the surprising adventures of baron munchausen-第4章

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in　the　first　preface；　that　Munchausen；　being　a　shrewd　man；　found　the　practice　a　sovereign　specific　against　bores　and　all　other　kinds　of　serious　or　irrelevant　people；　while　it　naturally　endeared　him　to　the　friends　of　whom　he　had　no　small　number。

He　told　his　stories　with　imperturbable　/sang　froid/；　in　a　dry　manner；　and　with　perfect　naturalness　and　simplicity。　He　spoke　as　a　man　of　the　world；　without　circumlocution；　his　adventures　were　numerous　and　perhaps　singular；　but　only　such　as　might　have　been　expected　to　happen　to　a　man　of　so　much　experience。　A　smile　never　traversed　his　face　as　he　related　the　least　credible　of　his　tales；　which　the　less　intimate　of　his　acquaintance　began　in　time　to　think　he　meant　to　be　taken　seriously。　In　short；　so　strangely　entertaining　were　both　manner　and　matter　of　his　narratives；　that　〃Munchausen's　Stories〃　became　a　by…word　among　a　host　of　appreciative　acquaintance。　Among　these　was　Raspe；　who　years　afterwards；　when　he　was　starving　in　London；　bethought　himself　of　the　incomparable　baron。　He　half　remembered　some　of　his　sporting　stories；　and　supplemented　these　by　gleanings　from　his　own　commonplace　book。　The　result　is　a　curious　medley；　which　testifies　clearly　to　learning　and　wit；　and　also　to　the　turning　over　of　musty　old　books　of　/faceti？/　written　in　execrable　Latin。

　　The　story　of　the　Baron's　horse　being　cut　in　two　by　the　descending　　　portcullis　of　a　besieged　town；　and　the　horseman's　innocence　of　the　　　fact　until；　upon　reaching　a　fountain　in　the　midst　of　the　city；　the　　　insatiate　thirst　of　the　animal　betrayed　his　deficiency　in　hind　　　quarters；　was　probably　derived　by　Raspe　from　the　/Faceti？　　　Bebelian？/　of　Heinrich　Bebel；　first　published　at　Strassburgh　in　　　1508。

　　There　it　is　given　as　follows：　〃De　Insigni　Mendacio。　Faber　　　clavicularius　quem　superius　fabrum　mendaciorum　dixi；　narravit　se　　　tempore　belli；　credens　suos　se　subsecuturos　equitando　ad　cujusdam　　　oppidi　portas　penetrasse：　et　cum　ad　portas　venisset　cataractam　　　turre　demissam；　equum　suum　post　ephippium　discidisse；　　　dimidiatumque　reliquisse；　atque　se　media　parte　equi　ad　forum　usque　　　oppidi　equitasse；　et　caedem　non　modicam　peregisse。　Sed　cum　　　retrocedere　vellet　multitudine　hostium　obrutus；　tum　demum　equum　　　cecidisse　seque　captum　fuisse。〃

　　The　drinking　at　the　fountain　was　probably　an　embellishment　of　　　Raspe's　own。　Many　of　Bebel's　jests　were　repeated　in　J。　P。　Lange's　　　/Delici？　Academic？/　（Heilbronn；　1665）；　a　section　of　which　was　　　expressly　devoted　to　〃Mendacia　Ridicula〃；　but　the　yarn　itself　is　　　probably　much　older　than　either。　Similarly；　the　quaint　legend　of　　　the　thawing　of　the　horn　was　told　by　Castiglione　in　his　　　/Cortegiano/；　first　published　in　1528。　This　is　how　Castiglione　　　tells　it：　A　merchant　of　Lucca　had　travelled　to　Poland　in　order　to　　　buy　furs；　but　as　there　was　at　that　time　a　war　with　Muscovy；　from　　　which　country　the　furs　were　procured；　the　Lucchese　merchant　was　　　directed　to　the　confines　of　the　two　countries。　On　reaching　the　　　Borysthenes；　which　divided　Poland　and　Muscovy；　he　found　that　the　　　Muscovite　traders　remained　on　their　own　side　of　the　river　from　　　distrust；　on　account　of　the　state　of　hostilities。　The　Muscovites；　　　desirous　of　being　heard　across　the　river　announced　the　prices　of　　　their　furs　in　a　loud　voice；　but　the　cold　was　so　intense　that　their　　　words　were　frozen　in　the　air　before　they　could　reach　the　opposite　　　side。　Hereupon　the　Poles　lighted　a　fire　in　the　middle　of　the　　　river；　which　was　frozen　into　a　solid　mass；　and　in　the　course　of　an　　　hour　the　words　which　had　been　frozen　up　were　melted；　and　fell　　　gently　upon　the　further　bank；　although　the　Muscovite　traders　had　　　already　gone　away。　The　prices　demanded　were；　however；　so　high　that　　　the　Lucchese　merchant　returned　without　making　any　purchase。　A　　　similar　idea　is　utilised　by　Rabelais　in　/Pantagruel/；　and　by　　　Steele　in　one　of　his　/Tatlers/。　The　story　of　the　cherry　tree　　　growing　out　of　the　stag's　head；　again；　is　given　in　Lange's　book；　　　and　the　fact　that　all　three　tales　are　of　great　antiquity　is　proved　　　by　the　appearance　of　counterparts　to　them　in　Lady　Guest's　edition　　　of　the　/Mabinogion/。　A　great　number　of　/nug？　canor？/　of　a　　　perfectly　similar　type　are　narrated　in　the　sixteenth　century　　　〃Travels　of　the　Finkenritter〃　attributed　to　Lorenz　von　Lauterbach。

