ing by her horse: the Knight bent himself, fired, and with this second pistol hit the monster through the head, so that it rushed down; and now, stretched out in full length, first clearly disclosed the might and terror whereof only the bodily hull was left lying. Honorio had sprung from his horse; was already kneeling on the beast, quenching its last movements, and held his drawn hanger in his right hand. The youth was beautiful; he had come dashing on as in sports of the lance and the ring the Princess had often seen him do. Even so in the riding-course would his bullet, as he darted by, hit the Turk's-head on the pole, right under the turban in the brow; even so would he, lightly prancing up, prick his naked sabre into the fallen mass, and lift it from the ground. In all such arts he was dextrous and felicitous; both now stood him in good stead. booth, before the sleepers in these light huts | peared to stimulate and provoke his force could be shaken out of deep dreams: the anew. Both runners, at the same instant, Prince himself, as a wearied stranger arriving reached the spot where the Princess was standonly for rest, started from his sleep, sprang to the window, saw all fearfully illuminated; flame after flame, from the right, from the left, darting through each other, rolls quivering towards him. The houses of the market-place, reddened in the shine, seemed already glowing, threatened every moment to kindle, and burst forth in fire below, the element raged without let; planks cracked, laths cracked, the canvas flew abroad, and its dusky fire-peaked tatters whirled themselves round and aloft, as if bad spirits, in their own element, with perpetual change of shape, were, in capricious dance, devouring one another; and there and yonder would dart up out from their penal fire. And then with wild howls each saved what was at hand: servants and masters laboured to drag forth bales already seized by the flames, to snatch away yet somewhat from the burning shelves, and pack it into the chests, which too they must at last leave a prey to the hastening "Give him the rest," said the Princess: "I flame. How many a one could have prayed fear he will hurt you with his claws."-" Parbut for a moment's pause to the loud-advanc-don!" answered the youth: "he is already ing fire; as he looked round for the possibility dead enough; and I would not hurt the skin, of some device, and was with all his possession which next winter shall shine upon your already seized: on the one side, burnt and sledge."-" Sport not," said the Princess : glowed already, what on the other still stood in "whatsoever of pious feeling dwells in the dark night. Obstinate characters, will-strong depth of the heart unfolds itself in such a momen grimly fronted the grim foe, and saved ment."-"I too," cried Honorio, "was never much, with loss of their eyebrows and hair. more pious than even now; and therefore do I Alas, all this waste confusion now rose anew think of what is joyfullest; I look at the tiger's before the fair spirit of the Princess; the gay fell only as it can attend you to do you pleamorning prospect was all overclouded, and sure."-"It would for ever remind me," said her eyes darkened; wood and meadow had she, "of this fearful moment."-" Yet is it," put on a look of strangeness, of danger. replied the youth with glowing cheeks, "a more harmless spoil than when the weapons of slain enemies are carried for show before the victor."-"I shall bethink me, at sight of it, of your boldness and cleverness; and need not add that you may reckon on my thanks and the Prince's favour for your life long. But rise; the beast is clean dead, let us consider what is next: before all things rise!"—" As I am once on my knees," replied the youth, "once in a posture which in other circumstances would have been forbid, let me beg at this moment to receive assurance of the favour, of the grace which you vouchsafe me. I have already asked so often of your high consort for leave and promotion to go on my travels. He who has the happiness to sit at your table, whom you honour with the privilege to entertain your company, should have seen the world. Travellers stream in on us from all parts; and when a town, an important spot in any quarter of the world comes in course, the question is sure to be asked of us, were we ever there? Nobody allows one sense, till one has seen all that: it is as if you had to instruct yourself only for the sake of others." Entering the peaceful vale, heeding little its refreshing coolness, they were but a few steps down from the copious fountain of the brook which flowed by them, when the Princess descried, quite down in the thickets, something singular, whieh she soon recognised for the tiger: springing on, as she a short while ago had seen him painted, he came towards her; and this image, added to the frightful ones she was already busy with, made the strangest impression. "Fly! your Grace," cried Honorio, "fly!" She turned her horse towards the steep hill they had just descended. The young man, rushing on towards the monster, drew his pistol and fired when he thought himself near enough; but, alas, without effect; the tiger sprang to a side, the horse faltered, the provoked wild beast followed his course, upwards straight after the Princess. She galloped, what her horse could, up the steep stony space; scarcely apprehending that so delicate a creature, unused to such exertion, could not hold out. It overdid itself, driven on by the necessitated Princess; it stumbled on the loose gravel of the steep, and again stumbled; and