The images and text are available elsewhere, but I decided to put up some nice sized and cleaned up scans.  Too often what you can find is either dirty or needs to be edited to be made usable.   The text, too, I have posted, although it is also available at Project Gutenberg.  The version I have posted is that from the 1909 book, and is slightly different from the original, which can be found synopsized here at Wikipedia.

Title: Princess Belle-Etoile
Author: Traditional
Artist: Walter Crane
Publisher: John Lane
Date Published: 1909

The images below are linked to the gallery pages where I have made them available for download in various sized high resolution JPEG’s.  The main gallery page for this book is HERE.

The Corsair Finds the Children

Feintise and Belle-Etoile

Prince Cheri saves the turtle-dove

Prince Cheri and the two-headed monster

Prince Cheri falls into the spacious hall

Cheri and Belle-Etoile

Full Text

Once upon a time there were three Princesses, named Roussette, Brunette, and Blondine, who lived in retirement with their mother, a Princess who had lost all her former grandeur. One day an old woman called and asked for a dinner, as this Princess was an excellent cook. After the meal was over, the old woman, who was a fairy, promised that their kindness should be rewarded, and immediately disappeared.

Shortly after, the King came that way, with his brother and the Lord Admiral. They were all so struck with the beauty of the three Princesses, that the King married the youngest, Blondine, his brother married Brunette, and the Lord Admiral married Roussette.

The good Fairy, who had brought all this about, also caused the young Queen Blondine to have three lovely children, two boys and a girl, out of whose hair fell fine jewels. Each had a brilliant star on the forehead, and a rich chain of gold around the neck. At the same time Brunette, her sister, gave birth to a handsome boy. Now the young Queen and Brunette were much attached to each other, but Roussette was jealous of both, and the old Queen, the King’s mother, hated them. Brunette died soon after the birth of her son, and the King was absent on a warlike expedition, so Roussette joined the wicked old Queen in forming plans to injure Blondine. They ordered Feintise, the old Queen’s waiting-woman, to strangle the Queen’s three children and the son of Princess Brunette, and bury them secretly. But as she was about to execute this wicked order, she was so struck by their beauty, and the appearance of the sparkling stars on their foreheads, that she shrank from the deed.

So she had a boat brought round to the beach, and put the four babes, with some strings of jewels, into a cradle, which she placed in the boat, and then set it adrift. The boat was soon far out at sea. The waves rose, the rain poured in torrents, and the thunder roared. Feintise could not doubt that the boat would be swamped, and felt relieved by the thought that the poor little innocents would perish, for she would otherwise always be haunted by the fear that something would occur to betray the share she had had in their preservation.

But the good Fairy protected them, and after floating at sea for seven days they were picked up by a Corsair. He was so struck by their beauty that he altered his course, and took them home to his wife, who had no children. She was transported with joy when he placed them in her hands. They admired together the wonderful stars, the chains of gold that could not be taken off their necks, and their long ringlets. Much greater was the woman’s astonishment when she combed them, for at every instant there rolled out of their hair pearls, rubies, diamonds, and emeralds. She told her husband of it, who was not less surprised than herself.

“I am very tired,” said he, “of a Corsair’s life, and if the locks of those little children continue to supply us with such treasures, I will give up roaming the seas.” The Corsair’s wife, whose name was Corsine, was enchanted at this, and loved the four infants so much the more for it. She named the Princess, Belle-Etoile, her eldest brother, Petit-Soleil, the second, Heureux, and the son of Brunette, Cheri.

As they grew older, the Corsair applied himself seriously to their education, as he felt convinced there was some great mystery attached to their birth.

The Corsair and his wife had never told the story of the four children, who passed for their own. They were exceedingly united, but Prince Cheri entertained for Princess Belle-Etoile a greater affection than the other two. The moment she expressed a wish for anything, he would attempt even impossibilities to gratify her.

