REYNARD THE FOX.
Among primitive races, as with children, animal stories are much enjoyed,
and form one of the first stages in literature. The oldest of these tales
current in the middle ages is the epic of Reineke Fuchs, or Reynard the
Fox. This poem was carried by the ancient Franks across the Rhine, became
fully acclimated in France, and then returned to Germany by way of
Flanders, where it was localized.
After circulating from mouth to mouth almost all over Europe, during many
centuries, it was first committed to writing in the Netherlands, where the
earliest manuscript, dating from the eleventh or twelfth century, gives a
Latin version of the tale.
[Sidenote: Origin of animal epics.] "The root of this saga lies in the
harmless natural simplicity of a primeval people. We see described the
delight which the rude child of nature takes in all animals,--in their slim
forms, their gleaming eyes, their fierceness, their nimbleness and cunning.
Such sagas would naturally have their origin in an age when the ideas of
shepherd and hunter occupied a great portion of the intellectual horizon of
the people; when the herdman saw in the ravenous bear one who was his
equal, and more than his equal, in force and adroitness, the champion of
the woods and wilds; when the hunter, in his lonely ramble through the
depths of the forest, beheld in the hoary wolf and red fox, as they stole
along,--hunters like himself,--mates, so to say, and companions, and whom
he therefore addressed as such.... So that originally this kind of poetry
was the exponent of a peculiar sort of feeling prevailing among the people,
and had nothing whatever to do with the didactic or satiric, although at a
later period satiric allusions began to be interwoven with it."
The story has been rewritten by many poets and prose writers. It has been
translated into almost every European language, and was remodeled from one
of the old mediaeval poems by Goethe, who has given it the form in which it
will doubtless henceforth be known. His poem "Reineke Fuchs" has been
commented upon by Carlyle and translated by Rogers, from whose version all
the following quotations have been extracted.
[Sidenote: The animals' assembly.] As was the custom among the Franks under
their old Merovingian rulers, the animals all assembled at Whitsuntide
around their king, Nobel the lion, who ruled over all the forest. This
assembly, like the Champ de Mars, its prototype, was convened not only for
the purpose of deciding upon the undertakings for the following year, but
also as a special tribunal, where all accusations were made, all complaints
heard, and justice meted out to all. The animals were all present, all
except Reynard the fox, who, it soon became apparent, was accused of many a
dark deed. Every beast present testified to some crime committed by him,
and all accused him loudly except his nephew, Grimbart the badger.
"And yet there was one who was absent,
Reineke Fox, the rascal! who, deeply given to mischief,
Held aloof from half the Court. As shuns a bad conscience
Light and day, so the fox fought shy of the nobles assembled.
One and all had complaints to make, he had all of them injured;
Grimbart the badger, his brother's son, alone was excepted."
[Sidenote: Complaints against Reynard.] The complaint was voiced by Isegrim
the wolf, who told with much feeling how cruelly Reynard had blinded three
of his beloved children, and how shamefully he had insulted his wife, the
fair lady Gieremund. This accusation had no sooner been formulated than
Wackerlos the dog came forward, and, speaking French, pathetically
described the finding of a little sausage in a thicket, and its purloining
by Reynard, who seemed to have no regard whatever for his famished
condition.
The tomcat Hintze, who at the mere mention of a sausage had listened more
attentively, now angrily cried out that the sausage which Wackerlos had
lost belonged by right to him, as he had concealed it in the thicket after
stealing it from the miller's wife. He added that he too had had much to
suffer from Reynard, and was supported by the panther, who described how he
had once found the miscreant cruelly beating poor Lampe the hare.
"Lampe he held by the collar,
Yes, and had certainly taken his life, if I by good fortune
Had not happened to pass by the road. There standing you see him.
Look and see the wounds of the gentle creature, whom no one
Ever would think of ill treating."