at last fell, after violent efforts, powerless to the "Rise!" repeated the Princess: "I were loth ground. The fair dame, resolute and dextrous, to wish or request aught that went against the failed not instantly to get upon her feet; the will of my Husband; however, if I mistake horse too rose, but the tiger was approaching; not, the cause why he has retained you hitherto though not with vehement speed; the uneven will soon be at an end. His intention was to ground, the sharp stones seemed to damp his see you ripened into a complete self-guided impetuosity; and only Honorio flying after him, nobleman, to do yourself and him credit in riding with checked speed along with him, ap-foreign parts, as hitherto at court; and I should think this deed of yours was as good a recom- | The man, however, soon restrained himself, mendatory passport as a young man could wish for to take abroad with him." That, instead of a youthful joy, a certain mournfulness came over his face, the Princess had not time to observe, nor had he to indulge his emotion; for, in hot haste, up the steep, came a woman, with a boy at her hand, straight to the group so well known to us; and scarcely had Honorio, bethinking him, arisen, when they howling and shrieking cast themselves on the carcass; by which action, as well as by their cleanly decent, yet party-coloured and unusual dress, might be gathered that it was the mistress of this slain creature, and the black-eyed, black-locked boy, holding a flute in his hand, her son; weeping like his mother, less violent but deeply moved, kneeling beside her. Now came strong outbreakings of passion from this woman; interrupted, indeed, and pulse-wise; a stream of words, leaping like a stream in gushes from rock to rock. A natural language, short and discontinuous, made itself impressive and pathetic: in vain should we attempt translating it into our dialects; the approximate purport of it we must not omit. "They have murdered thee, poor beast! murdered without need! Thou wert tame, and wouldst fain have laid down at rest and waited our coming; for thy foot-balls were sore, thy claws had no force left. The hot sun to ripen them was wanting. Thou wert the beautifullest of thy kind: who ever saw a kingly tiger so gloriously stretched out in sleep, as thou here liest, dead, never to rise more. When thou awokest in the early dawn of morning, and openedst thy throat, stretching out thy red tongue, thou wert as if smiling on us; and even when bellowing, thou tookest thy food from the hands of a woman, from the fingers of a child. How long have we gone with thee on thy journeys; how long has thy company been useful and fruitful to us! To us, to us of a very truth, meat came from the eater, and sweetness out of the strong. So will it be no more. Wo! wo!" She had not done lamenting, when over the smoother part of the Castle Mountain, came riders rushing down; soon recognised as the Prince's Hunting-train, himself the foremost. Following their sport, in the backward hills, they had observed the fire-vapours; and fast through dale and ravine, as in fierce chase, taken the shortest path towards this mournful sign. Galloping along the stony vacancy, they stopped and stared at sight of the unexpected group, which in that empty expanse stood out so markworthy. After the first recognition there was silence; some pause of breathingtime; and then what the view itself did not impart, was with brief words explained. So stood the Prince, contemplating the strange unheard-of incident; a circle round him of riders, and followers that had run on foot. What to do was still undetermined; the Prince intent on ordering, executing, when a man pressed forward into the circle; large of stature, party-coloured, wondrously-apparelled, like wife and child. And now the family in union testified their sorrow and astonishment. bowed in reverent distance before the Prince, and said: "It is not the time for lamenting; alas, my lord and mighty hunter, the lion too is loose, hither towards the mountains is he gone: but spare him, have mercy that he perish not like this good beast." "The Lion!" said the Prince: "Hast thou the trace of him?"-" Yes, Lord! A peasant down there, who had heedlessly taken shelter on a tree, directed me farther up this way, to the left; but I saw the crowd of men and horses here; anxious for tidings of assistance, I hastened hither."-"So then," commanded the Prince, "draw to the left, Huntsmen; you will load your pieces, go softly to work, if you drive him into the deep woods, it is no matter: but in the end, good man, we shall be obliged to kill your animal; why were you improvident enough to let him loose?"-"The fire broke out," replied he, "we kept quiet and attentive; it spread fast, but at a distance from us, we had water enough for our defence; but a heap of powder blew up, and threw the brands on to us, and over our heads; we were too hasty, and are now ruined people." The Prince was still busy directing; but for a moment all seemed to pause, as a man was observed hastily springing down from the heights of the old Castle; whom the troop soon recognised for the watchman that had been stationed there to keep the Painter's apart ments, while he lodged there and took charge of the workmen. He came running, out of breath, yet in few words soon made known that the Lion had laid himself down, within the high ring-wall, in the sunshine, at the foot of a large beech, and was behaving quite quietly. With an air of vexation, however, the man concluded: "Why did I take my rifle to town yester-night, to have