One day Belle-Etoile overheard the Corsair and his wife talking. “When I fell in with them,” said the Corsair, “I saw nothing that could give me any idea of their birth.” “I suspect,” said Corsine, “that Cheri is not their brother, he has neither star nor neck-chain.” Belle-Etoile immediately ran and told this to the three Princes, who resolved to speak to the Corsair and his wife, and ask them to let them set out to discover the secret of their birth. After some remonstrance they gained their consent. A beautiful vessel was prepared, and the young Princess and the three Princes set out. They determined to sail to the very spot where the Corsair had found them, and made preparations for a grand sacrifice to the fairies, for their protection and guidance. They were about to immolate a turtle-dove, but the Princess saved its life, and let it fly. At this moment a syren issued from the water, and said, “Cease your anxiety, let your vessel go where it will; land where it stops.” The vessel now sailed more quickly. Suddenly they came in sight of a city so beautiful that they were anxious their vessel should enter the port. Their wishes were accomplished; they landed, and the shore in a moment was crowded with people, who had observed the magnificence of their ship. They ran and told the King the news, and as the grand terrace of the Palace looked out upon the sea-shore, he speedily repaired thither. The Princes, hearing the people say, “There is the King,” looked up, and made a profound obeisance. He looked earnestly at them, and was as much charmed by the Princess’s beauty, as by the handsome mien of the young Princes. He ordered his equerry to offer them his protection, and everything that they might require.

The King was so interested about these four children, that he went into the chamber of the Queen, his mother, to tell her of the wonderful stars which shone upon their foreheads, and everything that he admired in them. She was thunderstruck at it, and was terribly afraid that Feintise had betrayed her, and sent her secretary to enquire about them. What he told her of their ages confirmed her suspicions. She sent for Feintise, and threatened to kill her. Feintise, half dead with terror, confessed all; but promised, if she spared her, that she would still find means to do away with them. The Queen was appeased; and, indeed, old Feintise did all she could for her own sake. Taking a guitar, she went and sat down opposite the Princess’s window, and sang a song which Belle-Etoile thought so pretty that she invited her into her chamber. “My fair child,” said Feintise, “Heaven has made you very lovely, but you yet want one thing—the dancing-water. If I had possessed it, you would not have seen a white hair upon my head, nor a wrinkle on my face. Alas! I knew this secret too late; my charms had already faded.” “But where shall I find this dancing-water?” asked Belle-Etoile. “It is in the luminous forest,” said Feintise. “You have three brothers; does not any one of them love you sufficiently to go and fetch some?” “My brothers all love me,” said the Princess, “but there is one of them who would not refuse me anything.” The perfidious old woman retired, delighted at having been so successful. The Princes, returning from the chase, found Belle-Etoile engrossed by the advice of Feintise. Her anxiety about it was so apparent, that Cheri, who thought of nothing but pleasing her, soon found out the cause of it, and, in spite of her entreaties, he mounted his white horse, and set out in search of the dancing-water. When supper-time arrived, and the Princess did not see her brother Cheri, she could neither eat nor drink; and desired he might be sought for everywhere, and sent messengers to find him and bring him back.

The wicked Feintise was very anxious to know the result of her advice; and when she heard that Cheri had already set out, she was delighted, and reported to the Queen-Mother all that had passed. “I admit, Madam,” said she, “that I can no longer doubt that they are the same four children: but one of the Princes is already gone to seek the dancing-water, and will no doubt perish in the attempt, and I shall find similar means to do away with all of them.”

The plan she had adopted with regard to Prince Cheri was one of the most certain, for the dancing-water was not easily to be obtained; it was so notorious from the misfortunes which occurred to all who sought it, that every one knew the road to it. He was eight days without taking any repose but in the woods. At the end of this period he began to suffer very much from the heat; but it was not the heat of the sun, and he did not know the cause of it, until from the top of a mountain he perceived the luminous forest; all the trees were burning without being consumed, and casting out flames to such a distance that the country around was a dry desert.

