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diff --git a/43050-0.txt b/43050-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e6bae10 --- /dev/null +++ b/43050-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,300 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43050 *** + +[Illustration] + + + + + A + NEW HISTORY + OF + BLUE BEARD. + + WRITTEN BY + GAFFER BLACK BEARD. + + For the Amusement of Little LACK + BEARD, and his PRETTY + SISTERS. + + Adorned with Cuts. + + From Sidney's Press, + NEW-HAVEN. + + 1806 + + + + +A New History of BLUE BEARD. + + +[Illustration] + +Once upon a time there lived, a great way off, an old man who had two +daughters, the name of the eldest was Fatima, the youngest Irene. Irene +was a very pretty girl, but Fatima was beauty itself; and so very good +besides, that every body loved her: you may see her introduced to a +gentleman, to whom she was going to be married, her father having +given his consent, had not the fame of her beauty reached the ears of +a very great man, I should have said tyrant, for he was a very cruel +over-bearing nobleman, and had been married to several ladies, of whom +nobody knew what was become: but as he was very rich, and lived in a +grand castle, of which I here present you with the drawing; he some how +or other, was never long without a wife. This nobleman, whose name was +Abomelique, but generally called Blue Beard, on account of his beard +being of that color, being determined to see her, under a pretence of +business paid the father of Fatima a visit. Poor Fatima! she little +thought the great Abomelique was come to her father's cottage on her +account; but so it was, he came attended like a king, (you may see him +in the picture) the father of Fatima standing at the door to receive +him; as soon as he entered the house the old man entertained him +in the best manner he could, and ordered his two daughters to dress +themselves in their best, and wait upon him; who, being good girls, +soon did as they were bid; no sooner did Blue Beard see Fatima than he +fell violently in love with her. I should not say love, for it was that +kind of love a wolf has for a pretty innocent lamb; so without any +more ado, he told her father the reason of his coming, offering to make +her his wife; and that himself, and his other daughter, should go and +live with him at the Castle. + +[Illustration] + +[Illustration] + +The father was quite delighted with the offer, especially as Blue Beard +told him he should be the master of all his slaves, and next himself in +power. Irene too tho't she should like it vastly; "what a fine thing," +said she to herself, "it will be to have fine rooms to walk in when +the weather is bad, and gardens to range in when the weather is fine; +well, I almost wish he had fallen in love with me, for I don't think +the great Abomelique would be so ugly, if it was not for his monstrous +great Blue Beard;" Such was the thought of Irene. As to poor Fatima she +fainted away, which frightened Blue Beard, who would have been glad +to have found her agreeable to his wishes, however with much ado they +brought her to herself when Blue Beard left her, promising to come +the next day, and fetch her in state to the Castle: after he was gone +nothing ran in the father's head but how he should enjoy himself at the +Castle. As to Irene, she could not help pitying her sister, who was in +a sad taking. + +[Illustration] + +Fatima had a real love for Selim, to whom her father had promised his +consent in marriage. You see promises with some, like pye-crust, is +made to be broken. Ah! silly old man, you little think about the evil +that hangs over your daughter's head. As Fatima knew she should be +forced to go with Blue Beard, she wrote immediately to Selim. Now only +think what a fine thing it is to be a scholar, for if Fatima could not +have wrote to her lover, nobody else would have done it for her, and +what would have been the consequence you will find by and by; so above +all things learn to read your book, that your daddy and mammy may learn +you to write too; well as soon as she had finished her letter, she gave +it to a trusty messenger, who set off full speed and soon arrived at +Selim's house. I must now return to Blue Beard, who could not get a +wink of sleep all night, so much did he think of his intended bride: +so, no sooner had the sun gilded the mountain's tops than he was up, +and the procession was ordered to move towards the village; you can +think what a fine sight it was, first came two trumpeters, then two +kettle-drums, then two French horns, then two men with fine silken +flags, then some of his black slaves armed with bows and arrows; next +came the great Abomelique himself, riding on an elephant, under a fine +silken canopy; next followed another elephant richly dressed, with a +fine seat on his back, with a silken canopy over it, for Fatima and her +sister; a fine Arabian horse followed, led by a black slave, for her +father; a band of music following; then his slaves armed with bows and +arrows, closed the procession. Blue Beard brought some fine clothes +along with him for Fatima and her sister, which the father insisted +upon her wearing. It was in vain for her to tell him she could not +be happy, as her heart was given to Selim; he knew that Blue