Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 4 1886.djvu/317

 Rh specimens are all occupied with the adventures of a king's three daughters.

In the second type the story of the elder children is dropped. In both these types the catastrophe is brought about by the heroine's reply to her father on being asked how much she loves him. In this, the Value of Salt Type, we are still concerned with a band of sisters.

In the third type the catastrophe is due to the father's wrath being excited by a different cause from that in the two foregoing types,—usually by the hero's dream. I have ventured to give this genus the title of the Joseph type. It deals sometimes with sons, at other times with daughters.

The fourth and fifth types record the career of an only son who has fallen without reasonable cause under his father's anger. From one of the stories in the English version of The Seven Wise Masters we may give the former the name of The Ravens type. The latter may be denominated The Language of Beasts type. These two types, though distinguishable, are nearly related.

I.

We owe the story of King Lear to Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose narrative has been closely followed by Shakspeare. Its outlines run as follows:—Leir, the son of Bladud, king of Britain, having governed sixty years and being without male issue, was desirous of dividing his kingdom between his three daughters, Gonorilla, Regan, and Cordeilla, and of marrying them to fit husbands. To make trial which of them was worthy to have the best part of his kingdom, he went to each of them to ask which of them loved him most. Gonorilla, in answer, called heaven to witness that she loved him more than her own soul. Regan replied with an oath that she loved him before all creatures. Cordeilla, the youngest and his best-beloved, setting at their true value her sisters' protestations, and regretting the ease with which her father was deceived by them, answered that she had always loved him as a father, and whoever pretended to do more must be disguising her