"Giglio knelt and helped the Princess as Bulbo rushed up" — Fifty-second illustration by W. M. Thackeray for "The Rose and The Ring" (1855)

Giglio knelt and helped the Princess as Bulbo rushed up

W. M. Thackeray

1855

Wood engraving, probably by William Linton

8.4 cm high by 7.8 cm wide (3 ¾ by 3 inches), vignetted

Descriptive headline: "But The Young Queen Rescues All" (405).

Fifty-second illustration for The Rose and The Ring, p. 405.

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Passage Illustrated: Rosalba To The Rescue!

When the KING heard of the QUEEN’S arrival, you may think how he rushed out of his breakfast-room to hand Her Majesty off her lion! The lions were grown as fat as pigs now, having had Hogginarmo and all those beefeaters, and were so tame, anybody might pat them.

While Giglio knelt (most gracefully) and helped the Princess, Bulbo, for his part, rushed up and kissed the lion. He flung his arms round the forest monarch; he hugged him, and laughed and cried for joy. "Oh, you darling old beast, oh, how glad I am to see you, and the dear, dear Bets — that is, Rosalba."

"What, is it you? poor Bulbo!" said the Queen. "Oh, how glad I am to see you," and she gave him her hand to kiss. King Giglio slapped him most kindly on the back, and said, "Bulbo, my boy, I am delighted, for your sake, that Her Majesty has arrived."

"So am I," said Bulbo; "and you know why." [Chapter XVI, "How Hedzoff Rode Back Again to King Giglio," pp. 404-405]

Commentary: The Three Protagonists Are Reunited at Last

The affecting transformation includes such elements as Bulbo's recognizing that the former maid Betsinda is now Queen Rosalba, a long-lost princess, and that Giglio (speaking in university parlance) is now a friend rather than an enemy or rival. In the background Thackeray has placed military tents to prepare readers for the final battle between Giglio and Padella.

Whether one calls her the sharp-witted maid "Betsinda" or the statuesque Queen Rosalba with her long hair streaming behind her back, she is the chief vehicle for the resolution of Bulbo's difficulties. Rosalba turns up riding on one of her lions just in time to halt the scheduled execution, and "King" Giglio then matter-of-factly declares his friendship for the child-like Bulbo, who is crying tears of joy for his deliverance as he kisses the lion.

Bibliography

Furniss, Harry. The Rose and The Ring; or, The History of Prince Giglio and the Prince Bulbo. William Makepeace Thackeray's Christmas Books. With illustrations by the author and Harry Furniss. The Harry Furniss Centenary Edition. London: Macmillan and Co., 1911. Pp. 287-428.

Titmarsh, M. A. [W. M. Thackeray].The Rose and The Ring. London: Smith, Elder, 1855.

Titmarsh, M. A. [W. M. Thackeray].The Rose and The Ring. The Christmas Books of Mr. M. A. Titmarsh, etc. With illustrations by the Author and Richard Doyle. London: Smith, Elder, 1898. Pp. 213-340.

Created 13 August 2022