Beard +was very rich, and like many others, he thought happiness consisted +in wealth; so, says he, have him you must, and have him you shall: +Abomelique, at the same time, took all manner of pains to please her; +for, beside the fine clothes, he brought her jewels and diamonds in +profusion, and promised she should want for nothing when she got to the +castle. + +After being dressed in a very grand manner she was put or rather forced +into her seat on the elephant's back along with her sister Irene; the +ladies round about, who came to the sight, could scarce keep from +envying her, forgetting that very fine clothes may hide a very heavy +heart, as it did now. No sooner was the company seated than the music +began to play, and off the great Abomelique marched in triumph with +his prize. Her lover Selim no sooner received her letter, than knowing +no time was to be lost, went directly to his brother, who commanded a +troop, who promised to assist him to the utmost, so it was agreed to +muster their men, and to set off immediately for the father, and bring +Fatima away: or, if Blue Beard had already got her, to force her from +him, who by now had arrived at his Castle. Sure nothing could equal the +rejoicings made to welcome her.--Blue Beard conducted her to a fine +seat in a magnificent garden, where refreshments were placed and some +of the females were ordered to dance to entertain her; but for all this +she was still melancholy; as to her father he was as merry as a grig, +pulling about the women, and driving about the men; and Irene would +have been merry could she have seen her sister so. Blue Beard having +a mind to leave her a little to herself, pretended he had business of +the utmost importance to transact, told her he must leave her till the +evening, giving her at the same time the keys of all the apartments of +the Castle, telling her, as she was mistress of the place to go freely +into any of them, except that room, the door of which was in the Blue +Chamber; and of which this key, set with diamonds, opens the lock; upon +your life don't go into that chamber, giving Fatima the keys; and then +with a look that frightened her sadly, left her; as soon as he was +gone, Irene cried, 'now is not that kind of him to give you the keys to +go where you please?' 'No, my dear sister,' said Fatima, 'I had much +rather he had kept them; you find I am forbid going into one room, did +not you hear him say, my life depended on it.' + +'I don't think anything of that,' said Irene, 'I long to see that +chamber in particular; come don't mope so, if you had not seen Selim +first, you might be very happy, for setting aside his beard I don't +think Abomelique so very ugly; now as he won't be at home till evening, +pray do let us go over the Castle, I long to have a rummage.' It was a +long while before Irene could persuade her sister to go; however she +agreed at length, and away they went; it would tire your patience if I +told you all the fine things they saw, in one of the rooms there was a +fine guitar hanging up, which Fatima took down, and began playing upon +to divert her melancholy. + +Irene would not let her sister play upon it long, for she was impatient +to see the rest of the chambers, when at length they arrived at the +blue one, this was the grandest of all, it was lined with looking +glasses, ornamented with fine blue enamelled frames; here you might see +yourself from head to foot; the mantle piece was supported by pillars +of the finest blue china; and though it was called the Blue Chamber, +it might as well have been called the Golden one as the floor was +lined with it, two glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling by chains of +gold. In short, nothing was wanting to make this the finest room that +ever was seen: in the middle of this chamber stood the door of that +they were forbid to enter: 'well, sister Fatima,' says Irene, 'I am +quite delighted with this place, I should like to see the next chamber +vastly, I dare say it must be finer still; come, what say you to it, +shall we look at it? there is nobody here to see us, and you know we +need not tell of ourselves.' + +'Dear sister,' said Fatima, 'pray don't ask me, I dread the thought of +it, let us be satisfied with what we have seen, and return; indeed I +begin to be tired with the ramble we have had;' 'well, my dear sister,' +said Irene, 'we may not have such another opportunity a great while, +if you wont go in, let us just open the door, and only look in, sure +there can be no great harm in that.' 'I could like to please you,' says +Fatima, 'but I am sadly afraid;' 'Pho!' cried Irene, 'don't be afraid +before you are hurt; come, fear nothing.' Fatima, to please her, took +the key all sparkling with diamonds, and put it to the lock, when the +door flew open in an instant, and discovered such a dismal scene, that +Fatima instantly fainted away, the walls were lined with the skeletons, +and the floor was strewed with the limbs of the dead wives the cruel +Blue Beard had already murdered, which were swimming in their blood, +into which, when Fatima fainted, she dropt the key. At one end of this +dismal room stood the figure of death holding a dart, and over him was +wrote, in characters of blood, _The punishment of curiosity_. 