At this terrible scene he descended, and more than once gave himself up for lost. As he approached this great fire he was ready to die with thirst; and perceiving a spring falling into a marble basin, he alighted from his horse, approached it, and stooped to take up some water in the little golden vase which he had brought with him, when he saw a turtle-dove drowning in the fountain. Cheri took pity on it, and saved it. “My Lord Cheri,” she said, “I am not ungrateful; I can guide you to the dancing-water, which, without me, you could never obtain, as it rises in the middle of the forest, and can only be reached by going underground.” The Dove then flew away, and summoned a number of foxes, badgers, moles, snails, ants, and all sorts of creatures that burrow in the earth. Cheri got off his horse at the entrance of the subterranean passage they made for him, and groped his way after the kind Dove, which safely conducted him to the fountain. The Prince filled his golden vase; and returned the same way he came.

He found Belle-Etoile sorrowfully seated under some trees, but when she saw him she was so pleased that she scarcely knew how to welcome him.

Old Feintise learned from her spies that Cheri had returned, and that the Princess, having washed her face with the dancing-water, had become more lovely than ever. Finding this, she lost no time in artfully making the Princess sigh for the wonderful singing-apple. Prince Cheri again found her unhappy, and again found out the cause, and once more set out on his white horse, leaving a letter for Belle-Etoile.

In the meanwhile, the King did not forget the lovely children, and reproached them for never going to the Palace. They excused themselves by saying that their brother’s absence prevented them.

Prince Cheri at break of day perceived a handsome young man, from whom he learned where the singing-apple was to be found: but after travelling some time without seeing any sign of it, he saw a poor turtle-dove fall at his feet almost dead. He took pity on it, and restored it, when it said, “Good-day, handsome Cheri, you are destined to save my life, and I to do you signal service. You are come to seek for the singing-apple: it is guarded by a terrible dragon.” The Dove then led him to a place where he found a suit of armour, all of glass: and by her advice he put it on, and boldly went to meet the dragon. The two-headed monster came bounding along, fire issuing from his throat; but when he saw his alarming figure multiplied in the Prince’s mirrors he was frightened in his turn. He stopped, and looking fiercely at the Prince, apparently laden with dragons, he took flight and threw himself into a deep chasm. The Prince then found the tree, which was surrounded with human bones, and breaking off an apple, prepared to return to the Princess. She had never slept during his absence, and ran to meet him eagerly.

When the wicked Feintise heard the sweet singing of the apple, her grief was excessive, for instead of doing harm to these lovely children, she only did them good by her perfidious counsels. She allowed some days to pass by without showing herself; and then once more made the Princess unhappy by saying that the dancing-water and the singing-apple were useless without the little green bird that tells everything.

Cheri again set out, and after some trouble learnt that this bird was to be found on the top of a frightful rock, in a frozen climate. At length, at dawn of day, he perceived the rock, which was very high and very steep, and upon the summit of it was the bird, speaking like an oracle, telling wonderful things. He thought that with a little dexterity it would be easy to catch it, for it seemed very tame. He got off his horse, and climbed up very quietly. He was so close to the green bird that he thought he could lay hands on it, when suddenly the rock opened and he fell into a spacious hall, and became as motionless as a statue; he could neither stir, nor utter a complaint at his deplorable situation. Three hundred knights, who had made the same attempt, were in the same state. To look at each other was the only thing permitted them.

The time seemed so long to Belle-Etoile, and still no signs of her beloved Cheri, that she fell dangerously ill; and in the hopes of curing her, Petit-Soleil resolved to seek him.

But he too was swallowed up by the rock and fell into the great hall. The first person he saw was Cheri, but he could not speak to him; and Prince Heureux, following soon after, met with the same fate as the other two.

When Feintise was aware that the third Prince was gone, she was exceedingly delighted at the success of her plan; and when Belle-Etoile, inconsolable at finding not one of her brothers return, reproached herself for their loss, and resolved to follow them, she was quite overjoyed.

The Princess was disguised as a cavalier, but had no other armour than her helmet. She was dreadfully cold as she drew near the rock, but seeing a turtle-dove lying on the snow, she took it up, warmed it, and restored it to life: and the dove reviving, gaily said, “I know you, in spite of your disguise; follow my advice: when you arrive at the rock, remain at the bottom and begin to sing the sweetest song you know; the green bird will listen to you; you must then pretend to go to sleep; when it sees me, it will come down to peck me, and at that moment you will be able to seize it.”