[Sidenote: Vindication of Reynard.] The king, Nobel, was beginning to look
very stern as one after another rose to accuse the absent Reynard, when
Grimbart the badger courageously began to defend him, and artfully turned
the tables upon the accusers. Taking up their complaints one by one, he
described how Reynard, his uncle, once entered into partnership with
Isegrim. To obtain some fish which a carter was conveying to market, the
fox had lain as if dead in the middle of the road. He had been picked up by
the man for the sake of his fur, and tossed up on top of the load of fish.
But no sooner had the carter's back been turned than the fox sprang up,
threw all the fish down into the road to the expectant wolf, and only
sprang down himself when the cart was empty. The wolf, ravenous as ever,
devoured the fish as fast as they were thrown down, and when the fox
claimed his share of the booty he had secured, Isegrim gave him only the
bones.[1] [Footnote 1: For Russian version see Guerber's Contes et
Légendes, vol. i., p. 93.]
Not content with cheating his ally once, the wolf had induced the fox to
steal a suckling pig from the larder of a sleeping peasant. With much
exertion the cunning Reynard had thrown the prize out of the window to the
waiting wolf; but when he asked for a portion of the meat as reward, he was
dismissed with nothing but the piece of wood upon which it had been hung.
The badger further proceeded to relate that Reynard had wooed Gieremund
seven years before, when she was still unmated, and that if Isegrim chose
to consider that an insult, it was only on a par with the rest of his
accusations, for the king could readily see that Reynard was sorely injured
instead of being guilty.
Then, encouraged by the favorable impression he had produced, Grimbart
airily disposed of the cases of Wackerlos and Hintze by proving that they
had both stolen the disputed sausage, after which he went on to say that
Reynard had undertaken to instruct Lampe the hare in psalmody, and that the
ill treatment which the panther had described was only a little wholesome
castigation inflicted by the teacher upon a lazy and refractory pupil.
"Should not the master his pupil
Sometimes chastise when he will not observe, and is stubborn in evil?
If boys were never punished, were thoughtlessness always passed over,
Were bad behavior allowed, how would our juveniles grow up?"
These plausible explanations were not without their effect, and when
Grimbart went on to declare that, ever since Nobel proclaimed a general
truce and amnesty among all the animals of the forest, Reynard had turned
hermit and spent all his time in fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, the
complaint was about to be dismissed.
[Sidenote: Story of Henning and the Cock.] Suddenly, however, Henning the
cock appeared, followed by his two sons, Kryant and Kantart, bearing the
mangled remains of a hen upon a bier. In broken accents the bereaved father
related how happily he had dwelt in a convent henyard, with the ten sons
and fourteen daughters which his excellent consort had hatched and brought
up in a single summer. His only anxiety had been caused by the constant
prowling of Reynard, who, however, had been successfully at a distance by
the watchdogs. But when the general truce had been proclaimed, the dogs
were dismissed. Reynard, in the garb of a monk, had made his way into the
henyard to show Henning the royal proclamation with the attached seal, and
to assure him of his altered mode of living.
Thus reassured, Henning had led his family out into the forest, where,
alas! Reynard was lurking, and where he killed all but five of Henning's
promising brood. They had not only been killed, but devoured, with the
exception of Scratch-foot, whose mangled remains were laid at the monarch's
feet in proof of the crime, as was customary in the mediaeval courts of
justice.
The king, angry that his truce should thus have been broken, and sorry for
the evident grief of the father, ordered a sumptuous funeral for the
deceased, and commanded that a stone should be placed upon her grave,
bearing the epitaph:
"'Scratch-foot, daughter of Henning, the cock, the best of the hen
tribe.
Many an egg did she lay in her nest, and was skillful in scratching.
Here she lies, lost, alas! to her friends, by Reineke murdered.
All the world should know of his false and cruel behavior,
As for the dead they lament.' Thus ran the words that were
written."
[Sidenote: Reynard and the Bear.] Then the king, having taken advice with
his council, solemnly bade Brown the bear proceed immediately to
Malepartus, Reynard's home, and summon him to appear at Reynard and court
forthwith, to answer the grave charges which had been made against him. But
he warned his messenger to behave circumspectly and to beware of the wiles
of the crafty fox. The bear rather resented these well-meant
recommendations, and, confidently asserting his ability to take care of
himself, set out for Reynard's abode.
