The Marvellous Adventures and Rare Conceits of Master Tyll Owlglass

The Narrenschiff (“Ship of Fools”) of Sebastian Brandt was published in 1494. It is also called the Welt Spiegel, or “World Mirror,” and it enjoyed a great and deserved reputation in its time, but was far too pedantic and tiresome to survive to the present age, or be profitable now. A few remarks upon it, extracted from Hallam, will be found in the Preface.

Murner himself published a satirical work in 1517, entitled the Schelmenzunft (“Corporation of Knaves”), but from a want of entirety it has fallen into little repute. So also the Gäuchmatt has been forgotten, while Owlglass, published in the same year (1519), will live a companion to many.

Similar books had preceded Master Owlglass, but not with the same success, although from them the frequent editors of the latter abstracted stories to add to the deeds of the wandering knave; from the legend of the “Priest Amis,” for instance, Murner took the story of the invisible picture, the reading ass, the wise university examination at Prague, and the history of the pardoner with the holy head of Saint Brandonus. Another work, the “Priest of Kalenberg,” preceded Owlglass, having appeared before the year 1494 at Vienna, being written by Villip Frankfurter; the only copy known is preserved in the Hamburg Town Library. The “Priest of Kalenberg” is mentioned by Sebastian Brandt in the “Ship of Fools;” and Murner, in his Narrenbeschwerung, tells a story concerning him. The book is alluded to by Fischart in the preface to his Eulenspiegel, as having been a great success. The latest edition of the “Priest of Kalenberg” appeared under the title of Der geistliche Eulenspiegel, oder der Pfarrer vom Kalenberg, nebst Schwänken einiger anderen lustigen Gesellen (“The Clerical Eulenspiegel, or the Parson of Kalenberg, with the quips of some other merry fellows”). Leipzig, 1818.

Another book which supplied the editors of Eulenspiegel with materials for its extension was the Jests of Gonella, Court Fool to the Margrave Nicolaus of Este (†1441), and to his son Borso, the Duke of Ferrara (†1471); indeed, it is far from unlikely that Murner himself was acquainted with it, as it was published in 1506 at Bologna. So rare is this work, that in an appendix Dr. Lappenberg has reprinted it.

The “Jests of Poggio Bracciolini” (1381–1459), a man to whom we owe the recovery of Quintilian, eight orations of Cicero, twelve comedies of Plautus, and other classics, also furnished Murner with matter for the Eulenspiegel. In fact, Murner and his successors must have very diligently sought out all the literature of the class likely to serve their purpose in adding to the adventures of their own hero. Thus several stories are adapted from the “Cento Novelle Antiche” (printed at Bologna, 1525), from Morlini (Naples, 1520), from Bebel, and from François Villon.

There are a few books later than Eulenspiegel having a family resemblance to it; of these the Schimpf und Ernst (“Abuse and Seriousness”) of John Pauli Pfedersheimer, published in 1522, is the most noted. The following is the title of the first edition: “Schimpf vn̄ | Ernst | heiset | das Buch mit namē | durchlaufft e d’ welthandlung mit | ernstlichen vnd kurtzweiligen exem- | plen, parabolen vnd hystorien | nützlich vnd gut zu besse- | rung der menschen.” This title is in an oblong tablet surrounded with woodcuts. Below is Herodias bringing the head of John the Baptist to her father; to the right is Adam and Eve; to the left, Bishop Martin; and at the top is St. George with the dragon. Sheets run from A-X iiii, 124 pages in folio, double columns. Colophon: “Getruckt zu Strassburg von Johannes | Grieninger, vnd volendet vff vnser lieben frawentag der geburt, | in dem iar nach der geburt Christi vnsers herren. Tausend | fünf hundert vnd zwei vnd zwantzig.” Then follows sheet Y, with six pages of contents. Copies in the Royal Libraries at Dresden, Berlin, and München. Forty-nine editions are specified by Lappenberg in “Ulenspiegel” (pp. 368–378), besides several translations. Pauli, in turn, has borrowed from Eulenspiegel, and that he understood the spirit of the book is plain from a reference he makes to it.