All this fell out as the Dove foretold. The green bird begged for liberty. “First,” said Belle-Etoile, “I wish that thou wouldst restore my three brothers to me.”

“Under my left wing there is a red feather,” said the bird: “pull it out, and touch the rock with it.”

The Princess hastened to do as she was instructed; the rock split from the top to the bottom: she entered with a victorious air the hall in which stood the three Princes with many others; she ran towards Cheri, who did not know her in her helmet and male attire, and could neither speak nor move. The green bird then told the Princess she must rub the eyes and mouth of all those she wished to disenchant with the red feather, which good office she did to all.

The three Princes and Belle-Etoile hastened to present themselves to the King; and when Belle-Etoile showed her treasures, the little green bird told him that the Princes Petit-Soleil and Heureux and the Princess Belle-Etoile were his children, and that Prince Cheri was his nephew. Queen Blondine, who had mourned for them all these years, embraced them, and the wicked Queen-Mother and old Feintise were justly punished. And the King, who thought his nephew Cheri the handsomest man at Court, consented to his marriage with Belle-Etoile. And lastly, to make everyone happy, the King sent for the Corsair and his wife, who gladly came.

In the preface the translator writes “The following graphic and authentic descriptions of the incredible barbarities and wickedness of the Spanish Inquisition is written by a Roman Catholic. Whilst many of the characters who figure in the following story are fictitious, the author has adhered closely to facts in every thing relating to the usages of the horrid tribunal which he describes. The portrait of the monster is exact, but the drapery is artificial. The immense popularity of the work on the continent of Europe will surprise no one who peruses its pages. They present unquestionably the most thrilling exhibition of the atrocious wickedness of the Inquisition any where recorded, and this exposure is not the less remarkable, because it is offered by a Roman Catholic.” The basic plot involves a young priest who is the assistant to the Grand Inquisitor. As the young priest gains influence, it becomes evident that his motives are more than simply to help the inquisitor, help save the souls of those being tortured, or even to help himself. The horrors of the inquisition are detailed throughout the book.

Title: The Mysteries of the Inquisition and Other Secret Societies of Spain
Author: M. V. de Fereal
Artist: unknown - woodcuts
Publisher: J. B. Lippincott & Co.
Date Published: 1845

There are nine pictures from the book.  Click on a thumbnail image below to go to that pictures page in the Gallery.

Abduction : Inquisitors capture a suspected heretic.

Breaking on the Wheel : A man is tied to the wheel to be broken. A priest records what he says. Another is there to perhaps pray for his soul, while the hooded torturers go about their cruel task.

Hung by the Wrists or Thumbs : Again, the work is done by men in hoods. The observers seem calm and happy, confident in the holy nature of their task.

Sword Play in a Fight for their Lives : A man an a woman fight with swords, trying to repel their own capture, knowing that there is no escape once imprisoned.

Trial by Burning and Fire : Again, a scribe is ready tro write down any confessions as the "heretic" has his feet stockaded and burned.

The Trial : The Grand Inquisitor and others sit in judgment as evidence and testimony is given, perhaps by the accused himself.

In the Cell : A condemned man receives a small amount of succor in his cell.

Hanging : Having been judged to have suffered enough to be "purified" a condemned man is put out of his hanging misery by the torturer.

Garrot : Yet another horrifying ordeal and death. The priest is of course there to tend to the soul.

It is sometimes hard to determine how extensively to edit my images. The toning and loss of color over decades or centuries will almost always have some effect, but in many cases this actually looks very nice and is what some people either want or expect. Depending on your tastes and the use you have for the image, the aged affect is often preferable. Nevertheless, I have often removed to age toning and brightened the colors, as the cleaner image is a lot fresher, often more useful for certain applications, and will in a lot of cases actually be closer to what the artist intended. I will not pretend to know what Detmold intended, let alone what the color was like at the time of printing, but I here offer  the images in both forms.  The whiter, brighter images are very nice, even if not accurate restorations.

The Gallery has links to all the plates, both edited and as scanned.   The images below link to the individual image pages where they are available for download in various sizes for free.

