the surprising adventures of baron munchausen- 第1部分

The　Surprising　Adventures　of　Baron　Munchausen

By　Rudolph　Erich　Raspe



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　INTRODUCTION

It　is　a　curious　fact　that　of　that　class　of　literature　to　which　Munchausen　belongs；　that　namely　of　/Voyages　Imaginaires/；　the　three　great　types　should　have　all　been　created　in　England。　Utopia；　Robinson　Crusoe；　and　Gulliver；　illustrating　respectively　the　philosophical；　the　edifying；　and　the　satirical　type　of　fictitious　travel；　were　all　written　in　England；　and　at　the　end　of　the　eighteenth　century　a　fourth　type；　the　fantastically　mendacious；　was　evolved　in　this　country。　Of　this　type　Munchausen　was　the　modern　original；　and　remains　the　classical　example。　The　adaptability　of　such　a　species　of　composition　to　local　and　topical　uses　might　well　be　considered　prejudicial　to　its　chances　of　obtaining　a　permanent　place　in　literature。　Yet　Munchausen　has　undoubtedly　achieved　such　a　place。　The　Baron's　notoriety　is　universal；　his　character　proverbial；　and　his　name　as　familiar　as　that　of　Mr。　Lemuel　Gulliver；　or　Robinson　Crusoe；　mariner；　of　York。　Condemned　by　the　learned；　like　some　other　masterpieces；　as　worthless；　Munchausen's　travels　have　obtained　such　a　world…wide　fame；　that　the　story　of　their　origin　possesses　a　general　and　historic　interest　apart　from　whatever　of　obscurity　or　of　curiosity　it　may　have　to　recommend　it。

The　work　first　appeared　in　London　in　the　course　of　the　year　1785。　No　copy　of　the　first　edition　appears　to　be　accessible；　it　seems；　however；　to　have　been　issued　some　time　in　the　autumn；　and　in　the　/Critical　Review/　for　December　1785　there　is　the　following　notice：　〃Baron　Munchausen's　Narrative　of　his　Marvellous　Travels　and　Campaigns　in　Russia。　Small　8vo；　IS。　（Smith）。　This　is　a　satirical　production　calculated　to　throw　ridicule　on　the　bold　assertions　of　some　parliamentary　declaimers。　If　rant　may　be　best　foiled　at　its　own　weapons；　the　author's　design　is　not　ill…founded；　for　the　marvellous　has　never　been　carried　to　a　more　whimsical　and　ludicrous　extent。〃　The　reviewer　had　probably　read　the　work　through　from　one　paper　cover　to　the　other。　It　was　in　fact　too　short　to　bore　the　most　blasé　of　his　kind；　consisting　of　but　forty…nine　small　octavo　pages。　The　second　edition；　which　is　in　the　British　Museum；　bears　the　following　title；　〃Baron　Munchausen's　Narrative　of　his　Marvellous　Travels　and　Campaigns　in　Russia；　humbly　dedicated　and　recommended　to　country　gentlemen；　and　if　they　please　to　be　repeated　as　their　own　after　a　hunt；　at　horse　races；　in　watering　places；　and　other　such　polite　assemblies；　round　the　bottle　and　fireside。　Smith。　Printed　at　Oxford。　1786。〃　The　fact　that　this　little　pamphlet　again　consists　of　but　forty…nine　small　octavo　pages；　combined　with　the　similarity　of　title　（as　far　as　that　of　the　first　edition　is　given　in　the　/Critical　Review/）；　publisher；　and　price；　affords　a　strong　presumption　that　it　was　identical　with　the　first　edition。　This　edition　contains　only　chapters　ii。；　iii。；　iv。；　v。；　and　vi。　（pp。　10…44）　of　the　present　reprint。　These　chapters　are　the　best　in　the　book　and　their　substantial　if　peculiar　merit　can　hardly　be　denied；　but　the　pamphlet　appears　to　have　met　with　little　success；　and　early　in　1786　Smith　seems　to　have　sold　the　property　to　another　bookseller；　Kearsley。　Kearsley　had　it　enlarged；　but　not；　we　are　expressly　informed；　in　the　preface　to　the　seventh　edition；　by　the　hand　of　the　original　author　（who　happened　to　be　in　Cornwall　at　the　time）。　He　also　had　it　illustrated　and　brought　it　out　in　the　same　year　in　book　form　at　the　enhanced　price　of　two　shillings；　under　the　title：　〃Gulliver　Reviv'd：　The　Singular　Travels；　Campaigns；　Voyages　and　Sporting　Adventures　of　Baron　Munnikhouson　commonly　pronounced　Munchausen；　as　he　relates　them　over　a　bottle　when　surrounded　by　his　friends。　A　new　edition　considerably　enlarged　with　views　from　the　Baron's　drawings。　London。　1786。〃　A　well…informed　/Critical　Reviewer/　would　have　amended　the　title　thus：　〃Lucian　reviv'd：　or　Gulliver　Beat　with　his　own　Bow。〃

Four　editions　now　succeeded　each　other　with　rapidity　and　without　modification。　A　German　translation　appeared　in　1786　with　the　imprint　London：　it　was；　however；　in　reality　printed　by　Dieterich　at　G？ttingen。　It　was　a　free　rendering　of　the　fifth　edition；　the　preface　being　a　clumsy　combination　of　that　prefixed　to　the　original　edition　with　that　which　Kearsley　had　added　to　the　third。