On his way to the mountains he was obliged to pass through an arid, sandy
waste, and reached Malepartus weary and overheated. Standing before the
fortress, which rejoiced in many labyrinthine passages, he loudly made
known his errand; and when Reynard, peeping cautiously out, had ascertained
that Brown was alone, he hastened out to welcome him.
With great volubility the fox commiserated his long journey, and excused
the delay in admitting him under plea of an indisposition caused by eating
too much honey, a diet which he abhorred.
At the mere mention of honey the bear forgot all his fatigue, and when his
host lamented the fact that he had nothing else to offer him, he joyfully
declared no food could suit him better, and that he could never get enough
of it.
"'If that is so,' continued the Red one, 'I really can serve you,
For the peasant Rüsteviel lives at the foot of the mountain.
Honey he has, indeed, such that you and all of your kindred
Never so much together have seen.'"
Oblivious of everything else at the thought of such a treat, Brown the bear
immediately set out in Reynard's company, and they soon came to the
peasant's yard, where a half-split tree trunk lay in full view. Reynard
then bade his companion thrust his nose well down into the hollow and eat
his fill of honey. As soon as he saw that the bear had thrust not only his
nose, but both fore paws, into the crack, Reynard cleverly removed the
wedges, the tree clapped together, and he left the bear a prisoner and
howling with pain.
These sounds soon attracted the peasant's attention, and he and his
companions all fell upon the captive bear with every imaginable weapon, and
proceeded to give him a sound beating. Frantic with pain and terror, the
unfortunate bear finally succeeded in wrenching himself free, at the cost
of the skin on his nose and fore paws, and, after tumbling the fat cook
into the water, swam down the stream and landed in a thicket to bewail his
misfortunes. Here he was found by the fox, who added insult to injury by
making fun of him, and reproved him for his gluttony, until the bear again
plunged into the stream and swam away.
[Illustration: BROWN THE BEAR CAUGHT IN THE LOG.--Wagner.]
Then, painfully making his way back to Nobel, Brown presented himself at
court all bleeding and travel-stained, and poured forth a doleful account
of his mission.
[Sidenote: Reynard and the cat.] The king, after consulting with his
principal courtiers, declared it the right of any man to be thrice
summoned, and, conceding that the bear's manners were not of a conciliatory
nature, selected Hintze the cat to bear his message to Malepartus. The cat,
disheartened by unfavorable omens, was nevertheless compelled to go on this
unwelcome journey.
Reynard welcomed him cordially, promised to accompany him to court on the
morrow, and then asked what kind of refreshment he could offer. When Hintze
had confessed his preference for mice, the fox replied that it was very
fortunate, as there were plenty of them in the parson's barn. Hintze
immediately asked to be led thither, that he might eat his fill.
"'Pray do me the kindness
Hence to lead and show me the mice, for far above wild game
Give me a mouse for delicate flavor.'"
Reynard then conducted Hintze to the parson's barn, and pointed out a
little opening through which he had passed to steal chickens, and where he
knew that Martin, the parson's son, had laid a trap to catch any intruder.
Hintze at first demurred, but, urged by Reynard, crept in and found himself
caught in a noose. Reynard, pretending to take the cat's moans for cries of
joy, banteringly inquired whether that was the way they sang at court, as
the caterwauling grew louder.
These sounds finally reached the ears of little Martin, who, accompanied by
his father, came into the barn to catch the intruder. Poor Hintze,
frightened at the sight of the bludgeon the parson carried, flew at his
legs, scratching and biting him, until the saintly man fainted. Then,
taking advantage of the confusion, Hintze managed to slip out of the noose
and effect his escape. He returned to court minus one eye, and there poured
out the story of his wrongs.
