The History Of Tom Thumb

In the days of King Arthur, a poor ploughman's wife longs for a child and is granted a tiny son named Tom Thumb by the magician Merlin. Although he never grows larger than his father's thumb, Tom becomes known for his cunning tricks and lively spirit. He soon finds himself in peril when a boy catches him stealing cherry-stones and shakes him inside a bag until he begs for mercy. Later, while helping his mother make a pudding, he falls into the batter and is accidentally boiled inside the pot before escaping with the tinker who carries it away. His troubles continue when he is tied to a thistle in the meadow and swallowed whole by a cow, only to be saved by his frantic mother's quick thinking. Even more danger awaits when a raven picks him up from the fields and drops him into the sea, where a large fish swallows him entirely. Fortunately, that fish ends up on King Arthur's table, allowing Tom to emerge unharmed and delight the royal court with his antics. The king treats him as a dwarf and grants him wealth for his parents, leading to a safe but exhausting journey home on foot. Back at court, Tom is knighted on a mouse and dressed in fine clothes, earning the envy of the queen who plots against him. She frames him for being saucy, forcing him to hide in a snail shell until he escapes on a butterfly. The queen's rage grows as she orders him imprisoned in a mouse trap, from which a kind cat miraculously frees him. Despite being restored to favor, Tom's adventures come to a tragic end when a spider attacks and kills him with its poisonous breath. The king and his court are overcome with grief at the loss of their little favorite knight. They raise a white marble monument to honor his memory and the joy he brought to the kingdom.