Transcribed from the 1893 J. W. Arrowsmith edition by David Price,
PRINCE RICARDO OF PANTOUFLIA
BEING THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE
PRIGIO’S SON, BY ANDREW LANG
AUTHOR OF PRINCE PRIGIO
illustrated by
gordon browne
published at bristol by j. w. arrowsmith,
quay street, and at london by simpkin,
marshall, hamilton, kent & company limited
p. vDEDICATION.
To Guy Campbell.
My dear Guy,
You wanted to know more about Prince Prigio, who wonthe Lady Rosalind, and killed the Firedrake and the Remoraby aid of his Fairy gifts. Here you have some of hislater adventures, and you will learn from this story the advantages of minding your book.
Yours always,
A. Lang.
p. ixIntroductory.
Explaining Matters.
There may be children whose education has been so neglected that they have not read Prince Prigio. As this new story is about Prince Prigio’s son, Ricardo, you are to learn that Prigio was the child and heir of Grognio, King of Pantouflia. The fairies gave the little Prince cleverness, beauty, courage; but one wicked fairy added, “You shall be too clever.” His mother, the queen, hid away in a cupboard all the fairy presents,—the p. xSword of Sharpness, the Seven-League Boots, the Wishing Cap, and many other useful and delightful gifts, in which her Majesty did not believe! But after Prince Prigio had become universally disliked and deserted, because he was so very clever and conceited, he happened to find all the fairy presents in the old turret chamber where they had been thrown. By means of these he delivered his country from a dreadful Red-Hot Beast, called the Firedrake, and, in addition to many other triumphs, hemarried the good and beautiful Lady Rosalind. His love for her taught him not to be conceited, though he did not cease to beextremely clever and fond of reading.
When this new story begins the Prince has succeeded to the crown, on the death of King Grognio, and is unhappy about his ownson, Prince Ricardo, who is not clever, and who hates books! The story tells of Ricardo’s p. xiadventures: how he tried to bring back Prince Charlie to England, how he failed; how he dealt with the odious old Yellow Dwarf; how he wasaided by the fair magician, the Princess Jaqueline; how they bothfell in