[Sidenote: Reynard and the badger.] The wrath of the king was now terrible
to behold, and assembling his council, he bade them decide how he should
punish the wretch who had twice ill treated his messengers. Grimbart the
badger, seeing that public opinion was decidedly against his relative, now
begged that a third summons should be sent, and offered to carry the
message himself. He furthermore declared that, even according to their own
showing, the cat and bear had come to grief through their greediness; and
then he promptly departed.
Grimbart found Reynard in the bosom of his family, delivered his message,
and frankly advised the fox to obey the king's summons and appear at court,
where, perchance, he might yet manage to save himself; while if he remained
at home the king would besiege his fortress and slay him and all his
family. Reynard listened favorably to this advice, and, after bidding his
wife a tender farewell, and committing his beloved children to her care, he
set out with Grimbart to go to court.
On the way the recollection of his many transgressions began to lie very
heavily upon his heart. The fear of death quickened his conscience, and,
longing to make his peace with Heaven, he expressed a great wish to confess
his sins and receive absolution. As no priest was near at hand, he begged
Grimbart the badger to listen to him, and penitently confessed all the
misdeeds we have already recounted. He also added that he once bound
Isegrim to the rope of the convent bell at Elkinar, where his frantic
tugging rang the bell, until the monks, crowding around him, cudgeled him
severely. Reynard related, too, how he once induced Isegrim to enter the
priests' house through a window and crawl along some beams in search of ham
and bacon. As the wolf was carefully feeling his way, however, the
mischievous fox pushed him and made him fall on the sleeping people below,
who, awakening with a start, fell upon him and beat him. These and sundry
other sins having duly been confessed, the badger bade the fox chastise
himself with a switch plucked from the hedge, lay it down in the road, jump
over it thrice, and then meekly kiss that rod in token of obedience. Then
he pronounced Reynard absolved from his former sins, and admonished him to
lead an altered life in future.
"'My uncle, take care that your future amendment
In good works be visible. Psalms you should read, and should visit
Churches with diligence; fast at the seasons duly appointed;
Him who asks you point out the way to; give to the needy
Willingly; swear to forsake all evil habits of living,
All kinds of theft and robbing, deceit and evil behavior.
Thus can you make quite sure that you will attain unto mercy!'"
The fox solemnly promised amendment, and with sanctimonious mien continued
his journey. But as he and the badger passed a convent, and some plump hens
crossed their path, Reynard forgot all his promises and began to chase the
chickens. Sharply recalled to a sense of duty by Grimbart, Reynard
reluctantly gave up the chase, and the two proceeded without further
drawback to the court, where Reynard's arrival created a great sensation.
"When at the Court it was known that Reineke really was coming,
Ev'ry one thronged out of doors to see him, the great and the little.
Few with friendly intent; for almost all were complaining.
This, however, in Reineke's mind was of little importance;
Thus he pretended, at least, as he with Grimbart the badger,
Boldly enough and with elegant mien now walked up the high street.
Jauntily swung he along at his ease, as if he were truly
Son of the king, and free and quit of ev'ry transgression.
Thus he came before Nobel the king, and stood in the palace
In the midst of the lords; he knew how to pose as unruffled."
[Sidenote: Reynard at court.] With consummate skill and unparalleled
eloquence and impudence, Reynard addressed the king, lauding himself as a
faithful servant, and commiserating the fact that so many envious and
backbiting people were ready to accuse him. Nobel the king, in whose mind
the recollection of the treatment inflicted upon Brown the bear and Hintze
the cat was still very vivid, answered him sternly, and told him that it
would be difficult for him to acquit himself of those two charges, to say
nothing of the many others brought against him. Reynard, still undismayed,
demanded with well-feigned indignation whether he was to be held
responsible for the sins of those messengers whose misfortunes were
attributable to their gluttonous and thievish propensities only.
