Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 29, 1918.djvu/102

 92 Reviews.

3. The Wicked King and His Bride. This is the story published by me some years ago in the Journal of our Society from a Hebrew MS. of the twelfth century. Mr. Friedlander, evidently ignorant of that fact, took it from the Jewish-German " Maasse-Buch," — the Jewish Gesta Romanorum of the six- teenth century. I may mention incidentally that at the request of the American Jewish PubHcation Society I have been engaged for some time already in a complete translation of the above mentioned " Maasse-Buch."

4. The Story of the Two Jewels from the Work of Aben Verga. This is more an allegoric parable than a tale. It is the source of " The three rings " in Lessing's Nathan the Wise.

5. The Beggar at the Wedding is the disguised Angel of Death, who is appeased by the hospitality shown to him, and the death sentence is averted by the bride's intercession with God.

6. The Clever Wife who was barren and consented to become divorced after ten years of married life if allowed to take with her the best beloved object. She makes her husband drunk at the parting feast and carries him in that state to her house.

7. The coins of Elijah are bringing blessing and riches to the man who, following his wife's advice, accepts the loan of them for the immediate seven years and not the last seven years of his life. He acts charitably and the coins remain with him to the end.

The last (No. 8) is only a fable taken from the collection of Berachyah of the twelfth-thirteenth century, whose relation to the fables of Marie de France is still a problem waiting for final solution.

These tales and apologues belong also to other cycles, and students of folklore have often referred to them ; especially is this the case with the first tale, which has a history of its own. The incident alone of the dialogue between Solomon and Ash- medai leads up to that of " Solomon and Markult," and to Bertoldo. Vesselofski has written his famous book Solomon i Kitovras about this legend, and follows up many of its main features throughout the literature of the world. Mr. Fried- lander has contented himself with the translation of these tales from the Hebrew into English and has presented them to the