Title: Fabre’s Book of Insects: Retold from Alexander Teixeira De Mattos’ Translation of Fabre’s ‘Souvenirs Entomologiques’”
Author: Mrs. Rodolp Stawell
Artist: E. J. (Edward Julius) Detmold
Publisher: Dodd, Mead and Company
Date Published: 1921

Click on an image to go directly to that page in the Gallery.

THE SACRED BEETLE "Sometimes the Scarab seems to enter into a partnership with a friend."

"Sometimes the Scarab seems to enter into a partnership with a friend."

THE CICADA

"In July, when most of the insects in my sunny country are parched with thirst, the cicada remains perfectly cheerful."

THE PRAYING MANTIS

"A long time ago, in the days of ancient Greece, this insect was named Mantis, or Prophet."

THE PELOPAEUS SPIRIFEX

"When finished the work is amber-yellow, and rather reminds one of the outer skin of an onion."

THE PSYCHES

"This is the secret of the walking bundle of sticks. It is a Faggot Caterpillar, belonging to the group known as Psyches."

THE SPANISH COPRIS

"The burrow is almost filled with three or four ovoid nests, standing one against the other, with the pointed end upwards."

THE WHITE-FACED DECTICUS

"The Greek word dectikos means biting, fond of biting. The Decticus is well named. It is eminently given to biting."

COMMON WASPS

"The wasp's nest is made of a thin, flexible material like brown paper, formed of particles of wood."

THE FIELD CRICKET

"Here is one of the humblest of creatures able to lodge himself to perfection. He has a home; he has a peaceful retreat, the first condition of comfort."

THE SISYPHUS

"The mother harnesses herself in the place of honor, in front. The father pushes behind in the reverse position, head downwards."

ITALIAN LOCUSTS

"'I have buried underground,' she says, 'the treasure of the future.' "

THE ANTHRAX FLY

"Her delicate suit of downy velvet, from which you take the bloom by merely breathing on it, could not withstand the contact of rough tunnels."

Title Page Image Detail

Line Drawing of a wasp. Image with aged paper and tones unedited.

Rather than being organized by the book they come from, they are roughly organized by subject. This is because they were given to me this way by the person who scanned them, William Struse, and I have kept his organization. The images are all public domain and he shared them with me with the understanding they would be offered for free here. He has only thumbnails on his site, and this was an easy way for him to share the larger images with a broader audience.  The maximum size of each image varies greatly.  I have edited them extensively to clean up the dirt and shadows and to darken, brighten, and otherwise enhance the lines.  A lot of text shows through from the obverse side of the leaves, but there was little that could be done about that.  I have been working on the captions, but so far have gotten to only about half of them.  There are close to 500 images in all.

Within the main GALLERY PAGE for this collection there are 14 separate albums, roughly sorted by subject.  They are:

Animals
Birds
Coins
Dwellings
Insects
Jewelry
Maps
Musical Instruments
Plants
Ships and Vehicles
Temples and Priests
Trees
Weapons
Other Images

Below are some sample image from each album.  Each thumbnail image will lead directly to that pictures page in the sub-album of the gallery.  Keep in mind there are many more images in the gallery than shown here.

ANIMALS

Mole-Rat

Wild Boar

Camels

Egyptian Asses

Egyptian Frogs

Horse

Serpent

Snake

Syrian Bear

Wild Goats

Wolf

BIRDS

Crane

Cormorant

Ospray (Osprey)