[Sidenote: Reynard condemned to death.] But in spite of this specious
pleading, all the other animals came crowding around with so many grievous
charges that matters began to look very dark indeed for the fox. In spite
of all Reynard's eloquence, and of the fluent excuses ever on his tongue,
the council pronounced him guilty, and condemned him to die an ignominious
death. Reynard's enemies rejoiced at this sentence, and dragged him off
with cheerful alacrity to the gallows, where all the animals assembled to
witness his execution.
On the way to the place of punishment Reynard tried to think of some plan
by means of which he could save himself even at the eleventh hour; and
knowing that some scheme would occur to him if he could only gain a little
time, he humbly implored permission to make a public confession of his
manifold sins ere he paid the penalty of his crimes. Anxious to hear all he
might have to say, the king granted him permission to speak; and the fox
began to relate at length the story of his early and innocent childhood,
his meeting and alliance with Isegrim the wolf, and his gradual induction
by him into crooked paths and evil ways. He told, too, how the cruel wolf,
presuming on his strength, had ever made use of it to deprive him, the fox,
of his rightful share of plunder; and concluded by saying that he would
often have suffered from hunger had it not been for the possession of a
great treasure of gold, which had sufficed for all his wants.
"Thanks be to God, however, I never suffered from hunger;
Secretly have I fed well by means of that excellent treasure,
All of silver and gold in a secret place that securely
Hidden I keep; with this I've enough. And, I say it in earnest,
Not a wagon could carry it off, though sevenfold loaded."
At the word "treasure" Nobel pricked up his ears and bade Reynard relate
how this hoard was obtained and where it was concealed. The artful fox,
seeing the king's evident interest, rapidly prepared more lies, and,
speaking to the king and queen, declared that ere he died it would be
better for him to reveal the carefully guarded secret of a conspiracy which
would have resulted in the king's death had it not been for his devotion.
The queen, shuddering at the mere thought of the danger her royal consort
had run, now begged that Reynard might step down from the scaffold and
speak privately to her and to Nobel. In this interview Reynard, still
pretending to prepare for immediate death, told how he discovered a
conspiracy formed by his father, Isegrim the wolf, Brown the bear, and many
others, to slay the king and seize the scepter. He described the various
secret conferences, the measures taken, and his father's promise to defray
all the expenses of the enterprise and to subsidize mercenary troops by
means of the hoard of King Ermenrich, which he had discovered and concealed
for his own use.
Reynard then continued to describe his loyal fears for his beloved
sovereign, his resolve to outwit the conspirators, and his efforts to
deprive them of the sinews of war by discovering and abstracting the
treasure. Thanks to his ceaseless vigilance, he saw his father steal forth
one night, uncover his hoard, gloat over the gold, and then efface the
traces of his search with the utmost skill.
"'Nor could one,
Not having seen, have possibly known. And ere he went onwards
Well he understood at the place where his feet had been planted,
Cleverly backwards and forwards to draw his tail, and to smooth it,
And to efface the trace with the aid of his mouth.'"
Reynard then told the king how diligently he and his wife, Ermelyn, labored
to remove the gold and conceal it elsewhere, and how the conspiracy came to
naught when no gold was found to pay the troops. He mournfully added that
his loyalty further deprived him of a loving father, for the latter had
hung himself in despair when he found his treasure gone and all his plans
frustrated. With hypocritical tears he then bewailed his own fate, saying
that, although ready to risk all for another, there was no one near him to
speak a good word for him in his time of bitterest need.
[Sidenote: Reynard Pardoned.] The queen's soft heart was so touched by
this display of feeling that she soon pleaded for and obtained Reynard's
pardon from Nobel, who freely granted it when the fox promised to give him
his treasure. Most accurately now he described its place of concealment,
but said that he could not remain at court, as his presence there was an
insult to royalty, seeing that he was under the Pope's ban and must make a
pilgrimage ere it could be removed.
The king, after imprisoning Isegrim, Brown, and Hintze (the chief
conspirators according to Reynard's tale), and ascertaining that the place
the fox so accurately described really existed, bade Reynard depart, and at
his request procured for him a fragment of Brown's hide to make a wallet,
and a pair of socks from Isegrim and his wife, who were very loath to part
with their foot covering. The king, queen, and court then accompanied
Reynard a short way on the first stage of his journey, and turned back,
leaving Bellyn the ram and Lampe the hare to escort him a little farther.
