TRANSLATED BY LILLIE WINTER, B.A. DRAMATIS PERSONÆ THE KING THE PRINCESS, _his daughter_ PRINCE NATHANIEL _of Malsinki_ LEANDER, _Court scholar_ HANSWURST, _Court fool_ _A Groom of the Chamber_ _The Cook_ LORENZ } BARTHEL } _Peasant brothers_ GOTTLIEB } _Hinze, a tom-cat_ _A Tavern-keeper_ KUNZ } MICHEL } _Peasants_ _A Bugbear_ _A Peace-maker_ _The Playwright_ _A Soldier_ _Two Hussars_ _Two Lovers_ _Servants_ _Musicians_ _A Peasant_ _The Prompter_ _A Shoemaker_ _A Historian_ FISCHER MÜLLER BÖTTICHER LEUTNER WIESENER WIESENER'S NEIGHBOR _Elephants_ _Lions_ _Bears_ _An officer_ _Eagles and other birds_ _A rabbit_ _Partridges_ _Jupiter_ _Terkaleon_ _The Machinist_ _Spirits_ _Monkeys_ _The Public_. [Illustration: #LUDWIG TIECK# VOGEL VON VOGELSTEIN] PROLOGUE _The scene is laid in the pit, the candles are already lighted, the musicians are gathered in the orchestra. The theatre is filled, people talking in confusion, some arriving, etc_. FISCHER, MÜLLER, SCHLOSSER, BÖTTICHER, _in the pit_ FISCHER. Say, but I am curious, Herr Müller, what do you think of today's play? MÜLLER. I should be more likely to expect the sky to fall in than to see such a play at our theatre. FISCHER. Do you know the play? MÜLLER. Not at all. A strange title that: _Puss in Boots_. I do hope they're not going to present that child's play at the theatre. SCHLOSS. Why, is it an opera? FISCHER. Anything but that; the bill says: _A Fairy-tale for Children_. SCHLOSS. A fairy-tale? But in Heaven's name, we're not children, are we, that they want to present such pieces for us? They certainly won't put an actual cat on the stage, will they? FISCHER. It may turn out to be an imitation of the new Arcadians, a sort of Terkaleon. MÜLLER. Now that wouldn't be bad, for I've been wishing this long while to see some time such a wonderful opera without music. FISCHER. Without music it is absurd, for, my dear friend, we're beyond such childish nonsense, such superstition; enlightenment has borne its natural fruits. MÜLLER. It may turn out to be a regular picture of domestic life, and the cat is only a joke, something like a jest, so to speak, a motive, if I may call it that. SCHLOSS. To tell you my honest opinion, I take the whole thing to be a trick to spread sentiment among the people, give them suggestions. You'll see if I'm not right. A revolutionary play, as far as I can understand. FISCHER. I agree with you, too, for otherwise the style would be horribly offensive. For my part I must admit I never could believe in witches or spirits, not to mention _Puss in Boots_. SCHLOSS. The age of these phantoms is past. Why, there comes Leutner; perhaps he can tell us more. [_Leutner pushes himself through the crowd_.] LEUTNER. Good evening, good evening! Well, how are you? MÜLLER.