Music Welcome to snoozecast, the podcast designed to help you fall asleep. Find us at snoozecast.com and if you enjoy our show, please share us with a friend. This episode is brought to you by Cloud Formations. Tonight we'll read Prince Darling, a French fairy tale credited to Jean-Marie Le Prince de Beaum. Snuescast first read this story back in the year 2020. This author also wrote the best-known version of the story, Beauty and the Beast. Her third husband was the French spy Thomas Pichon. As a long time educator, she became well-known for her written works on behavior and instructional teaching for young women. Her interest in the genre of education contributed to her inclusion of fairy tales to teach moral behavior. She was one of the first writers to utilize folk tales as moralist and educational tools. Within many of her other works, LaPrince de Beaumont discussed reform for the roles of women in society.

She urged women to become active political participants by providing them with literary instruction on how to become instrumental citizens. Let's get cozy. Close your eyes. Relax your body into the softness of your bed. Now take a few deep breaths. upon a time, there lived a king who was so just and kind that his subjects called him the good king. It happened one day when he was out hunting that a little white rabbit, which his dogs were chasing, sprang into his arms for shelter. The king stroked it gently and said to it, well, bunny, as you have come to me for protection, I will see that nobody hurts you. And he took it home to his palace and had it put in a pretty little house with all sorts of nice things to eat. That night when he was alone in his room, a beautiful lady suddenly appeared before him. Her long dress was as white as snow, and she had a crown of white roses upon her head. The good king was very much surprised to see her, for he knew his door had been tightly shut, and he could not think how she had got in.

But she said to him, I am the very truth. I was passing through the wood when you were out hunting, and I wished to find out if you were really good, as everybody said you were.

So I took the shape of a little rabbit and came to your arms for shelter.

For I know that those who are merciful to animals will be still kinder to their fellow men.

If you had refused to help me, I should have been certain that you were wicked. I thank you for the kindness you have shown me, which has made me your friend forever. You have only to ask me for anything you want, and I promise that I will give it to you." Madame, said the good king. Since you are a fairy, you no doubt know all my wishes. I have but one son whom I love very dearly. That is why he is called Prince Darling.

If you are really good enough to wish to do me a favor, I beg that you will become his friend. With all my heart answered the fairy, I can make your son the handsomest prince in the world, or the richest, or the most powerful. Choose whichever you like for him. I do not ask either of these things for my son, replied the good king. But if you will make him the best of princes, I shall indeed be grateful to you. What good would it do him to be rich, or handsome, or to possess all the kingdoms of the world if he were wicked? You know well he would still be unhappy. Only a good man can be really contented. You are quite right, answered the fairy. But it is not in my power to make Prince Darling a good man unless he will help me. He must himself try hard to become good. I can only promise to give him good advice, to scold him for his faults, and to punish him if he will not correct and punish himself. The good king was quite satisfied with this promise, and very soon afterward he died. Prince Darling was very sorry, for he loved his father with all his heart, and he would willingly have given all his kingdoms and all his treasures of gold and silver if they could have kept the good king with him.

Two days afterward, when the prince had gone too bad, the fairy suddenly appeared to him and said, I promised your father that I would be your friend, and to keep my word, I have come to

bring you a present. At the same time, she put a little gold ring upon his finger. great care of this ring," she said.

It is more precious than diamonds.

Every time you do a bad deed, it will prick your finger. But if, in spite of its pricking, you go on in your own evil way, you will lose my friendship, I shall become your enemy." So saying, the fairy disappeared, leaving Prince Starling very much astonished. For some time he behaved so well that the ring never pricked him, and that made him so contented that his subjects called him, Prince Darling the Happy. One day, however, he went out hunting, but could get no sport, which put him in a very bad temper. It seemed to him as he rode along that his ring was pressing into his finger. But as it did not prick him, he did not heat it. When he got home and went to his own room, his little dog, BB, ran to meet him, jumping round him with pleasure. Get away. Send the prince quite roughly. I don't want you.

