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                                THE SKETCH BOOK

                                 RIP VAN WINKLE

                 A POSTHUMOUS WRITING OF DIEDRICH KNICKERBOCKER

                              by Washington Irving



           By Woden; God of Saxons;

           From whence comes Wensday; that is Wodensday。

           Truth is a thing that ever I will keep

           Unto thylke day in which I creep into

           My sepulchre…

                                                 CARTWRIGHT。



  'The following Tale was found among the papers of the late

Diedrich Knickerbocker; an old gentleman of New York; who was very

curious in the Dutch history of the province; and the manners of the

descendants from its primitive settlers。 His historical researches;

however; did not lie so much among books as among men; for the

former are lamentably scanty on his favorite topics; whereas he

found the old burghers; and still more their wives; rich in that

legendary lore; so invaluable to true history。 Whenever; therefore; he

happened upon a genuine Dutch family; snugly shut up in its low…roofed

farmhouse; under a spreading sycamore; he looked upon it as a little

clasped volume of black…letter; and studied it with the zeal of a

book…worm。

  The result of all these researches was a history of the province

during the reign of the Dutch governors; which he published some years

since。 There have been various opinions as to the literary character

of his work; and; to tell the truth; it is not a whit better than it

should be。 Its chief merit is its scrupulous accuracy; which indeed

was a little questioned on its first appearance; but has since been

completely established; and it is now admitted into all historical

collections; as a book of unquestionable authority。

  The old gentleman died shortly after the publication of his work;

and now that he is dead and gone; it cannot do much harm to his memory

to say that his time might have been much better employed in weightier

labors。 He; however; was apt to ride his hobby his own way; and though

it did now and then kick up the dust a little in the eyes of his

neighbors; and grieve the spirit of some friends; for whom he felt the

truest deference and affection; yet his errors and follies are

remembered 〃more in sorrow than in anger;〃 and it begins to be

suspected; that he never intended to injure or offend。 But however his

memory may be appreciated by critics; it is still held dear by many

folk; whose good opinion is well worth having; particularly by certain

biscuit…bakers; who have gone so far as to imprint his likeness on

their new…year cakes; and have thus given him a chance for

immortality; almost equal to the being stamped on a Waterloo Medal; or

a Queen Anne's Farthing。'



  WHOEVER has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the

Kaatskill mountains。 They are a dismembered branch of the great

Appalachian family; and are seen away to the west of the river;

swelling up to a noble height; and lording it over the surrounding

country。 Every change of season; every change of weather; indeed;

every hour of the day; produces some change in the magical hues and

shapes of these mountains; and they are regarded by all the good

wives; far and near; as perfect barometers。 When the weather is fair

and settled; they are clothed in blue and purple; and print their bold

outlines on the clear evening sky; but; sometimes; when the rest of

the landscape is cloudless; they will gather a hood of gray vapors

about their summits; which; in the last rays of the setting sun;

will glow and light up like a crown of glory。

  At the foot of these fair mountains; the voyager may have descried

the light smoke curling up from a village; whose shingle…roofs gleam

among the trees; just where the blue tints of the upland melt away

into the fresh green of the nearer landscape。 It is a little

village; of great antiquity; having been founded by some of the

Dutch colonists; in the early times of the province; just about the

beginning of the government of the good Peter Stuyvesant; (may he rest

in peace!) and there were some of the houses of the original

settlers standing within a few years; built of small yellow bricks

brought from Holland; having latticed windows and gable fronts;

surmounted with weather…cocks。

  In that same village; and in one of these very houses (which; to

tell the precise truth; was sadly time…worn and weather…beaten); there

lived many years since; while the country was yet a province of

Great Britain; a simple good…natured fellow; of the name of Rip Van

Winkle。 He was a descendant of the Van Winkles who figured so

gallantly in the chivalrous days of Peter Stuyvesant; and

accompanied him to the siege of Fort Christina。 He inherited; however;

but little of the martial character of his ancestors。 I have

observed that he was a simple good…natured man; he was; moreover; a

kind neighbor; and an obedient hen…pecked husband。 Indeed; to the

latter circumstance might be owing that meekness of spirit which

gained him such universal popularity; for those men are most apt to be

obsequious and conciliating abroad; who are under the discipline of

shrews at home。 Their tempers; doubtless; are rendered pliant and

malleable in the fiery furnace of domestic tribulation; and a

curtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the

virtues of patience and long…suffering。 A termagant wife may;

therefore; in some respects; be considered a tolerable blessing; and

if so; Rip Van Winkle was thrice blessed。

  Certain it is; that he was a great favorite among all the good wives

of the village; who; as usual; with the amiable sex; took his part

in all family squabbles; and never failed; whenever they talked

those matters over in their evening gossipings; to lay all the blame

on Dame Van Winkle。 The children of the village; too; would shout with

joy whenever he approached。 He assisted at their sports; made their

playthings; taught them to fly kites and shoot marbles; and told

them long stories of ghosts; witches; and Indians。 Whenever he went

dodging about the village; he was surrounded by a troop of them;

hanging on his skirts; clambering on his back; and playing a

thousand tricks on him with impunity; and not a dog would bark at

him throughout the neighborhood。

  The great error in Rip's composition was an insuperable aversion

to all kinds of profitable labor。 It could not be from the want of

assiduity or perseverance; for he would sit on a wet rock; with a

rod as long and heavy as a Tartar's lance; and fish all day without

a murmur; even though he should not be encouraged by a single

nibble。 He would carry a fowling…piece on his shoulder for hours

together; trudging through woods and swamps; and up hill and down

dale; to shoot a few squirrels or wild pigeons。 He would never

refuse to assist a neighbor even in the roughest toil; and was a

foremost man at all country frolics for husking Indian corn; or

building stone…fences; the women of the village; too; used to employ

him to run their errands; and to do such little odd jobs as their less

obliging husbands would not do for them。 In a word Rip was ready to

attend to anybody's business but his own; but as to doing family duty;

and keeping his farm in order; he found it impossible。

  In fact; he declared it was of no use to work on his farm; it was

the most pestilent little piece of ground in the whole country;

every thing about it went wrong; and would go wrong; in spite of

him。 His fences were continually falling to pieces; his cow would

either go astray; or get among the cabbages; weeds were sure to grow

quicker in his fields than anywhere else; the rain always made a point

of setting in just as he had some out…door work to do; so that

though his patrimonial estate had dwindled away under his

management; acre by acre; until there was little more left than a mere

patch of Indian corn and potatoes; yet it was the worst conditioned

farm in the neighborhood。

  His children; too; were as ragged and wild as if they belonged to

nobody。 His 

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