_"Nescio certè est: et Hylax in latrat."_
_A Foreword: Which Asserts Nothing._
In Continental not more than a dozen articles in all would to have or of the Jurgen legends. No of this can be said to have appeared in print, anywhere, to the publication, in 1913, of the _Synopses of Aryan Mythology_ by Angelo de Ruiz. It is to that in this Professor de Ruiz has (VII, p. 415 _et sequentia_) a of the part of these as in the of Verville and Bülg; and has at length and with much learning the meaning of these folk-stories and their upon questions to which the "solar theory" of has rise. To his volumes, and to the pages of Mr. Lewistam's _Key to the Popular Tales of Poictesme_, must be all those who may elect to think of Jurgen as the resplendent, and sun.
Equally in reading will the all interpretation, if the are various. Thus Verville the Nessus shirt a symbol of retribution, where Bülg, with wide divergence, would have it the gift of genius. Then it may be that Dr. Codman says, without any hesitancy, of Mother Sereda: "This Mother Middle is the world (an of _Erda es_), and this Sereda not the middle of the working-days but the of everything. She is the of _middleness_, of mediocrity, of an of extremes, of the by use and wont. She is the Mrs. Grundy of the Léshy; she is Comstockery: and her is common-sense." Yet Codman speaks with no more authority than Prote, when the latter, in his _Origins of Fable_, this is "a of ... man's in search of that and which his nature craves, and in the universe: and the shirt is an of this craving, as ... the conscience. Sereda a to life as it is, a up of man's self-centredness and selfishness: the being _se dare_."
Thus do and clash, and equal the in number. Yet possibly each one of these unriddlings, with no a of others, is conceivable: so that will upon none of them very seriously.
With the and the meaning of the of Poictesme this book at least is in no wise concerned: its has been to English readers with the Jurgen for the tale's sake. And this of old years is one which, by fortune, can be to English readers almost unabridged, in view of the and pure-mindedness of the Jurgen mythos: in all, not more than a half-dozen have (and have been indicated) in order to remove such and of mediæval as might the squeamish.
Since this is presented as a to be read for pastime, neither is educed, and no "parallels" and "authorities" are quoted. Even the are left by guesswork: the and problems are to those to with such topics, and not deter....
In such terms, and thus far, ran the Foreword to the of this book, later have necessary the of the Foreword with a postscript. The needed addition--this much at least with good luck--is brief. It is just that which some scholars, since the of this volume, have asserted--upon what perfect must as not grounds--to be a of the thirty-second chapter of the complete of _La Haulte Histoire de Jurgen_.
And in reply to what these assert, says nothing. For this was, of course, unknown when the High History was put into English, and there in appears, here, little to be either by or its to authenticity. Rather, the appending, without any or scholia, of this fragment, which with
_The Judging of Jurgen._
Now a was by the Philistines to decide or no King Jurgen should be to limbo. And when the were prepared for judging, there came into the a great tumblebug, in of him his loved and properly ones. With the came pages, in black and white, a sword, a staff and a lance.
This looked at Jurgen, and its rose in horror. The to the three judges, "Now, by St. Anthony! this Jurgen must be to limbo, for he is and and and indecent."
"And how can that be?" says Jurgen.
"You are offensive," the replied, "because this page has a which I choose to say is not a sword. You are that page has a which I to think is not a lance. You are page has a staff which I elect to is not a staff. And finally, you are for of which a would be to me, and which therefore I must to to anybody."
"Well, that logical," says Jurgen, "but still, at the same time, it would be no for an of common-sense. For you can see for yourselves, by these pages and as a whole, that these pages a and a and a staff, and nothing else whatever; and you will deduce, I hope, that all the is in the mind of him who to be calling these by other names."
The said nothing as yet. But they that Jurgen, and all the other Philistines, to this and to that with their tight, and all these said: "We to look at the pages and as a whole, to look might to a of what the has decreed. Besides, as long as the has which he to reveal, his unanswerable, and you are a who are making trouble for yourself."
"To the contrary," says Jurgen, "I am a poet, and I make literature."
"But in Philistia to make and to make trouble for are synonyms," the explained. "I know, for already we of Philistia have been by three of these makers of literature. Yes, there was Edgar, I and until I was of it: then I him up a one night, and out those of his. And there was Walt, I and from place to place, and a of him: and him, too, I and and and indecent. Then later there was Mark, I into himself in a clown's suit, so that nobody might him to be a maker of literature: indeed, I him so that he away the part of what he had until after he was dead, and I not at him. That was a to play on me, I consider. Still, these are the only three makers of that have Philistia, thanks be to and my vigilance, but for of which we might have been no more free from makers of than are the other countries."
"Now, but these three," Jurgen, "are the of Philistia: and of all that Philistia has produced, it is these three alone, ye least of, that to-day are art is honored, and where nobody one way or the other about Philistia."
"What is art to me and my way of living?" the tumblebug, wearily. "I have no with art and and the other of nations. I have in the of my young, I roll here me, and trust with St. Anthony's to in time to be God-fearing like me, in what is proper to their nature. For the rest, I have men being well-spoken-of. No, no, my lad: once I may do means nothing to you, and once you are rotten, you will the enough. Meanwhile I am paid to that are and and and indecent, and one must live."
Then the Philistines who to this and to that said in unison: "And we, the of Philistia, are not at all in with those who would take any against the as a of what they are pleased to call art. The done by the to us very slight, the done by the self-styled artist may be very great."
Jurgen now looked more at this creature: and he saw that the was malodorous, certainly, but at and well-meaning; and this to Jurgen the thing he had among the Philistines. For the was in his doings, and all Philistia him sincerely, so that there was any for this people.
Therefore King Jurgen himself, as his need was, to submit to the of the Philistines. "Now do you judge me fairly," Jurgen to his judges, "if there be any in this country. And if there be none, do you me to or to any other place, so long as in that place this is not and and insane."
And Jurgen waited.... * * * * *
JURGEN
... _amara risu_
