English Fairy Tales Part 25

The first said: "Let her be struck with leprosy in her face."

The second: "Let her voice be as harsh as a corn-crake's."

The third said: "Let her have for husband but a poor country cobbler."

Well, she goes on till she came to a town, and it being market-day, the people looked at her, and, seeing such a mangy face, and hearing such a squeaky voice, all fled but a poor country cobbler. Now he not long before had mended the shoes of an old hermit, who, having no money gave him a box of ointment for the cure of the leprosy, and a bottle of spirits for a harsh voice. So the cobbler having a mind to do an act of charity, was induced to go up to her and ask her who she was.

"I am," said she, "the King of Colchester's daughter-in-law."

"Well," said the cobbler, "if I restore you to your natural complexion, and make a sound cure both in face and voice, will you in reward take me for a husband?"

"Yes, friend," replied she, "with all my heart!"

With this the cobbler applied the remedies, and they made her well in a few weeks; after which they were married, and so set forward for the Court at Colchester. When the queen found that her daughter had married nothing but a poor cobbler, she hanged herself in wrath. The death of the queen so pleased the king, who was glad to get rid of her so soon, that he gave the cobbler a hundred pounds to quit the Court with his lady, and take to a remote part of the kingdom, where he lived many years mending shoes, his wife spinning the thread for him.

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NOTES AND REFERENCES

In the following notes I give first the _source_ whence I obtained the various tales. Then come _parallels_ in some fulness for the United Kingdom, but only a single example for foreign countries, with a bibliographical reference where further variants can be found. Finally, a few _remarks_ are sometimes added where the tale seems to need it. In two cases (Nos. xvi. and xxi.) I have been more full.

I. TOM t.i.t TOT.

_Source_.--Unearthed by Mr. E. Clodd from the "Suffolk Notes and Queries" of the _Ipswich Journal_, and reprinted by him in a paper on "The Philosophy of Rumpelstiltskin" in _Folk-Lore Journal_, vii. 138-43.

I have reduced the Suffolk dialect.

_Parallels_.--In Yorkshire this occurs as "Habetrot and Scantlie Mab,"

in Henderson's _Folk-Lore of Northern Counties_, 221-6; in Devonshire as "Duffy and the Devil" in Hunt's _Romances and Drolls of the West of England_, 239-47; in Scotland two variants are given by Chambers, _Popular Rhymes of Scotland_, under the t.i.tle "Whuppity Stourie." The "name-guessing wager" is also found in "Peerifool", printed by Mr.

Andrew Lang in _Longman's Magazine_, July 1889, also _Folk-Lore_, September, 1890. It is clearly the same as Grimm's "Rumpelstiltskin"

(No. 14); for other Continental parallels see Mr. Clodd's article, and Cosquin, _Contes pop. de Lorraine_, i. 269 _seq_.

_Remarks_.--One of the best folk-tales that have ever been collected, far superior to any of the continental variants of this tale with which I am acquainted. Mr. Clodd sees in the cla.s.s of name-guessing stories, a "survival" of the superst.i.tion that to know a man's name gives you power over him, for which reason savages object to tell their names. It may be necessary, I find, to explain to the little ones that Tom t.i.t can only be referred to as "that," because his name is not known till the end.

II. THE THREE SILLIES.

_Source_.--From _Folk-Lore Journal_, ii. 40-3; to which it was communicated by Miss C. Burne.

_Parallels_.--Prof. Stephens gave a variant from his own memory in _Folk-Lore Record_, iii. 155, as told in Ess.e.x at the beginning of the century. Mr. Toulmin Smith gave another version in _The Const.i.tutional_, July 1, 1853, which was translated by his daughter, and contributed to _Melusine_, t. ii. An Oxfordshire version was given in _Notes and Queries_, April 17, 1852. It occurs also in Ireland, Kennedy, _Fireside Stories_, p. 9. It is Grimm's _Kluge Else_, No. 34, and is spread through the world. Mr. Clouston devotes the seventh chapter of his _Book of Noodles_ to the Quest of the Three Noodles.

III. THE ROSE TREE.

_Source_.--From the first edition of Henderson's _Folk-Lore of Northern Counties_, p. 314, to which it was communicated by the Rev. S.

Baring-Gould.

_Parallels_.--This is better known under the t.i.tle, "Orange and Lemon,"

and with the refrain:

"My mother killed me, My father picked my bones, My little sister buried me, Under the marble stones."

I heard this in Australia. Mr. Jones Gives part of it in _Folk Tales of the Magyars_, 418-20, and another version occurs in 4 _Notes and Queries_, vi. 496. Mr. I. Gollancz informs me he remembers a version ent.i.tled "Pepper, Salt, and Mustard," with the refrain just given.

Abroad it is Grimm's "Juniper Tree" (No. 47), where see further parallels. The German rhyme is sung by Margaret in the mad scene of Goethe's "Faust."

IV. OLD WOMAN AND PIG.

_Source_.--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes and Tales_, 114.

_Parallels_.--_Cf._ Miss Burne, _Shropshire Folk-Lore_, 529; also No.

x.x.xiv. _infra_ ("Cat and Mouse"). It occurs also in Scotch, with the t.i.tle "The Wife and her Bush of Berries," Chambers's _Pop. Rhymes_, p.

57. Newell, _Games and Songs of American Children_, gives a game named "Club-fist" (No. 75), founded on this, and in his notes refers to German, Danish, and Spanish variants. (_Cf._ Cosquin, ii. 36 _seq._)

_Remarks_.--One of the cla.s.s of Acc.u.mulative stories, which are well represented in England. (_Cf. infra_, Nos. xvi., xx., x.x.xiv.)

V. HOW JACK SOUGHT HIS FORTUNE.

_Source_.--_American Folk-Lore Journal_ I, 227-8. I have eliminated a malodorous and un-English skunk.

_Parallels_.--Two other versions are given in the _Journal l.c._ One of these, however, was probably derived from Grimm's "Town Musicians of Bremen" (No. 27). That the others came from across the Atlantic is shown by the fact that it occurs in Ireland (Kennedy, _Fictions_, pp. 5-10) and Scotland (Campbell, No. 11). For other variants, see R. Kohler in Gonzenbach, _Sicil. Marchen_, ii. 245.

VI. MR. VINEGAR.

_Source_.--Halliwell, p. 149.