The Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg.
by Unknown.
_From the EXAMINER, August 2d._
"The t.i.tle-page of this agreeable little volume sufficiently commends its pleasant contents. To whom, old or young, will it not be welcome?
Who has not, young or old, seen, laughed at, revisited, and brought away, pleasant recollections of the Stuffed Animals from the Zollverein?
"It was a good notion, that of perpetuating these clever productions by means of daguerreotype and wood-engraving. They are very nicely executed in this volume, and wonderfully like. It is needless to particularise where all is so graphic and faithful; but let the studious little rabbit over his arithmetic lesson at p. 32, with that demure conscience-striken pair behind him wincing at the flogging of their idle brother, be especially admired.
"We must add that the letterpress is not unworthy of the humour and fidelity of the ill.u.s.trations. The various Weasels, Rabbits, and Foxes, are brought into one little tale; the Wonderful Hare-Hunt into another; the Tea-Party of Kittens, and the Marten and Tabby, into a third; the Duel of the Dormice, and the Frogs, form two separate and ingenious anecdotes; and the story of Reynard the Fox is quaintly related in prose so far as was necessary to explain the six comical groups of Ploucquet.
"We predict a great run at Christmas for the _Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg_."
_From the MORNING CHRONICLE, August 12th._
"The book is a clever and a pleasant memento of the Great Exhibition.
The drawings are careful and clever, and convey a very correct representation of the original creatures, with all, or nearly all, their subtlety of expression and aspect. The capital fatuity of the Rabbits and Hares, the delightful scoundrelism of the Fox, the cunning shrewdness of the Marten and Weasels, the hoyden visages of the Kittens, and the cool, slippery demeanour of the Frogs, are all capitally given.
The book may lie on the drawing-room table, or be thumbed in the nursery; and in the latter case we have little doubt that many an urchin still in petticoats will in future years a.s.sociate his most vivid recollection of the Great Exhibition of 1851 with Mr. Bogue"s perpetuation of the _Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg_."
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WONDERFUL HARE-HUNT.]
The
COMICAL CREATURES
from
WURTEMBERG,
_Including the Story of Reynard the Fox._
With Twenty Ill.u.s.trations, Drawn from the Stuffed Animals contributed by Herrmann Ploucquet of Stuttgart to the Great Exhibition.
_Second Edition._
London: DAVID BOGUE, FLEET STREET.
1851.
PREFACE.
To HERRMANN PLOUCQUET, Preserver of Objects of Natural History at the Royal Museum of Stuttgart,--the capital of the kingdom of Wurtemberg,--we are indebted for one of the cleverest and most popular displays in the GREAT EXHIBITION. Every one, from her Majesty the Queen down to the least of the charity-boys, hastens to see the Stuffed Animals from the Zollverein; every one lingers over them and laughs at them as long as the crowd will allow; and every one talks of them afterwards with a smile and a pleasing recollection.
That these clever productions of Ploucquet"s talent may be long perpetuated, we have had daguerreotypes of them taken by Mr. Claudet, and engravings made from them on wood as faithfully like as possible.
We must beg our readers to remember that, excepting "Reynard the Fox,"
our sketches have been written to ill.u.s.trate the drawings, for on this plea we claim some indulgence; but as we know full well that the pictures will be the main attraction of the volume, we are not apprehensive of much criticism.
The story of "Reynard the Fox" is told briefly in the words of an old version of this wonderful tale published in England many years ago. In Germany _Reinecke Fuchs_ is as popular as our "Jack the Giant-Killer."
Carlyle says, "Among the people it was long a house-book and universal best companion; it has been lectured on in Universities, quoted in imperial Council-halls; it lay on the toilets of princes, and was thumbed to pieces on the bench of the artisan: we hear of grave men ranking it next to their Bible."
Goethe took the story of "Reynard" for the subject of a great poem; and the famous painter Kaulbach has recently ill.u.s.trated Goethe"s version with perhaps the finest series of pictures with which a book was ever adorned.
Herrmann Ploucquet has had the good taste to select six of these designs as models for his works. He has admirably preserved the expression which the painter gave to the Fox and his dupes, and every one recognises them with pleasure.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
The Weasels of Holm-Wood 15 The Wonderful Hare-Hunt 40 The Duel of the Dormice 45 The Six Kittens 49 The Frogs who would a-wooing go 59 The Story of Reynard the Fox 63
ILl.u.s.tRATIONS.
PAGE
The Wonderful Hare-Hunt (Double Plate) _Frontispiece._ Dame Weasel and her Family 14 The Attentive Physician 17 The _very_ attentive Physician 21 Old Marten and Sharp Weasel, Esq. 25 Mr. Bantam"s Interview with Old Marten 29 Longtail teaching the young Rabbits Arithmetic 33 Jack Hare and Grace Marten leading off the Ball 37 The Duel of the Dormice 44 The Kittens at Tea--Miss Paulina singing 48 Ensign Squeaker and Miss Rose 51 Young Marten bidding farewell to Miss Paulina 55 The Frogs who would a-wooing go 58 Reynard at Home at Malepardus 62 Reynard in the likeness of a Hermit 65 Sir Tibert delivering the King"s Message 71 Reynard brings forward the Hare as his Witness 81 Reynard on his Pilgrimage to Rome 85 Reynard attacketh Laprell the Rabbit 91
[Ill.u.s.tration: DAME WEASEL AND HER CHILDREN.]
THE
WEASELS OF HOLM-WOOD.
CHAPTER I.