The　fifth　edition　（which　is；　with　the　exception　of　trifling　differences　on　the　title…page；　identical　with　the　third；　fourth；　and　sixth）　is　also　that　which　has　been　followed　in　the　present　reprint　down　to　the　conclusion　of　chapter　twenty；　where　it　ends　with　the　words　〃the　great　quadrangle。〃　The　supplement　treating　of　Munchausen's　extraordinary　flight　on　the　back　of　an　eagle　over　France　to　Gibraltar；　South　and　North　America；　the　Polar　Regions；　and　back　to　England　is　derived　from　the　seventh　edition　of　1793；　which　has　a　new　sub…title：　〃Gulliver　reviv'd；　or　the　Vice　of　Lying　properly　exposed。〃　The　preface　to　this　enlarged　edition　also　informs　the　reader　that　the　last　four　editions　had　met　with　extraordinary　success；　and　that　the　supplementary　chapters；　all；　that　is；　with　the　exception　of　chapters　ii。；　iii。；　iv。；　v。；　and　vi。；　which　are　ascribed　to　Baron　Munchausen　himself；　were　the　production　of　another　pen；　written；　however；　in　the　Baron's　manner。　To　the　same　ingenious　person　the　public　was　indebted　for　the　engravings　with　which　the　book　was　embellished。　The　seventh　was　the　last　edition　by　which　the　classic　text　of　Munchausen　was　seriously　modified。　Even　before　this　important　consummation　had　been　arrived　at；　a　sequel；　which　was　within　a　fraction　as　long　as　the　original　work　（it　occupies　pp。　163…299　of　this　volume）；　had　appeared　under　the　title；　〃A　Sequel　to　the　Adventures　of　Baron　Munchausen。　。　。　。　Humbly　dedicated　to　Mr。　Bruce　the　Abyssinian　traveller；　as　the　Baron　conceives　that　it　may　be　some　service　to　him；　previous　to　his　making　another　journey　into　Abyssinia。　But　if　this　advice　does　not　delight　Mr。　Bruce；　the　Baron　is　willing　to　fight　him　on　any　terms　he　pleases。〃　This　work　was　issued　separately。　London；　1792；　8vo。

Such　is　the　history　of　the　book　during　the　first　eight　or　constructive　years　of　its　existence；　beyond　which　it　is　necessary　to　trace　it；　until　at　least　we　have　touched　upon　the　long…vexed　question　of　its　authorship。

Munchausen's　travels　have　in　fact　been　ascribed　to　as　many　different　hands　as　those　of　Odysseus。　But　（as　in　most　other　respects）　it　differs　from　the　more　ancient　fabulous　narrative　in　that　its　authorship　has　been　the　subject　of　but　little　controversy。　Many　people　have　entertained　erroneous　notions　as　to　its　authorship；　which　they　have　circulated　with　complete　assurance；　but　they　have　not　felt　it　incumbent　upon　them　to　support　their　own　views　or　to　combat　those　of　other　people。　It　has；　moreover；　been　frequently　stated　with　equal　confidence　and　inaccuracy　that　the　authorship　has　never　been　settled。　An　early　and　persistent　version　of　the　genesis　of　the　travels　was　that　they　took　their　origin　from　the　rivalry　in　fabulous　tales　of　three　accomplished　students　at　G？ttingen　University；　Bürger；　K？stner；　and　Lichtenberg；　another　ran　that　Gottfried　August　Bürger；　the　German　poet　and　author　of　〃Lenore；〃　had　at　a　later　stage　of　his　career　met　Baron　Munchausen　in　Pyrmont　and　taken　down　the　stories　from　his　own　lips。　Percy　in　his　anecdotes　attributes　the　Travels　to　a　certain　Mr。　M。　（Munchausen　also　began　with　an　M。）　who　was　imprisoned　at　Paris　during　the　Reign　of　Terror。　Southey　in　his　〃Omniana〃　conjectured；　from　the　coincidences　between　two　of　the　tales　and　two　in　a　Portuguese　periodical　published　in　1730；　that　the　English　fictions　must　have　been　derived　from　the　Portuguese。　William　West　the　bookseller　and　numerous　followers　have　stated　that　Munchausen　owed　its　first　origin　to　Bruce's　Travels；　and　was　written　for　the　purpose　of　burlesquing　that　unfairly　treated　work。　Pierer　boldly　stated　that　it　was　a　successful　anonymous　satire　upon　the　English　government　of　the　day；　while　Meusel　with　equal　temerity　affirmed　in　his　〃Lexikon〃　that　the　book　was　a　translation　of　the　〃well…known　Munchausen　lies〃　executed　from　a　（non…existent）　German　original　by　Rudolph　Erich　Raspe。　A　writer　in　the　/Gentleman's　Magazine/　for　1856　calls　the　book　the　joint　production　of　Bürger　and　Raspe。

Of　all　the　conjectures；　of　which　these　are　but　a　selection；　the　most　accurate　from　a　German　point　of　view　is　that　the　book　was　the　work　of　Bürger；　who　was　the　first　to　dress　the　Travels　in　a　German　garb；　and　was　for　a　long　time　almost　universally　credited　with　the　sole　proprietorship。　Bürger　himself　appears　neither　to　have　claimed　nor　disclaimed　the　distinction。　There　is；　however；　no　doubt　whatever　that　the　book　first　appeared　in　English　in　1785；　and　that　Bürger's　German　version　did　not　see　the　light　until　1786。　The　first　German　edition　（though　in　reality　printed　at　G？ttingen）　bore　the　imprint　London；　and　was　stated　to　be　derived　from　an　English　source；　but　this　was；　reasonably　enough；　held　to　be　merely　a　measure　of　precaution　in　case　the　actual　Baron　Munchausen　（who　was　a　well…known　personage　in　G？ttingen）　should　be　stupid　enough　to　feel　aggrieved　at　being　made　the　butt　of　a　gross　caricature。　In　this　way　the　discrepancy　of　dates　mentioned　above　might　easily　have