These innocent companions accompanied Reynard to Malepartus, and while
Bellyn waited patiently without, Lampe entered the house with Reynard. Lady
Ermelyn and her two young sons greeted Reynard with joy, listened
breathlessly to the account of his adventures, and then helped him to slay
and eat Lampe, who, he declared, had brought all these evils upon him.
Reynard and his family feasted upon the body of poor Lampe the hare, whose
head was then securely fastened in the wallet made of Brown's skin. This
the fox carefully carried out and placed upon Bellyn's back, assuring him
volubly the while that it contained important dispatches, and that in order
to insure him a suitable reward for his good offices he had told Nobel the
king that the ram had given him valuable assistance in preparing the
contents of the wallet.
"'Yet, as soon as you see the king, and to still better favor
Wish to attain with him, 'twere well to bring to his notice
That you have sagely given advice in composing the letters,
Yea, and the writer have help'd.'"
Thus instructed, and reassured concerning the absence of Lampe, whom
Reynard described as enjoying a chat with Ermelyn, Bellyn bounded off to
court, where he did not fail to vaunt that he had helped Reynard prepare
the contents of the wallet. Nobel publicly opened it, and when he drew out
Lampe's bleeding head his anger knew no bounds. Following the advice of his
courtiers, Bellyn, in spite of all his protestations, was given in
atonement to the bear and the wolf, who the king now feared had been
unjustly treated. They were then released from imprisonment and reinstated
to royal favor, and twelve days of festivity ensued.
[Sidenote: Reynard again in disgrace.] In the midst of the dance and
revelry a bloody rabbit appeared to accuse Reynard of tearing off one of
his ears, while the garrulous crow, Merkinau, related how the same
unscrupulous wretch had pretended death merely to befool Sharfenebbe, his
wife, and induce her to come near enough for him to bite off her head.
Nobel the king, upon hearing these complaints, immediately swore that
within six days he would besiege Reynard in his castle, would take him
prisoner, and would make him suffer the penalty of his crimes.
Isegrim the wolf and Brown the bear rejoiced at these tidings, while
Grimbart the badger, seeing the peril his uncle had incurred, hastened off
secretly to Malepartus to warn him of his danger and support him by his
advice. He found Reynard sitting complacently in front of his house,
contemplating two young doves which he had just secured as they were making
their first attempt to fly. Grimbart breathlessly related the arrival of
Bellyn, the royal indignation at the sight of Lampe's head, and the plan
for surrounding and capturing Reynard in his safe retreat.
[Sidenote: Grimbart's advice.] In spite of this disquieting news Reynard's
composure did not desert him; but after vowing that he could easily acquit
himself of these crimes if he could only win the king's ear for a moment,
he invited his kinsman to share his meal and taste the delicate morsels he
had secured. Grimbart the badger, seeing that the fox was not inclined to
flee, now advised him not to await the king's coming and expose his wife
and children to the horrors of a siege, but boldly to return to court.
"'Go with assurance before the lords, and put the best face on
Your affairs. They will give you a hearing. Lupardus was also
Willing you should not be punish'd before you had fully
Made your defense, and the queen herself was not otherwise minded.
Mark this fact, and try to make use of it.'"
Once more Reynard bade a tender farewell to his wife and sons, resisting
all the former's entreaties to seek safety in flight, and, relying upon his
cunning, set out with Grimbart to visit the court. On his way he again
pretended repentance for his former sins, and resuming his confession at
the point where he had broken off, he told how maliciously he had secured a
piece of the bear's hide for a wallet, and socks from Isegrim and his wife.
