Jean de Fontaine Illust Fable~City Rat & Country Rat~Handcolored Engraving c1850 for Sale

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Jean de Fontaine Illust Fable~City Rat & Country Rat~Handcolored Engraving c1850 For Sale

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Jean de Fontaine Illust Fable~City Rat & Country Rat~Handcolored Engraving c1850:
$36.00

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Description

We offer this 19th century engraved and hand colored broadside titled Le Rat De Ville Et Le Rat Des Champs by Jean de La Fontaine (The City Rat and the Country Rat). With the verse in French. The illustration from the fable shows two rats eating food on a table being discovered by a man coming through the doorway. The City Rat visits the countryside and soon learns that home back in the city is best for him.
This single sheet is signed \"Gouget Direx\" below the text. Labeled at the very bottom \"Fable 9, Livre [Book] 1\". Lovely hand colored designs frame the engraving and text with cameos of Esope & Phedre at the top. Many fabled animals from their works illustated along the sides.
Jean de La Fontaine collected fables from many different cultures in the 1600\'s, and translated them into French. We date this from circa 1850.
This engraved sheet measures 10-5/8 x 14-7/8 inches (27 x 38 cm). Printed on medium weight paper. Some foxing & toning, mainly at the edges. Light creasing at top corners.
The translation of the verse follows below:
A rat from town, a country rat
Invited in the civilest way;
For dinner there was just to be
Ortolans and an entrement.
Upon a Turkey carpet soft
The noble feast at last was spread;
I leave you pretty well to guess
The merry, pleasant life they led.
Gay the repast, for plenty reigned,
Nothing was wanting to the fare;
But hardly had it well begun
Ere chance disturbed the friendly pair.
A sudden racket at the door
Alarmed them, and they made retreat;
The city rat was not the last,
His comrade followed fast and fleet.
The noise soon over, they returned,
As rats on such occasions do;
\"Come,\" said the liberal citizen,
\"And let us finish our ragout.\"
\"Not a crumb more,\" the rustic said;
\"Tomorrow you shall dine with me;
Don\'t think me jealous of your state,
Or all your royal luxury;
But then I eat so quiet at home,
And nothing dangerous is near;
Good-bye, my friend, I have no love
For pleasure when it\'s mixed with fear.\"

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Payment Please pay within 3 days unless you are offerding on a later sale item. (An email would be helpful.) We will ship within 1 business day of receipt of payment. Shipping We ship via the US Postal Service. We ship most postcards and slim paper items First Class Letter Post protected with stiffener. (Letters are not tracked.) Books are shipped Media Mail (Economy), First Class package or Priority, your choice. Other items shipped as a First Class package also. These options include domestic tracking.
International shipping costs are noted in our descriptions.
We have been packing carefully and shipping promptly for more than 25 years. Terms of Sale All items are returnable within amount of time noted. Please first email us through for directions before shipping the item back to us. About Us We have been selling books, postcards, paper ephemera, photos, correspondence, stamps and other interesting items for more than 30 years. Contact Us Please contact us through with any questions. Pictures sell!
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