sort of ring round their necks. The two envious sisters, moved by a diabolical spirit, took the three puppies from the dugs of their mother, and brought them to the cruel mother-in-law, and having made the due reverence, said to her, "We know, madam, that your highness has little love and affection for our sister, and justly so, for she is of low origin; and a woman of such mean blood as she is of, is not suited to your son and our king. We, therefore, knowing your desire, are come hither, and have brought three puppies, that have stars in their foreheads, in order that we may have your opinion."

The

The queen-mother was greatly delighted at this, and she resolved to present them to her daughter-in-law, who did not as yet know what she had brought forth, and to tell her that these were the children she had borne. And that there might be no discovery, the wicked old woman desired the nurse to tell the queen that the children she had lain-in of were three little puppies. mother-in-law, then, and the queen's sisters, and the nurse, went all together to the queen, and said, "Behold! O queen! the result of your fine lyingin. Keep it, that the king when he comes may see the beautiful fruit you have produced." And having said these words, the nurse put the little dogs beside her, comforting her withal, and telling her not to despair, for that things of this kind were wont now and then to befall great personages.