Owl

Stork

Vulture

Quail

COINS

Coin of Augustus

Coin of Agrippa

Coin of Macedonia

Denarius of Tiberius

various

DWELLINGS

Arab Huts and Sheep-cotes at Busheir

Tents

Tent and Man with Spear

Egyptian House

Walled City

INSECTS

Egyptian Fly

Hornet

Locusts

Pyramidal Nests of the White Ant

Scorpion

Spider

Turret Nests of the White Ant

JEWELRY

Assyrian Ear-rings

Different Forms of Eastern Crowns

Ear-rings

Egyptian Ring Money

Flambeaux, from Roman Gems

Hhegabs, or Amulets, of Modern Egypt

Khizam, or Nose-jewel, of modern Egypt

MAPS

Acre & Environs

Bethleem, Beit-Lahm

Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount

Environs of the Monastery of Mt. Sinai and of the Jebel Musa

Jaffa

Plan of Babylon

Southern Palestine

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

"Dulcimer" or Bagpipe

A Player on the Harp

Double-Flute Players

Egyptian Harp

Modern Egyptian Flute Player

Muse with an early form of lyre

Oriental Instruments of the Drum Kind

Roman Trumpet

Tambourine Players

PLANTS

Cassia

Cinnamon

Ears of Corn

Frankincense

Grapes of Palestine

Lign-Aloe

Melon

Spices - Nutmeg

Reeds

Sweet Cane

Rose of Sharon

Thorn

Buds of Spices - Pepper, Chestnut, catkins, florets, stamens, pistils

SHIPS AND VEHICLES

Ancient Chariot

Ancient Egyptian and Roman Ships

Ancient Egyptian War Chariot

Ancient Rowing Vessels

Camels, a Caravan

Tabernacle

Boats conveying stone and timber

Ethiopian Car, Drawn by Oxen

Turkish Arabah, or Cart

TEMPLES AND PRIESTS

Altar of burnt offering

Altar of Incense

Costume of the High Priest

The Golden Candlestick

High Priests on the day of Atonement

The Holy of Holies and the Officiating High Priest

Interior of the Tabernacle - the veil between the holy places removed

Moses Consecrating Aaron

Aaron with the Scape-goat showing Costume of the High Priest and Levites (scapegoat sacrifice)

Ram's-Horn Blower

Service of Gershonites

Service of the Merarites

Probable form of the Table of Showbread - Priests removing the old and placing the new

The Ark of the Covenant

The Molten Sea

Trespass Offering of the Poor

The Tabernacle in the Midst of the Encampment

TREES

Almond Tree - Amygdalus commums

Bamboo Tree

Commmon Elm - Ulmus Campestris

Date-Palm - Phoenix dactylifera

Fig Leaves

Fruit of Palm

Fruit of the Pinus Pinea, or Stone Pine

Gopher Wood - Cupressus Sempervirens

Sycainore Figs - Ficus Sycamorus

Tree planted by the waters

Wild Date Palm, found in the Sinai mountains

Wormwood - Artemisia absinthium

WEAPONS

Ancient Helmets and Coats of Mail

Ancient Persian Shields and Spears

Ancient Roman Combat

Ancient Swords and Daggers

Archers of Bowmen - bows arrows and shield

Catapulta

Balista prepared for discharge of a stone

Egyptian Fencers

Egyptian Maces and Clubs, Syrian Maces and Clubs

Man in Scale Armor

Ancient Armor, Persian Horseman

Testudo, or Tortoise-Shield

Throwing a Javelin

OTHER

Alabaster Boxes

Ancient Well

Assyrian seal or cylinder of Sennacherib

Assyrian Shoes

Clog Almanac - Raxon Reive Pole

Egyptian Needle-work

Fine Lime-grinding Mill at Cairo

Girl pouring Wine from a leathern Bottle

Mummy Cases and Marble Sarcophagi

Patterns of Egyptian Moasaic

Roman Lantern, Column of Trajan, Roman Flambeaux

Sheepcotes

Various Forms of Ancient Sun Dials

Ur of the Caldees

Use of the Style - From Montfaucon's Paleographia Graeca

Daniel in the Lions' Den

As with other Lloyd titles, this book can be found, usually for under $200. The plates being intact make it desirable.

The Gallery has links to all the plates, both with and without the captions.   The images below link to the individual image pages where they are available for download in various sizes for free.

