Charles Perrault

“ He came into a spacious outward court, where every thing he saw might have frozen up the most hardy person with horror.—There reigned all over a most frightful silence, the image of death every where shewed itself, and there was nothing to be seen but stretched-out bodies of men and animals, all seeming to be dead. ”

“ There was formerly, in a distant country, a king and a queen, the most beautiful and happy in the world; having nothing to allay their delights, but the want of children to participate in the pleasures they enjoyed. This was their whole eoneern: physieians, waters, vows, and offerings were tried, but all to no purpose. At last, however, the queen proved with child, and in due time she was brought to bed of a daughter. At the ehristening the prineess had seven fairies for her god-mothers, who were all they could find in the whole kingdom, that every one might give her a gift. ”

“ About fiftcen or sixteen years after the king and queen being gone to one of their houses of pleasure, the young princess happened to divert herself by going up and down the palace, when, going up from one apartment to another, she at length came into a little room at the top of the tower, where an old woman was sitting all alone, and spinning with her spindle. ”

“ One of the young fairies who sat overheard how she grumbled, and judging that she might give the little prineess some unlucky gift, she went, as soon as she rose from the table, and hid herself behind the hangings, that she might speak last, and repair, as much as possibly she eould, the evil which the old fairy might intend.
In the meanwhile, all the fairies began to give their gifts to the prineess in the following manner:—
The youngest gave her a gift, that she should be the most beautiful person in the world. ”

“ In the mean time all in the palace awaked, every one thinking on his partieular, business; and as all of them were not in love, they were ready to die with hunger. The ehief lady of honour, being as sharp set as the others, grew very impatient, and told the prineess aloud, that the supper was served up. The prince helped the prineess to rise, she being entirely dressed, and very magnifieent ”

“ The ogress presently knew the voice of the queen and her children, and, being quite in a rage to think she had been thus deceived, she commanded the next morning, by break of day, in a most terrible voiee, which made every one tremble, that they should bring into the middle of the court a very large tub, which she caused to be filled with toads, vipers, snakes, and all sorts of serpents, in order to throw into it the queen and her ehildren, the clerk of the kitchen, his wife and maid ”

“ The good old woman, not knowing what to do in this affair, cried out for help. People came in from every quarter in great numbers; some threw water upon he princess, face, unlaced her, struck her on the palms of her hands, and rubbed her temples with Hungary water ”

“ All this was done in a moment; for fairies are not long in doing their business
And now the king and queen, having kissed their child without waking her, went out of the palace, and put forth a proclamation, that nobody should come near it. ”

“ A woman was sent for to nurse him; they ealled her Snouter Shaughnessy, because she wanted the nose.—Snouter had no suek, and poor Paddy (for so he was ehristened) was spoon-fed, and soon grew a stout, well-built fellow, and to show his gratitude, (for Paddy had a heart) would do all the work about the house himself. ”

“ Nor yet the power of fine address,
To preach this moral to 'em.
↑ An ogree is a giant with long teeth and elaws, a raw head and bloody bones; who runs away with little boys and girls, and eats them up. ”

“ O murder, murder! O what will become of me!' A proprietor of the plaee eomes up at the moment, 'What is all this about?—what's the matter, my good fellow?' 'Oh, your honour's glory, I'm a stranger—I'm from Cushendall, your honour, I never seen a blaekamoor before, and I just asked one of them to take a drop with me ”