You're in the way.

The poor little dog who didn't understand this at all pulled at his coat to make him at least look at her. And this made Prince Starling so cross that he gave her a loud snarl. Instantly, his ring pricked him sharply as if it had been a pin. He was very much surprised and sat down in a corner of his room feeling quite ashamed of himself. I believe the fairy is laughing at me, he thought. Surely I can have done no great wrong in just snarling at a tiresome animal. What is the good of being ruler of a great kingdom, if I'm not even allowed to snarl at my own dog? I am not making fun of you, set of voice, answering, print-starling's thoughts. You have committed three faults. First of all, you were out of temper because you could not have what you wanted,

and you thought all men and animals were only made to do your pleasure. Then you were really angry, which is very naughty indeed. And lastly, you were cruel to a poor little animal who did not in the least deserve to be ill treated. I know you are far above a little dog, but if it were right and allowable that great people should ill treat all who are beneath them. I might at this moment

beat you for a fairy is greater than a man. The advantage of possessing a great empire is not to be able to do the evil that one desires, but to do all the good that one possibly can.

The prince saw how naughty he had been and promised to try and do better in the future, but he did not keep his word. The fact was he had been brought up by a foolish nurse who had spoiled him when he was little. If he wanted anything, he only had to cry and fret and stamp his feet, and she would give him whatever he asked for, which had made him willful. Also, she had told him from morning to night that he would one day be a king, and that kings were very happy, because everyone was bound to obey and respect them, and no one could prevent them from doing just as they liked. And the prince grew old enough to understand, he soon learned that there could be nothing worse than to be proud, obstinate, and conceited. And he had really tried to cure himself of these defects.

But by that time all his faults had become habits. And a bad habit is very hard to get rid of. Not that he was naturally of a bad disposition, he was truly sorry when he had been naughty and said, I am very unhappy to have to struggle against my anger and pride every day. If I had been punished for them when I was little, they would not be such a trouble to me now. His ring pricked him very often, and sometimes he left off what he was doing at once. But at other times, he would not attend to it. Strangely enough, it gave him only a slight prick for a trifling fault. But when he was really naughty, it made his finger actually bleed. At last, he got tired of being constantly reminded and wanted to be able to do as he liked. So he threw his ring aside and thought himself the happiest of men to have got rid of its teasing pricks. He gave himself up to do every foolish thing that occurred to him until he became quite wicked and nobody could like him any longer. One day, when the prince was walking about, he saw a girl who was so very pretty that he made up his mind at once that he would marry her. Her name was Celia, and she was as good as she was beautiful. Prince Starling fancied that Celia would think herself only too happy if he offered her the Queen ship, but but she said fearlessly, Sire, I am only a shepherdess and a poor girl, but nevertheless, I will not marry you. Do you dislike me?" asked the prince, who was very much vexed at this answer. No, my prince. Replied, Celia. I cannot help thinking you very handsome, but what good would riches be to me, and all the grand dresses and splendid carriages that you would give me? the bad deeds which I should see you do every day made me hate and despise you. The prince was very angry at this speech and commanded his officers to make Celia a prisoner and carry her off to his palace all day long the remembrance of what she

had said annoyed him, but as he loved her he could not make up his mind to have her punished.

