The Tales of Mother Goose: As First Collected by Charles Perrault in 1696 — John Shaqi
The Tales of Mother Goose: As First Collected by Charles Perrault in 1696Perrault, Charles
General
The Tales of Mother Goose: As First Collected by Charles Perrault in 1696
Perrault, Charles
Children's stories, French -- Translations into English; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- France
[Illustration: "IT WENT ON VERY EASILY." p. 10.]
And now her two sisters found her to be that beautiful lady they had
seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon for
all their ill treatment of her. Cinderella took them up, and, as she
embraced them, said that she forgave them with all her heart, and begged
them to love her always.
She was conducted to the young Prince, dressed as she was. He thought
her more charming than ever, and, a few days after, married her.
Cinderella, who was as good as she was beautiful, gave her two sisters a
home in the palace, and that very same day married them to two great
lords of the Court.
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOODS.
Once upon a time there was a king and a queen, who were very sorry that
they had no children,--so sorry that it cannot be told.
At last, however, the Queen had a daughter. There was a very fine
christening; and the Princess had for her godmothers all the fairies
they could find in the whole kingdom (there were seven of them), so that
every one of them might confer a gift upon her, as was the custom of
fairies in those days. By this means the Princess had all the
perfections imaginable.
After the christening was over, the company returned to the King's
palace, where was prepared a great feast for the fairies. There was
placed before every one of them a magnificent cover with a case of
massive gold, wherein were a spoon, and a knife and fork, all of pure
gold set with diamonds and rubies. But as they were all sitting down at
table they saw a very old fairy come into the hall. She had not been
invited, because for more than fifty years she had not been out of a
certain tower, and she was believed to be either dead or enchanted.
The King ordered her a cover, but he could not give her a case of gold
as the others had, because seven only had been made for the seven
fairies. The old fairy fancied she was slighted, and muttered threats
between her teeth. One of the young fairies who sat near heard her, and,
judging that she might give the little Princess some unlucky gift, hid
herself behind the curtains as soon as they left the table. She hoped
that she might speak last and undo as much as she could the evil which
the old fairy might do.
In the meanwhile all the fairies began to give their gifts to the
Princess. The youngest gave her for her gift that she should be the most
beautiful person in the world; the next, that she should have the wit of
an angel; the third, that she should be able to do everything she did
gracefully; the fourth, that she should dance perfectly; the fifth, that
she should sing like a nightingale; and the sixth, that she should play
all kinds of musical instruments to the fullest perfection.
The old fairy's turn coming next, her head shaking more with spite than
with age, she said that the Princess should pierce her hand with a
spindle and die of the wound. This terrible gift made the whole company
tremble, and everybody fell a-crying.
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