[33] The older literature of that class is briefly discussed by Steinschneider in his articles in the _Serapeum_ under the following numbers (for the years 1848, 1849, 1864, 1866, 1869): 392, _Kalilah we-Dimnah_; 393, _Barlaam and Josaphat_; 59, 399, _Diocletianus_; 266 _b_, _Octavianus_; 22, _Bevys of Hamptoun_; 51, _Ritter Sigmund und Magdalena_; 266, _König Artus_; 13, _Eldad ha-Dani_; 156-198, 410-413, 420, various stories; 212, 213, fables (_Kuhbuch_); 167, _Maase Nissim_; 156-158, _Maasebuch_. But the latter has been superseded by his _Jüdisch-deutsche Litteratur und Jüdisch-deutsch, mit besonderer Rücksicht auf Avé-Lallemant_; 2. _Artikel: Das Maase-Buch_, _Serapeum_, Vol. XXVII. (1866), No. 1. This _Maasebuch_ is extremely rare now, but in its day it was enormously popular, having been used for regular religious readings on the Sabbath. Wagenseil and Buxtorf mention this fact, while Helwich thought it of sufficient importance to translate the book into German and supply it with critical notes. Helwich's book seems to have escaped the attention of all who have dealt on the _Maasebuch_, Steinschneider included; and yet without it a study of the Jewish folklore is very difficult, as the _Maasebuch_ can hardly be procured. The title of the book is: _Erster Theil jüdischer Historien oder Thalmudischer Rabbinischer wunderlicher Legenden_, so von Juden als wahrhafftige und heylige Geschicht an ihren Sabbathen und Festtagen gelesen werden. Darausz dieses verstockten Volcks Aberglauben und Fabelwerck zu ersehen. Ausz ihren eigenen Büchern in Truck Teutsch verfertigt, von neuem übersehen und corrigiert durch Christophorum Helvicum, der H. Schrift und Hebräischen Sprach Professorem in der Universitet zu Giessen, Giessen, bey Caspar Chemlein, Im Jahre 1612, 16mo, 222 pp. Second part with slightly different title. After gelesen werden follows: Sampt beygefügten Glossen und Widerlegung, 16mo, 207 pp. See also Is. Lévi, _Cinq contes juifs_, in _Mélusine_, Vol. II. col. 569-574. On the _König Artus_, cf. Schröder, _Mitteilungen über ein deutsches Wigaloisepos aus dem 17. Jahrhunderte, M. Hanau B. V. Hess. G._ Some of these stories are discussed in Jacobs's _Jewish Diffusion of Folk Tales_ (as above).