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148

Basile, Giambattista, Archivio di Litteratura popolare. Napoli, 1883, 1884. (July 1884.) Anno 2. No. VII. Pp. 51-53. (From Rogiano-Gravina, province of Cosenza in Calabria; contributed by Vittorio Caravelli.)

"'A RUMANZA D' 'I TRI BISTITI"
(The Story of the Three Dresses).

ABSTRACT

Death-bed promise--Deceased wife's ring marriage test-- Unnatural father--Nurse aid--Countertasks--Magic dresses, provided by devil--Heroine's hiding box (cage)--Heroine flight--Heroine disguise (fur dress--Magic dress inside out)--Menial heroine (poultry-herd)--Meeting-place (ball)--Threefold flight--Money thrown to detain pursuers--Lovesick prince--Recognition food, contains jewel and necklace given at ball--Happy marriage--Heroine's father enters palace disguised as goldsmith; is recognised by heroine. He drugs the household; attempts to throw heroine into boiling oil. She wakes and arouses sentinels--Villain Nemesis. Father thrown into boiling oil.

TABULATION

(1) A man named Serafino has daughter Luisa. His wife falls ill, and before dying bids him marry a lady who can wear her wedding-ring.-- (2) One day Luisa tries on ring and cannot remove it from finger. She hides it with piece of rag, but father insists on seeing finger, and then wants to marry her. Luisa, counselled by her nurse (mamma di latte), demands from father a dress of gold lined with rabbit-skins, which shall leave behind it a trail of gold. Serafino, in quest of such a dress, meets a handsome youth, really the devil (La tentazione), who mounts him on a horse, and conducts him at a bound to a shop, where he finds the very thing. Luisa in despair again consults nurse, and asks father for dress with sun, moon, and stars of gold all round it. Father procures it with aid of devil, and also a third dress, the colour of tire sea, with gold fishes all around.-- (3) Daughter now demands and obtains a cage into which she can shut herself and not be recognised; then tells father he must go first to church she will follow, and they shall be married.-- (4) Father starts, and Luisa shuts herself in cage, flies off and stops at palace of king whose son is to be betrothed that night to royal princess.-- (5) heroine, in dress m rabbit-skins, takes service as poultry-herd.-- (6) In the evening site turns dress inside out, and appears in splendour at bail. King's son dances with her, and drops in her lap the jewel intended for his betrothed. Luisa vanishes; prince is baffled, and orders sentinels on pairs of death to stop the beautiful lady should she come next night.-- (7) The servants tell the poultry-herd all about it, and she shows no interest. She appears at ball next night in sun-, moon-, and stars-dress. Prince deserts his betrothed to dance with heroine, and gives her necklace intended for the former. Heroine leaves; sentinels follow, till she throws silver coins at them and hurts them. Prince will spare their lives provided they overtake beautiful lady on the morrow.-- (8) Next morning servants tell poultry-herd, who remains indifferent. In the evening she appears again at ball in sea-coloured dress; (lances with prince, and disappears. The sentinels, struck and hurt with silver coins, cannot follow. -- (9) Prince falls fainting; is carried to his room seriously ill. Doctor, can do nothing to save him.-- (10) Queen seeing him dying of weakness and loss of appetite, wants to try something cooked by poultry-herd. Heroine prepares his meal, and puts jewel into the broth. Prince stirs it, finds jewel, and revives. He wants some more soup prepared by the same hands, and this time he finds necklace, he is quite cured and sends for cook.-- (11) The poultry-herd appears in best dress, and prince marries her in the presence of pope and cardinals.-- (12) Serafino, hearing of daughter's wedding, comes to royal palace in guise of goldsmith, with jewellery for sale. Prince puts one of the rings on wife's finger, and instantly she recognises father, and flies. -- (13) Serafino begs prince to allow him to stay night in palace. He goes all over the palace, administers an opiate in each room, and all fall into deep sleep. He goes to daughter and drags her by the hair to throw her into caldron of boiling oil, which he has prepared. In the struggle the drugged paper falls from her, and she wakes up.-- (14) The sentinels are aroused, and they throw Serafino into the boiling oil.

Cox, Marian Roalfe. Cinderella: Three Hundred and Forty-five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and Cap O' Rushes, abstracted and tabulated. London: David Nutt for the Folklore Society, 1893.

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