'Mercy on +me!' said Fatima, as soon as she recovered, 'what will become of me. +Abomelique will surely find me out, and no doubt serve me as he has +done the poor creatures we have just seen.' + +'Come, dear sister,' said Irene, 'let us get away, I am very sorry +I persuaded you to open the door;'--'Where is the key gone,' says +Fatima, ''tis not in the door?' 'Perhaps it is dropt,' says Irene; and +so it was sure enough, and what was worse, into the blood: she took +it up, locked the door, and wiped the blood from off her hands, but +in spite of all they could do, they could not wipe it from the key. +Now you must know this key was the gift of a fairy to Blue Beard; and +when poor Fatima found she could not clean it, she cried bitterly, and +Irene could not help crying too. 'You know, my dear, 'tis a saying, one +trouble seldom comes alone;' and that was the case now; for while they +were thinking what they should do, a black slave entered to tell them +Abomelique was returned, and expected them in the grand saloon. This +was terrible news for Fatima, who gave herself up for lost; however, +go she must. + +'Now as they were going,' Fatima says to Irene, 'my dear sister, +yesterday I wrote to Selim, and as I make no doubt but he received the +letter, this day I hoped to see him; pray do you go to the top of the +tower, and if he should be coming, beckon him with your handkerchief +to make haste.' Away went Irene with a heavy heart; while Fatima, with +a heavier one, went to meet Blue Beard; who, as soon as he saw her, +cried out, 'Well Madam, how have you entertained yourself? don't you +think there are sights in the Castle worth looking at?' 'Yes,' replied +Fatima, sighing, 'there are indeed!'--'But why sigh, my love!' says +Blue Beard, 'I hope you have not broke the order I gave you; come, give +me the keys.' Poor Fatima with an aching heart, put her hand into her +pocket, and pulling out the keys, gave them to him with a trembling +hand. + +Blue Beard was afraid something had happened by her trembling; he +no sooner saw the blood on the key of the chamber he forbid her to +enter, than his countenance changed, and he roared out in a voice like +thunder, 'Ah! wretch, I see what you have been at; you have seen my +former wives, who have forfeited their lives by their curiosity, and +you shall now go and lay among them.' + +So saying he seized her by the hair of her head: when, falling on her +knees, she besought him to spare her life; but he was a monster not to +be moved. When she found he was determined to kill her, she begged him +to grant her a little time to say her prayers. He bid her go, but not +be long or he would fetch her. + +Getting up into her chamber, she called for her sister, and asked her +if she saw any thing. 'No, dear sister,' said Irene, 'nothing but the +dreary common and the sky.' 'Are you most done?' said Blue Beard; +'yes,' cried Fatima; when calling again to Irene, she said, 'sister, +what do you see?' 'Nothing, dear sister, but a flock of sheep.' 'Are +you not a coming?' said Blue Beard, in a surlier voice than before; +'yes directly,' said Fatima; when calling to her sister, she asked her +if she saw nothing? 'yes,' cried Irene, 'I see a great cloud of dust, +but it is a great way off.' 'If you don't come down,' Blue Beard roared +out, 'I will fetch you;' 'coming,' cried Fatima: when calling again +to her sister, she asked her what she saw? 'I see,' cried Irene, 'a +number of horsemen riding full speed towards the Castle;' 'wave your +handkerchief, dear sister, that they may make more haste, or I fear it +will be all over with me.' + +At this instant entered Blue Beard, and seizing her hair, began +dragging her towards the Blue Chamber, while her shrieks were enough +to pierce the heart of stone. He had not dragged her far before he +heard the sound of feet on the stairs and as tyrants are always +cowards, he stopt to listen. + +[Illustration] + +He had not stopt long before Selim, (who had forced into the Castle) +following the cries of Fatima, rushed into the room, with his sword in +hand. 'Villain', said Blue Beard, drawing his scymater, 'what dost thou +here?' 'Tyrant,' cried Selim, 'to punish such a monster as thou art.' +They said no more, but at it they went. Despair lent courage to Blue +Beard; love to Selim; while poor Fatima sat trembling on the floor. At +length Selim prevailed: for running Blue Beard through the body, he +laid him breathless on the floor. + +He now went to Fatima, who was fainting, and taking her in his arms, +carried her to the window to give her air. + +In the mean time his brother had overcome the slaves, who were not +sorry to hear of Blue Beard's death. + +Selim took possession of the Castle, gave the slaves their liberty, +and married Fatima. Selim's brother fell in love with and married +Irene, and they all lived together happily. + + + + + Cruel Blue Beard being dead + And those lovers in his stead, + Time goes merrily along, + Now a dance, and then a song: + for whenever true love's found, + Joy and pleasure will abound. + By the poor around they're blest, + By the rich around carest; + Guilt may leave behind its stings, + Nought but comfort virtue brings. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's A New History of Blue Beard, by Gaffer Black Beard + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43050 *** |