He then went on to relate just how he had murdered Lampe, charged the
innocent Bellyn with the ambiguous message which had cost him his life,
torn off one of the rabbit's ears, and eaten the crow's wife. Lastly, he
confessed how he had gone out in company with the wolf, who, being hungry
and seeing a mare with a little foal, had bidden Reynard inquire at what
price she would sell it. The mare retorted that the price was written on
her hoof. The sly fox, understanding her meaning, yet longing to get his
companion into trouble, pretended not to know how to read, and sent the
wolf to ascertain the price. The result was, of course, disastrous, for the
mare kicked so hard that the wolf lay almost dead for several hours after.
"So he went and asked the lady, 'What price is the filly?
Make it cheap.' Whereupon she replied, 'You've only to read it;
There you will find the sum inscribed on one of my hind feet.'
'Let me look,' continued the wolf; and she answered, 'With
pleasure.'
"Then she lifted upwards her foot from the grass; it was studded
With six nails. She struck straight out, and not by a hair's
breadth
Missed she her mark. She struck on his head, and straightway he
fell down,
Lying as dumb as the dead."
Waxing more and more eloquent as they drew nearer court and his fears
increased, Reynard began to moralize. He excused himself for Lampe's murder
on the plea of the latter's aggravating behavior, said that the king
himself was nothing but a robber living by rapine, and proceeded to show
how even the priests were guilty of manifold sins, which he enumerated with
much gusto.
They had scarcely finished this edifying conversation when they came across
Martin the ape, on his way to Rome; and Reynard hastened to implore him to
secure his release from the Pope's ban, through the intercession of the
ape's uncle, the cardinal, whose interest it was to serve him. Martin the
ape not only promised his good offices at the papal court, but bade Reynard
not hesitate to consult his wife should he find himself in any predicament
at court.
[Sidenote: Reynard at court.] Thus supported, Reynard again made his
appearance at court, to the utter amazement and surprise of all; and
although, he was well aware that his situation was more dangerous than
ever, his assurance did not seem at all impaired. Kneeling with pretended
humility before the king, he artfully began his address by lamenting the
fact that there were so many unscrupulous people ever ready to accuse the
innocent; and when the king angrily interrupted him to accuse him of
maiming the rabbit and devouring the crow, he began his defense.
First Reynard explained that since Martin the ape had undertaken to free
him from his ban, his journey to Rome was of course unnecessary. Then he
related how the rabbit, dining at his house, had insulted and quarreled
with his children, from whose clutches he had had much trouble to save him.
The crow's death was caused by a fish bone she had swallowed. Bellyn, the
traitor, had slain Lampe himself, and evidently put his head in the wallet
instead of some treasures which Reynard had intrusted to their care for the
king and queen.
[Sidenote: The ape's intercession.] The king, who had listened impatiently
to all this discourse, angrily retired, refusing to believe a word, while
Reynard sought the ape's wife, Frau Rückenau, and bade her intercede for
him. She entered the royal tent, reminded the king of her former services,
and seeing his mood somewhat softened, ventured to mention how cleverly
Reynard once helped him to judge between the rival claims of a shepherd and
a serpent. The latter, caught in a noose and about to die, had implored a
passing shepherd to set it free. The peasant had done so after exacting a
solemn oath from the serpent to do him no harm. But the serpent, once
released, and suffering from the pangs of hunger, threatened to devour the
peasant. The latter called the raven, wolf, and bear, whom he met by the
way, to his aid; but as they all hoped to get a share of him, they all
decided in favor of the serpent's claim to eat him.
The case by this time had become so intricate that it was laid before the
king, who, unable to judge wisely, called Reynard to his aid. The fox
declared that he could only settle so difficult a matter when plaintiff and
defendant had assumed the relative positions which they occupied at the
time of dispute. Then when the snake was safely in the noose once more,
Reynard decided that, knowing the serpent's treachery, the peasant might
again set him loose, but need not do so unless he chose.
"'Here now is each of the parties
Once again in his former state, nor has either the contest
Won or lost. The right, I think, of itself is apparent.
For if it pleases the man, he again can deliver the serpent
Out of the noose; if not, he may let her remain and be hang'd there.
