PREFACE., xiu
popular talcs of remote and unconnected regions, is equally re- markable in the richest collection of traditionary narrative which, any country can boast ; we mean the " PeyUaTnerone, overo TraMen- emiento de li PiccerUli'* ("Fun for the Little Ones"), published by Giov. Battista Basile, very early in the 17th century, from the old stories current among the Neapolitans. It is singular that the German and Neapolitan tales (though the latter were till lately quite unknown to foreigners, and never translated out of the Italian tongues), bear the strongest and most minute resemblances.. The French fairy tales that have become popular, were chiefly taken from " The Nights (Notti piacevoli) of Straparola,'* published first in 1650 ; but in his collection such fictions occupy no prominent and appa- rently an only accidental station, the bulk of the tales being of what may be called the Classical Italian School The Penta/merone was drawn from original sources, and probably compUed without any knowledge of Straparola, although the latter is precedent in date. The two works have only four pieces in common. Mr. Dunlop would add greatly to the value of his excellent work on fiction, if he would include in his inquiries this most interesting branch of popular entertainment, to which Sir Walter Scott has already pointed in his notes to " The Lady of the Lake."
Among the most pleasing of the German tales are those in which animals support the leading characters. They are perhaps more venerable in their origin than the heroic and fairy tales. They are not only amusing by their playful and dramatic character, but instruc- tive by the purity of their morality. None bear more strongly the impress of a remote Eastern original, both in their principles and their form of conveying instruction. Justice always prevails, active talent is everywhere successful, the amiable and generous qualities are brought forward to excite the sympathies of the reader, and in the end are constantly rewarded by triumph over lawless power. . It will be observed as a peculiarity of the German j&bles, that they