it cleaned; he had never risen again, the skin had been mine, and I might all my life have had the credit of the thing." The Prince, whom his military experiences here also stood in stead, for he had before now been in situations where from various sides inevitable evil seemed to threaten, said hereupon: "What surety do you give me that if we spare your lion, he will not work destruction among us, among my people?" "This woman and this child," answered the father hastily, “engage to tame him, to keep him peaceable, till I bring up the cage, and then we can carry him back unharmed and without harming any one." The boy put his flute to his lips; an instru ment of the kind once named soft, or sweet flutes; short-beaked like pipes: he, who understood the art, could bring out of it the gracefullest tones. Meanwhile the Prince had inquired of the watchman how the lion came up. "By the hollow-way," answered he, "which is walled in on both sides, and was formerly the only entrance, and is to be the only one still: two footpaths, which led in elsewhere, we have so blocked up and destroyed that no human being, except by that first narrow passage, can reach the Magic Castle which Prince Friedrich's talent and taste is making of it." After a little thought, during which the Prince looked round at the boy, who still continued as if softly preluding, he turned to Honorio, and said: "Thou hast done much to-day, complete thy task. Secure that narrow path; keep your rifles in readiness, but do not shoot till the creature can no otherwise be driven back: in any case, kindle a fire, which will frighten him if he make downwards. The man and woman take charge of the rest." Honorio rapidly bestirred himself to execute these orders. The child continued his tune, which was no tune; a series of notes without law, and perhaps even on that account so heart-touching: the by-standers seemed as if enchanted by the movement of a song-like melody, when the father with dignified enthusiasm began to speak in this sort: "God has given the Prince wisdom, and also knowledge to discern that all God's works are wise, each after its kind. Behold the rock, how he stands fast and stirs not, defies the weather and the sunshine; primeval trees adorn his head, and so crowned he looks abroad; neither if a mass rush away, will this continue what it was, but falls broken into many pieces and covers the side of the descent. But there too they will not tarry, capriciously they leap far down, the brook re flute, and gave note in unison, while the child sang: From the Dens, I, in a deeper, Prophet's song of praise can hear; Needs the good man there to fear? Lion, Lioness, agazing, Mildly pressing round him came; The father continued accompanying this strophe with his flute; the mother here and there touched in as second voice. Impressive, however, in a quite peculiar degree, it was, when the child now began to shuffle the lines of the strophe into other arrangement; and thereby if not bring out a new sense, yet heighten the feeling by leading it into self-excitement: Angel-host around doth hover, Us in heavenly tones to cheer: For that humble holy praising Hereupon with emphasis and elevation be For th' Eternal rules above us, ceives them, to the river he bears them. Not gan all three : "But who shall exalt the glory of the Lord, whom the stars praise from Eternity to Eternity! Why look ye far into the distance? Consider here the bee: late at the end of harvest she still busily gathers, builds her a house, tight of corner, straight of wall, herself the architect and mason. Behold the ant: she knows her way, and loses it not; she piles her a dwelling of grass-halms, earth-crumbs, and needles of the fir; she piles it aloft and arches it in; but she has laboured in vain, for the horse stamps, and scrapes it all in pieces: lo! he has trodden down her beams, and scattered her planks; impatiently he snorts and cannot rest; for the Lord has made the horse comrade of the wind and companion of the storm, to carry man whither he wills, and woman whither she desires. But in the Wood of Palms arose he, the Lion, with earnest step traversed the wildernesses; there rules he over all creatures, his might who shall withstand? Yet man can tame him; and the fiercest of living things has reverence for the image of God, in which too the angels are made, who serve the Lord and his servants. For in the den of Lions Daniel was not afraid he remained fast and faithful, and the wild bellowing interrupted not his song of praise." This speech, delivered with expression of a natural enthusiasm, the child accompanied here and there with graceful tones; but now, the father having ended, he, with clear melodious voice and skilful passaging, struck up his warble, whereupon the father took the Lands and oceans rules his will; Prays, O Lord, to thee. All were silent, hearing, hearkening; and only when the tones ceased could you remark and distinguish the impression they had made. All was as if appeased; each affected in his way. The Prince, as if he now first saw the misery that a little ago had threatened him, looked down on his spouse, who leaning on him forebore not to draw out the little embroidered handkerchief, and therewith covered her eyes. It was blessedness for her to feel her young bosom relieved from the pressure with which the preceding minutes had loaded it. A perfect silence reigned over the crowd; they seemed to have forgotten the dangers: the conflagration below; and above, the rising up of a dubiously-reposing Lion. By a sign to bring the horses, the Prince first