This is another of the moral Fairy Tales of Madame de Beaumont, and, as
_Fatal and Fortuné_, a great favourite with the compilers of children's
story-books. It is healthier in tone than the preceding: the value of
adversity is difficult to impress on a young mind, and it is pointed
out in this little tale as well, perhaps, as it could be; but there
is one observation I must venture to make in reference to a point of
taste. The writers of the old Fairy Tales never mix up the Almighty
with fairies and enchanters. The superior powers are invariably the
mythological divinities of ancient Greece and Rome. Their heroes and
heroines pray to "the gods," not to "God." The introduction of the
sacred name is, I am well aware, too frequent in familiar French
conversation, to render it a matter of criticism in the original
language; and I fully acquit Madame de Beaumont of any intentional
irreverence; but it is a fact worthy of remark, that in an age and at
a Court which are described as particularly licentious, the writers
for youth or entertainment carefully abstained from an unnecessary
profanity of which they had examples enough in the older fabliaux and
romances, not only of their own country, but throughout Europe; and
that although the majority of these authors were in the highest ranks
of society--members of the circle that surrounded the throne of one of
the most despotic monarchs in the civilized world--they never spared
the foibles or the crimes of princes, or the hypocrisy and treachery of
their parasites.
The fearless frankness, indeed, with which they satirized the follies
and inveighed against the vices of the great, is as honourable to
them as their perfect freedom from that questionable morality which
would deny in any class the existence of virtue and the enjoyment
of happiness founded upon it. Madame de Beaumont's admission that
such may be the case concludes her story of _Fatal and Fortuné_ more
satisfactorily than her insinuation to the contrary does that of _The
Widow and her Two Daughters_.
So much has been said in this Appendix about _Peau d'Ane_ and
_L'Adroite Princesse_, that although, as in the case of _Prince
Marcassin_ and _Le Dauphin_, in my former volume, I have not included
them in the body of the work, I think it may be as well, as in the
above instance, to give in this place an analysis of their plots, they
being undoubtedly two of the oldest fairy tales of their class on
record.