Fables_ the distinction of being folk-lore raised into
literature. It is a series of short stories of adventure
forming a romance. These versions are known:--

1180. German-_Reinhart_, an epic of twelve
adventures by Heinrich Glichesaere.

1230. French-_Roman de Renard_, with its
twenty-seven branches.

1250. Flemish-_Reinaert_, part of which was
composed by Willem, near Ghent.

1148. _Ysengrimus_, a Latin poem written at Ghent.

Thirteenth century. _Of the Vox and of the Wolf_,
an English poem.

Later date. _Rainardo_, Italian.

Later date. Greek _mediaeval version_.

_Reynard the Fox_[5] was first printed in England
by Caxton in 1481, translated from a Dutch copy. A
copy of Caxton's book is in the British Museum.
Caxton's edition was adapted by "Felix Summerley";
and Felix Summerley's edition, with slight
changes, was used by Joseph Jacobs in his Cranford
edition.

A Dutch prose romance, _Historie von Reynaert de
Vos_ was published in 1485. A German copy, written
in Lower Saxony was published in 1498. A
chap-book, somewhat condensed, but giving a very
good account of the romance, was published in
London in 1780, printed and sold in Aldermary
Churchyard, Bow Lane. This chap-book is very much
finer in language than many of the others in
Ashton's collection. Its structure is good,
arranged in nine chapters. It shows itself a real
classic and would be read with pleasure to-day.
Goethe's poem, _Reineke Fuchs_, was published in
1794. This version was more refined than previous
ones but it lost in simplicity. Monographs have
been written on _Reynard_ by Grimm, Voigt, Martin,
and Sudre.

Raginhard was a man's name, meaning "strong in
counsel," and was common in Germany which bordered
on France. This name naturally was given to the
beast who lived by his wits. Grimm considered
_Reynard_ the result of a Teutonic Beast Epic of
primitive origin. Later research has exploded this
theory and has decided that all versions are
descended from an original French one existing
between 1150