restored the group to motion; he turned to the woman, and said: 66 You think then that, once find the lion, you could, by your singing, by the singing of this child, with help of these flute-tones, appease him, and carry him back to his prison, unhurt and hurting no one?" They answered Yes, assuring and affirming; the Castellan was given them as guide. And now the Prince started off in all speed with a few; the Princess followed slower with the rest of the train: mother and son, on their side, under conduct of the warder, who had got himself a musket, mounted up the steeper part of the height. Before the entrance of the hollow-way which | tisfied eyes, the lion after him, but slowly, and opened their access to the Castle, they found as it seemed, with difficulty. He showed here the hunters busy heaping up dry brushwood, and there desire to lie down; yet the boy led to have, in any case, a large fire ready for him in a half-circle through the few disleaved, kindling. "There is no need," said the woman: many-tinted trees, till at length, in the last "it will all go well and peaceably, without rays of the sun which poured in through a that." hole in the ruins, he set him down, as if transfigured in the bright red light; and again commenced his pacifying song, the repetition of which we also cannot forbear: Farther on, sitting on a wall, his doublebarrel resting in his lap, Honorio appeared; at his post, as if ready for every occurrence. However, he seemed hardly to notice our party; he sat as if sunk in deep thoughts, he looked round like one whose mind was not there. The woman addressed him with a prayer not to let the fire be lit; he appeared not to heed her words; she spoke on with vivacity, and cried: " Handsome young man, thou hast killed my tiger, I do not curse thee; spare my lion, good young man, I will bless thee." From the Dens, I, in a deeper, Prophet's song of praise can hear; Lion, Lioness, agazing, Mildly pressing round him came; Meanwhile the lion had laid itself down quite close to the child, and lifted its heavy right fore-paw into his bosom; the boy as he sung gracefully stroked it; but was not long in observing that a sharp_thorn had stuck itself between the balls. He carefully pulled it Honorio was looking straight out before him, to where the sun on his course began to sink. "Thou lookest to the west," cried the woman; thou dost well, there is much to do there; hasten, delay not, thou wilt conquer. But first conquer thyself." At this he appeared to give a smile; the woman stept on; could not, how-out; with a smile, took the party-coloured silk ever, but look back once more at him: a ruddy sun was overshining his face; she thought she had never seen a handsomer youth. "If your child,” said the warder now, "with his fluting and singing, can, as you are persuaded, entice and pacify the lion, we shall soon get mastery of him after, for the creature has lain down quite close to the perforated vaults through which, as the main passage was blocked up with ruins, we had to bore ourselves an entrance into the Castle-Court. If the child entice him into this latter, I can close the opening with little difficulty; then the boy, if he like, can glide out by one of the little spiral stairs he will find in the corner. We must conceal ourselves; but I shall so take my place that a rifle-ball can, at any moment, help the poor child in case of extremity." handkerchief from his neck, and bound up the frightful paw of the monster; so that his mother for joy bent herself back with outstretched arms, and perhaps, according to custom, would have shouted and clapped applause, had not a hard hand gripe of the warder reminded her that the danger was not yet over. Triumphantly the child sang on, having with a few tones preluded: For th' Eternal rules above us, Lands and oceans rules his will; And the proudest waves be still. Whetted sword to scabbard cleaving, Faith and Hope victorious see : "All these precautions are unnecessary; God and skill, piety and a blessing, must do the Were it possible to fancy that in the countework."-" May be," replied the warder, "how-nance of so grim a creature, the tyrant of the ever, I know my duties. First, I must lead woods, the despot of the animal kingdom, an you, by a difficult path to the top of the wall, expression of friendliness, of thankful conright opposite the vaults and opening I have tentment could be traced, then here was such mentioned: the child may then go down, as traceable; and truly the child in his illustrated into the arena of the show, and lead away the look had the air as of a mighty triumphant animal, if it will follow him." This was victor; the other figure, indeed, not of that one done warder and mother looked down in vanquished, for his strength lay concealed in concealment as the child, descending the screw-him; but yet of one tamed, of one given up to stairs, showed himself in the open space of the Court, and disappeared opposite them in the gloomy opening; but forthwith gave his flute voice, which by and by grew weaker, and at last sank dumb. The pause was bodeful enough; the old Hunter, familiar with danger, felt heart-sick at the singular conjuncture; the mother, however, with cheerful face, bending over to listen, showed not the smallest discomposure. At last the flute was again heard; the child stept forth from the cavern with glittering sa his own peaceful will. The child fluted and sang on, changing the lines according to his way, and adding new: And so to good children bringeth So have tamed, and firmly iron'd THE TALE. BY