Title: Lloyd’s Natural History. A Hand-Book to the Marsupialia and Monotremata
Author: Richard Lydekker, B.A, F.R.S., Vice-President of the Geological Society, etc.,etc.,etc.
Artist: Various.
Publisher: Edward Lloyd
Date Published: 1896

Great Grey Kangaroo, Macropus giganteus

Black-Tailed Wallaby, Macropus ualabutus

Red-Necked Wallaby Macropus ruficollis

Parry's Wallaby, Macropus parryi

Dama Wallaby, Macropus eugenii

Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallaby Petrogale pencillata

Queensland Tree-Kangaroo, Dorcopsis lumholtzi

Common Rat-Kangaroo, Potorous tridaclylus

Brush-Tailed Rat-Kangaroo, Betton penicillata

Koala, Phascolactus cinereus

Common Phalanger, Trichosurus vulpecula

Common Ring-Tailed Phalanger, Pseudochirus peregrinus

Tasmanian Ring-Tailed Phalanger, Pseudochirus cooki

Taguan Flying Phalanger, Petauroides volans

Squirrel Flying Phalanger, Petaurus sciureus

Lesser Flying Phalanger Petaurus breviceps

Common Dormouse Phalanger, Dromicia nana

Pygmy Flying Phalanger Acrobates pygmaeus

Tasmanian Wombat, Phascolomys ursinus

Common Rabbit Bandicoot, Peragale lagotis

Gunn's Bandicoot, Perameles gunni

Long-Nosed Bandicoot, Perameles nasuta

Short-Nosed Bandicoot, Perameles obesula

Tasmanian Thylacine, Thylacinus cynocephalus

Spotted-Tail Dasyure, Dasyurus maculatus

Common Dasyure, Dasyurus viverrinus

Yellow-Footed Pouched-Mouse, Phascologale flavipes

Brush-Tailed Pouched-Mouse, Phascologale penicillata

Common Pouched-Mouse, Sminthopsis murina

Banded Ant-Eater, Myrmecobius fasciatus

Marsupial Mole, Notoryctes typhlops

Common Opossum, Didelphys marsupialis

Rat-Tailed Opossum, Didelphys nudicaudata

Woolly Opossum, Didelphys lanigera

Three-Striped Opossum, Didelphys americana

Water Opossum, Chironectes minimus

Duck-Bill (Duck-billed Platypus), Ornithorhynchus anatinus

Common Echidna, Echidna aculeata

Thorpe wrote this verse in trochaic heptameter, which has a very classic and dramatic cadence. I have included the entire text of the poem below the last image.  I have scanned about 20 or 25 images in total from this book.  Some samples are shown below.  All of the images are available in this book’s album in the Gallery.

Title: Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight
Author: Rosa Hartwick Thorpe
Artist: F. T. Merrill and E. H. Garrett; Drawn and Engraved under the supervision of George T. Andrew
Publisher: Lee and Shepard
Date Published: 1882

Click an image to go directly to that picture’s page in the gallery album.

Cover Detail. Close up of the bell, with its rope, clapper and a decorative edging.

Frontispiece. The young woman Bessie dressed in fine clothes and jewels, bordered by cherubs and angels.

"With its walls so tall and gloomy" The prison tower set against the darkening sky.

"He with steps so slow and weary; she with sunny, floating hair" Bessie begs the sexton not to ring the bell.

"Doomed this very night to die" Basil Underwood sits in his prison cell.

"Curfew bell must ring to-night" The Sexton refuses.

"Left the old man coming slowly" The Sexton hobbles along, giving Bessie time to act.

"O'er her hangs the great dark bell" Bessie reaches the bell.

"And the sexton at the bell-rope, old and deaf, heard not the bell," "Sadly thought that twilight curfew rang young Basil's funeral knell."

"At his feet she tells her story" "Go! your lover lives," said Cromwell. "Curfew shall not ring to-night!"

Wide they flung the massive portals, led the prisoner forth to die, All his bright young life before him. Neath the darkening English sky,

"In his brave, strong arms he clasped her" "Darling, you have saved me, curfew will not ring to-night."

Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight

England’s sun was slowly setting oe’r the hilltops far away,
Filling all the land with beauty at the close of one sad day;
And its last rays kissed the forehead of a man and maiden fair,–
He with steps so slow and weary; she with sunny, floating hair;
He with bowed head, sad and thoughtful, she, with lips all cold and white,
Struggling to keep back the murmur, “Curfew must not ring to-night!”

“Sexton,” Bessie’s white lips faltered, pointing to the prison old,
With its walls so tall and gloomy, moss-grown walls dark, damp and cold,–
“I’ve a lover in the prison, doomed this very night to die