[45] _Kruptadia_: Heilbronn, Henninger Frères, 1884: vol. 2, _Breton
Folk Lore_.
“Mother mine,” quoth Jean the Fool, “I would marry.”
“Thou wouldst marry, poor innocent? And what wouldst thou do with a
woman? And who would want thee? To marry, thou must have culture at thy
back (for thus they term those who have worldly goods), and thou hast
none. Furthermore, thou must pay court to the maidens, and thou art too
great a fool to know how to do that.”
“What doth one do when he goeth to visit the maidens?”
“One goeth to them when they hold a party, one indulgeth in all manner
of drolleries, one pincheth them, one snatcheth their handkerchiefs
when they blow their noses, one pulleth at their petticoats, and one
laugheth.”
“Good,” said Jean to himself; and went out.
Passing down a road, narrow and filled with mire, he sat down, and when
he felt he had sufficient ‘cultivation’ on his backside, he went to a
farm where there was a party. The youths and maidens, when they saw
Jean the Idiot enter all smeared with mire, drew back to make room for
him, lest they themselves be soiled. In the end he found in the lobby
a stool on which he sat near one of the maidens, whom he scrutinised
closely.
She drew away from him; Jean pinched her, rudely snatched away her
handkerchief when she sought to make use of it, and laughed like a
fool. Then, thinking to succeed with her, he tugged so violently at
her petticoat that he broke the strings that held it up. The maiden,
half undressed, was enraged, and Jean was kicked out of doors, amid the
shouting and jeering of the entire company.
From this moment Jean the Fool had no desire to pay court to maidens.
But his mother, who felt herself growing old and had need of a
daughter-in-law to aid her, said to him one day:
“Jean, thou must marry.”
“Nay, indeed, mother mine. I was tricked enough when I saw the maidens.”
“Nevertheless, ‘tis good to be married. Thy wife will give thee a
chicken to eat.”[46]
[46] The play on words here is somewhat obscure. _Manger un poulet_
is not a slang term for the sexual act. Interpreting freely, we might
read: “Will give thee a chicken to pluck,” _i.e._: her virginity. This
is borne out by the wife’s subsequent behaviour. On the other hand,
the mother may be speaking simply and literally.
Jean gave his consent and was married. When he was abed with his wife,
he believed that she would serve up a chicken for him, and he said to
her:
“Give it me.”
“Take it,” answered his wife.
“Give it me, I tell thee.”
“Take it, then.”
Thus passed the night, and on the morrow Jean the Fool went weeping to
his mother, saying:
“Mother, I begged her for it, and she would not give it me.”
“He lieth!” cried the wife. “I have told him to take it if he wished
it.”
And she went to complain to her mother that she had married an idiot,
who passed the whole night saying “Give it me” without doing aught
else. The good woman saw clearly that her son-in-law was foolish, and
she bade him on the following night mount upon his wife and thrust at a
spot where he felt some hair.
Jean did as he was counselled, but instead of stretching himself at
full length upon her, laid himself across his wife and began to thrust
with all his force, but without success, as one can well imagine, a
woman’s slit not being at the same angle as her mouth.
Nor was it until the third night that Jean the Fool learned how he must
comport himself to have a chicken, and then he found it very much to
his taste and his wife also.[47]
[47] We make no apology for the frequent extracts from _Kruptadia_
to be found in this volume and those to follow of _Anthologica
Rarissima_. _Kruptadia_, perhaps the most remarkable _recueil_ of
folk lore stories, songs, sayings and proverbs in the world, is a
work far too little known to the student and bibliophile. Its rarity
may be explained by the fact that comparatively few copies of each
volume were struck off. Of Vol. 2, from which “The Wedding Night
of Jean the Fool” is taken, only 135 numbered copies were done. A
complete 12-volume set, in the original format (the work was begun in
Heilbronn by Henninger Frères and completed in Paris by Welter) is
not often seen, and we count ourselves fortunate in having one before
us as we write. Havelock Ellis frequently refers to the collection
in his _Studies in the Psychology of Sex_, while Pisanus Fraxi, the
great bibliographer of erotic, prohibited and uncommon books, was
just able to notice the first two volumes in his _Catena Librorum
Tacendorum_, (London: Privately Printed: 1885). He pays generous
tribute to the production. “Students of folk lore,” he writes, “will
hail with delight the appearance of this well-printed and carefully
got up little volume, to be followed, let us hope, by many others of
the same kind, equally remarkable for talented and faithful rendering,
and masterly editing.” Dealing with the tales themselves, he goes
on to say that “they reveal to us in an interesting and unequivocal
manner the feelings, aspirations, modes of thought, manner of living
of the people who tell them, and are possibly one of the most valuable
contributions to the study of folk lore which has yet appeared....
They are all characteristic--all good.” Fraxi then gives the pith of
“The Enchanted Ring,” which we have already printed at length in this
volume. In the concluding pages of his _Catena Librorum Tacendorum_,
Fraxi states that vol. 2 of _Kruptadia_ has reached him in time to
mention briefly its contents. Since these words were written, ten
other volumes have been issued--a veritable mine of entertaining and
instructive information. We even go so far as to say that genuine
students of folk lore and collectors of curious literature cannot
afford to ignore _Kruptadia_, even as they should have access to
Pisanus Fraxi’s 3-volume work, _INDEX LIBRORUM PROHIBITORUM_,
_CENTURIA LIBRORUM ABSCONDITORUM_, and _CATENA LIBRORUM TACENDORUM_.
Possession of these works by all is impossible owing to their rarity,
cost and small imprint. Not every student can afford to pay £20 to £30
for the complete set of _Kruptadia_, even if he be lucky enough to
chance on such a find, while Fraxi’s amazing bibliography, in the sale
room alone, commands about £35; and while the price tends steadily
to increase, the appearance of the complete 3-volume set as steadily
decreases.