GOETHE. [FRASER'S MAGAZINE, 1832.] THAT Goethe, many years ago, wrote a piece | merciful) comes out from us in the way of named Das Mührchen, (The Tale :) which the publication. Of the Translation we cannot admiring critics of Germany contrived to cri- say much; by the colour of the paper, it may ticise by a stroke of the pen; declaring that it be some seven years old, and have lain perwas indeed The Tale, and worthy to be called haps in smoky repositories: it is not a good the Tale of Tales, (das Mährchen aller Mährchen,) Translation; yet also not wholly bad; faithful -may appear certain to most English readers, to the original, (as we can vouch, after strict for they have repeatedly seen as much in trial;) conveys the real meaning, though with print. To some English readers it may ap- an effort: here and there our pen has striven pear certain, furthermore, that they personally to help it, but could not do much. The poor know this Tale of Tales; and can even pro- Translator, who signs himself "D. T.," and nounce it to deserve no such epithet, and the affects to carry matters with a high hand, admiring critics of Germany to be little other though, as we have ground to surmise, he is than blockheads. probably in straits for the necessaries of life, English readers! the first certainty is alto--has, at a more recent date, appended nugether indubitable; the second certainty is not worth a rush. That same Mährchen aller Mährchen you may see with your own eyes, at this hour, in the Fifteenth Volume of Goethe's Werke; and seeing is believing. On the other hand, that English "Tale of Tales," put forth some years ago as the Translation thereof, by an indivi- | dual connected with the Periodical Press of London, (his Periodical vehicle, if we remember, broke down soon after, and was rebuilt, and still runs, under the name of Court Journal,)-was a Translation, miserable enough, of a quite different thing; a thing, not a Mährchen (Fabulous Tale) at all, but an Erzählung or common fictitious Narrative; having no manner of relation to the real piece, (beyond standing in the same volume;) not so much as Milton's Tetrachordon of Divorce has to his Allegro and Penseroso! In this way do individuals connected with the Periodical Press of London play their part, and commodiously befool thee, O Public of English readers, and can serve thee with a mass of roasted grass, and name it stewed venison; and will continue to do so, till thou-open thy eyes, and from a blind monster become a seeing one. This mistake we did not publicly note at the time of its occurrence; for two good reasons: first, that while mistakes are increasing, like Population, at the rate of Twelve Hundred a day, the benefit of seizing one, and throttling it, would be perfectly inconsiderable: second, that we were not then in existence. The highly composite, astonishing Entity, which here as "O. Y." addresses mankind for a season, still slumbered (his elements scattered over Infinitude, and working under other shapes) in the womb of Nothing! Meditate on us a little, O Reader: if thou wilt consider who and what we are; what Powers, of Cash, Esurience, Intelligence, Stupidity, and Mystery created us, and what work we do and will do, there shall be no end to thy amazement. This mistake, however, we do now note; induced thereto by occasion. By the fact, namely, that a genuine English Translation of that Mährchen has been handed in to us for judgmeat; and now (such judgment having proved merous Notes; wherein he will convince himself that more meaning lies in his Mährchen "than in all the Literature of our century:" some of these we have retained, now and then with an explanatory or exculpatory word of our own; the most we have cut away, as superfluous and even absurd. Superfluous and even absurd, we say: D. T. can take this of us as he likes; we know him, and what is in him, and what is not in him; believe that he will prove reasonable; can do either way. At all events, let one of the notablest Performances produced for the last thousand years, be now, through his organs, (since no other, in this elapsed half-century, have offered themselves,) set before an undiscerning public. We too will premise our conviction that this Mahrchen presents a phantasmagoric Adumbration, pregnant with deepest significance; though nowise that D. T. has so accurately evolved the same. Listen notwithstanding to a remark or two, extracted from his immeasurable Proem: "Dull men of this country," says he," who pretend to admire Goethe, smiled on me when I first asked the meaning of this Tale. Meaning!' answered they: it is a wild arabesque, without meaning or purpose at all, except to dash together, copiously enough, confused hues of Imagination, and see what will come of them.' Such is still the persuasion of several heads; which nevertheless would perhaps grudge to be considered wigblocks."-Not impossible: the first Sin in our Universe was Lucifer's, that of Self-conceit. But hear again; what is more to the point: "The difficulties of interpretation are exceedingly enhanced by one circumstance, not unusual in other such writings of Goethe's; namely, that this is no Allegory; which, as in the Pilgrim's Progress, you have only once for all to find the key of, and so go on unlocking: it is a Phantasmagory, rather; wherein things the most heterogeneous are, with homogeneity of figure, emblemed forth; which would require not one key to unlock it, but, at different stages of the business, a dozen successive keys." Here you have epochs of time shadowed forth, there Qualities of the Human |