Free he may go on his way with honor and see to his business,
Since she has proved herself false, when she had accepted his kindness;
Fairly the man has the choice. This seems to me to be justice,
True to the spirit. Let him who understands better declare it.'"
[Illustration: REYNARD PREPARING FOR BATTLE.--Kaulbach.]
The king, remembering this celebrated judgment, and skillfully reminded by
Frau Rückenau of the bear's and the wolf's rapacity, consented at last to
give Reynard a second hearing. The fox now minutely described the treasures
he sent to court,--a magic ring for the king, and a comb and mirror for the
queen. Not only was the fable of the judgment of Paris engraved on the
latter, but also that of the jealous donkey, who, imitating his master's
lapdog, and trying to climb into his lap, received nothing but blows. There
was also the story of the cat and the fox, of the wolf and the crane, and,
lastly, the account of the miraculous way in which his father, a noted
leech, had saved Nobel's sire by making him eat the flesh of a wolf just
seven years old.
The pleader then reminded the king of a noted hunting party, where Isegrim,
having secured a boar, gave the king one quarter, the queen another,
reserved a half for himself, and gave the fox nothing but the head. This
division was of course very disloyal, and the fox showed that he thought so
by dividing a calf more equitably; i.e., giving the queen one half, the
king the other, the heart and liver to the princes, the head to the wolf,
and reserving only the feet for himself.
[Sidenote: Duel between the fox and the wolf.] Reynard prided himself upon
these tokens of loyalty, and then, seeing that he had made a favorable
impression, he volunteered, in spite of his small size, to meet the wolf in
battle and leave the vindication of his claims to the judgment of God. This
magnanimous behavior filled the king with admiration, and the trial was
appointed for the following day, the intervening hours being granted to
both combatants for preparation. Reynard, still advised by Frau Rückenau,
was shaved smooth, rubbed with butter until he was as slippery as could be,
and instructed to feign fear and run fleetly in front of the wolf, kicking
up as much sand as possible, and using his brush to dash it into his
opponent's eyes and thus blind him.
The combat took place. The wolf, blinded by the sand in his eyes, was so
infuriated that he finally pounced upon the fox, who, however, managed yet
to get the upper hand and come off victor, generously granting life to his
foe, whom he had nearly torn and scratched to pieces. Reynard, having thus
won the victory, enjoyed the plaudits of the crowd, while the wolf, being
vanquished, was publicly derided, and borne off by his few remaining
friends to be nursed back to health, if possible.
"Such is ever the way of the world. They say to the lucky,
'Long may you live in good health,' and friends he finds in abundance.
When, however, ill fortune befalls him, alone he must bear it.
Even so was it here; each one of them wish'd to the victor
Nearest to be, to show himself off."
[Sidenote: Reynard's acquittal.] The king pronounced Reynard guiltless of
all charges, and made him one of his privy councilors. But the fox, after
thanking the king for his favors, humbly besought permission to return
home, where his wife was awaiting him, and departed, escorted by a
deputation of his friends.
According to some versions of the tale, Reynard contented himself with
blinding the wolf and maiming him for life; according to others, he bided
his time, and when the king was ill, told him that nothing could save him
short of the heart of a wolf just seven years old. Of course no wolf of the
exact age could be found but Isegrim, so he was sacrificed to save the
king, who recovered. As for Reynard, he enjoyed great honor as long as he
lived, and his adventures have long been the delight of the people, whom
his tricks never failed to amuse.
"Highly honor'd is Reineke now! To wisdom let all men
Quickly apply them, and flee what is evil, and reverence virtue!
This is the end and aim of the song, and in it the poet
Fable and truth hath mixed, whereby the good from the evil
Ye may discern, and wisdom esteem; and thereby the buyers
Of this book in the ways of the world may be daily instructed.
For it was so created of old, and will ever remain so.
Thus is our poem of Reineke's deeds and character ended.
May God bring us all to eternal happiness. Amen!"