To　humorous　waifs　of　this　description；　without　fixed　origin　or　birthplace；　did　Raspe　give　a　classical　setting　amongst　embroidered　versions　of　the　baron's　sporting　jokes。　The　unscrupulous　manner　in　which　he　affixed　Munchausen's　own　name　to　the　completed　/jeu　d'esprit/　is；　ethically　speaking；　the　least　pardonable　of　his　crimes；　for　when　Raspe's　little　book　was　first　transformed　and　enlarged；　and　then　translated　into　German；　the　genial　old　baron　found　himself　the　victim　of　an　unmerciful　caricature；　and　without　a　rag　of　concealment。　It　is　consequently　not　surprising　to　hear　that　he　became　soured　and　reticent　before　his　death　at　Bodenwerder　in　1797。

Strangers　had　already　begun　to　come　down　to　the　place　in　the　hope　of　getting　a　glimpse　of　the　eccentric　nobleman；　and　foolish　stories　were　told　of　his　thundering　out　his　lies　with　apoplectic　visage；　his　eyes　starting　out　of　his　head；　and　perspiration　beading　his　forehead。　The　fountain　of　his　reminiscences　was　in　reality　quite　dried　up；　and　it　must　be　admitted　that　this　excellent　old　man　had　only　too　good　reason　to　consider　himself　an　injured　person。

In　this　way；　then；　came　to　be　written　the　first　delightful　chapters　of　Baron　Munchausen's　〃Narrative　of　his　Travels　and　Campaigns　in　Russia。〃　It　was　not　primarily　intended　as　a　satire；　nor　was　it　specially　designed　to　take　of　the　extravagant　flights　of　contemporary　travellers。　It　was　rather　a　literary　frivolity；　thrown　off　at　one　effort　by　a　tatterdemalion　genius　in　sore　need　of　a　few　guineas。

The　remainder　of　the　book　is　a　melancholy　example　of　the　fallacy　of　enlargements　and　of　sequels。　Neither　Raspe　nor　the　baron　can　be　seriously　held　responsible　for　a　single　word　of　it。　It　must　have　been　written　by　a　bookseller's　hack；　whom　it　is　now　quite　impossible　to　identify；　but　who　was　evidently　of　native　origin；　and　the　book　is　a　characteristically　English　product；　full　of　personal　and　political　satire；　with　just　a　twang　of　edification。　The　first　continuation　（chapters　one　and　seven；　to　twenty；　inclusive）；　which　was　supplied　with　the　third　edition；　is　merely　a　modern　/rechauffé/；　with　〃up　to　date〃　allusions；　of　Lucian's　/Vera　Historia/。　Prototypes　of　the　majority　of　the　stories　may　either　be　found　in　Lucian　or　in　the　twenty　volumes　of　/Voyages　Imaginaires/；　published　at　Paris　in　1787。　In　case；　however；　any　reader　should　be　sceptical　as　to　the　accuracy　of　this　statement　he　will　have　no　very　great　difficulty　in　supposing；　as　Dr。　Johnson　supposed　of　Ossian；　that　anybody　could　write　a　great　amount　of　such　stuff　if　he　would　only　consent　to　abandon　his　mind　to　the　task。

With　the　supplementary　chapters　commence　topical　allusions　to　the　recently　issued　memoirs　of　Baron　de　Tott；　an　enterprising　Frenchman　who　had　served　the　Great　Turk　against　the　Russians　in　the　Crimea　（an　English　translation　of　his　book　had　appeared　in　1785）。　The　satire　upon　this　gallant　soldier's　veracity　appears　to　be　quite　undeserved；　though　one　can　hardly　read　portions　of　his　adventures　without　being　forcibly　reminded　of　the　Baron's　laconic　style。　It　is　needless　to　add　that　the　amazing　account　of　De　Tott's　origin　is　grossly　libellous。　The　amount　of　public　interest　excited　by　the　？ronautical　exploits　of　Montgolfier　and　Blanchard　was　also　playfully　satirised。　Their　first　imitator　in　England；　Vincenzo　Lunardi；　had　made　a　successful　ascent　from　Moorfields　as　recently　as　1784；　while　in　the　following　year　Blanchard　crossed　the　channel　in　a　balloon　and　earned　the　sobriquet　/Don　Quixote　de　la　Manche/。　His　grotesque　appropriation　of　the　motto　〃/Sic　itur　ad　astra/〃　made　him；　at　least；　a　fit　object　for　Munchausen's　gibes。　In　the　Baron's　visit　to　Gibraltar　we　have　evidence　that　the　anonymous　writer；　in　common　with　the　rest　of　the　reading　public；　had　been　studying　John　Drinkwater's　〃History　of　the　Siege　of　Gibraltar〃　（completed　in　1783）；　which　had　with　extreme　rapidity　established　its　reputation　as　a　military　classic。　Similarly；　in　the　Polar　adventures；　the　〃Voyage　t