Another work akin to the Owlglass is the popular folk-book of Friar Rush, which is sufficiently well known to need no further description here. Mr. Thoms has reprinted it in his “Collection of Early Prose Romances.” Claus Narr von Ranstedt is another successor to Eulenspiegel. This worthy was court-fool to the Elector of Saxony from 1486 to 1532; thus a contemporary to Murner, who, indeed, mentions him in the treatise, “Whether the King of England be a liar or Dr. Luther?” The earliest edition appears to be of 1572, and its author was Master Wolfgang Büttner, Priest of Volfferstet. In the preface, Büttner sneers at Eulenspiegel, and asks why the pure words and good sayings of this good man should not be preferred and esteemed rather than the shameless stories of Owlglass.

Noteworthy also is a book containing the adventures of Hans Clauert of Trebbin, who in a humble manner, yet not without humour, follows in the footsteps of Owlglass. The only edition of it which I have seen is an undated folk-book, published in the series of Otto Wigand at Leipzig. This hero goes to Hungary and other places; but his adventures contain none of the satiric intention evident in the Owlglass. With these elucidatory remarks touching Owlglass, and the literature of which his adventures form the completest example, I bid the reader

A HEARTY FAREWELL

1

  See Adventure the 36th, p. 63.

2

  Introduction to the Literature of Europe, vol. i. p. 235 (Library ed.); vol. i. p. 240 (Cabinet ed.).

3

  Matter of doubt to the present writer whether it be thus superior; in any case, it would be scarcely so interesting to people now-a-days. But see the Appendix.

4

  Bouterwek, in his “History of German Poetry and Eloquence” (Geschichte der deutschen Poesie und Beredsamkeit), vol. ix. p. 336, confirms the observations of Hallam, and lends additional testimony to the popularity of the Eulenspiegel. Adolf Rosen von Kreutzheim, in the Preface to his poem, the Esel-König (Ass-King), alludes to the general dispersion of Eulenspiegel, Marcolphus, Katziporo, and other works, and abuses them in set terms as shameful, mischievous, and dangerous.

5

  History of German Fiction, vol. ii. p. 298.

6

  Jonson’s Works, p. 650.

7

  An Howleglass is mentioned as being in the library of a Captain Cox. On which, see the Appendix, p. 221.

8

  Carlyle, Miscellaneous Essays, Edition 1857, Vol. II. pp. 287–288.

9

  Feasts of the Dedication. These feasts, common in Germany, were also not uncommon, even to the present century, in parts of England. They were held in the churchyard on the anniversary of the day of the parish church being dedicated for divine service. See in Tom Brown’s School Days (p. 30), a recent eloquent country-book, for a mention of this as applying to Berkshire.

10

  i.e. Pleased.

11

  To the one-eyed man who takes.

12

  To the one-eyed man who returns.

13

  This device is faithfully copied from that in the edition of 1519.

14

  Adventure the 24th, pp. 38–39.

15

  This should be M.CCC. & L.

16

  Error oeuues for oeuures.

17

  “Simple” is here used in the sense of “cunning,” “bad.”

18

  Charles V. was in England from the 26th of May, when he landed at Dover, till the 1st of July, 1522.

19

  Septer, sceptre.

20

  furius, furious.

21

  warries, wars.

22

  the, thee.

23

  amite, French amitié.

24

  yed, yet.

25

  dynyall, denial.

26

  the, thee.

27

  meister, master.

28

  hye, high.

29

  The curious reader will find this duly set forth in Mr. Kemble’s critical history of the Salomon and Marcolphus tale (Salomon and Saturnus, p. 70). And in the preface to Dr. Luther’s “Table Talk,” where this application is made, Stangwald complains of the great number of people who prefer Marcolphus, Eulenspiegel, and such books, to these Colloquia Lutheri.