One of the prince's favorite companions was his foster brother, whom he trusted entirely, but he was not at all a good man, and gave Prince Starling very bad advice and encouraged him in all kinds of evil ways. And he saw the print sew so downcast, he asked, what was the matter? And when he explained that he could not bear Celia's bad opinion of him and was resolved to be a better man in order to please her, this evil advisor said to him, you are very kind to trouble yourself about this girl. If I were you, I would soon make her obey me. Remember that you are a king and that it would be laughable to see you trying to please a shepherdess who ought to be only too glad to be one of your slaves, keep her in prison, feed her on bread and water for a little while, and then if she still says she will not marry you, have her hair cut off to teach other people that you mean to be obeyed. Why? If you cannot make a girl like that do as you wish, your subjects will soon forget that they are only put into this world for our pleasure. But said Prince Starling, would it not be a shame if I had an innocent girl's hair cut off? For Celia has done nothing to deserve punishment? If people will not do as you tell them, they ought to suffer for it, answered his foster brother. But even if it were unjust, you had better be accused of that by your subjects than that they should find out that they may insult and thwart you as often as they please. In saying this, he was touching a weak point in his brother's character. For the princess's fear of losing any of his power made him at once abandoned his first idea of trying to be good and resolved to try and

frighten the shepherds and to consenting to marry him. His foster brother, who wanted him to keep this resolution, invited three young courtiers as wicked as himself to sup with the prince, and they persuaded him to drink a great deal of wine and continued to excite his anger against Celia by telling him that she had laughed at his love for her until it last in quite a furious rage. He rushed off to find her, declaring that if she still refused to marry him, she should be sold as a slave the very next day. when he reached the room in which Celia had been locked up, he was greatly surprised to find that she was not in it, though he had the key in his own pocket all the time. His anger was terrible, and he vowed vengeance against whoever had helped her to escape. His bad friends, when they heard him, resolved to turn his wrath upon an old nobleman, who had formerly been his tutor, and who still dared sometimes to tell the prince of his faults, for he loved him as if he had been his own son. At first, Prince Starling had thanked him, but after a time he grew impatient and thought it must be just mere love of fault-finding that made his old tutor blame him when everyone else was praising and flattering him. So he ordered him to retire from the court, though he still, from time to time, spoke of him as a worthy man whom he respected, even if he no longer loved him. His unworthy friends feared that he might someday take into his head to recall his old tutor. So they thought they now had a good opportunity of getting him banished forever. reported to the prince that Suleiman, for that was the tutor's name, had boasted of helping Celia to escape. And they bribed three men to say that Suleiman himself told them them about it. The prince, in great anger, sent his foster brother with a number of soldiers to bring his tutor before him in chains like a criminal. After giving this order, he went to his own room, but he had scarcely got into it when there was a clap of thunder which made the ground shake, and the fairy truth appeared suddenly before him. I promised your father, said she sternly, to give you good advice and to punish you if you refuse to follow it. You have despised my council and have gone your own evil way until

you are only outwardly a man. Really, you are a monster, the horror of everyone who knows you. It is time that I should fulfill my promise and begin your punishment. I condemn you to resemble the animals whose ways you have imitated. You have made yourself like the lion by your anger and like the wolf by your greediness. a snake, you have ungratefully turned upon one who was a second father to you. Your churlishness has made you like a bull. Therefore, in your new form, take the appearance of all these animals. The fairy had scarcely finished speaking when Prince darling saw to his horror that her words were fulfilled. He had a lion's hat, a bull's horns, a wolf's feet, and a snake's body. But the same instant, he found himself in a great forest beside a clear lake in which he could see plainly the creature he had become and a voice said to him. look carefully at the state to which you are in through your own actions. me your soul is a thousand times more hideous than your body. Prince Starling recognized the voice of the fairy truth and turned in a fury to catch her and eat her up if he possibly could. But he saw no one. And the same voice went on. I laugh at your powerlessness and anger, and I intend to punish your pride by letting you fall into the hands of your own subjects. The prince began to think that the best thing he could do would be to get as far away from the lake as he could, then, at least he would not be continually reminded of how he looked. So he ran toward the wood. But before he had gone many yards, he fell into a pit. An hunters who are hiding in a tree, left down,

secured him with chains, and led him into the chief city of his own kingdom. On the way, instead of recognizing that his own faults had brought this punishment upon In him, he accused the ferry of being the cause of all his misfortunes and bit and tore at his chains, curiously. As they approached the town, he saw that some great rejoicing was being held.

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