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byhissponsorsatbaptism,butitwasconferreduponhim,bygeneral
consentofthesevenministers,onaccountofhisinabilitytowalk
asothermendo.Infact,Hop-Frogcouldonlygetalongbyasort
ofinterjectionalgait—somethingbetweenaleapandawriggle—a
movementthataffordedillimitableamusement,andofcourse
consolation,totheking,for(notwithstandingtheprotuberanceofhis
stomachandaconstitutionalswellingofthehead)theking,byhis
wholecourt,wasaccountedacapitalfigure.
ButalthoughHop-Frog,throughthedistortionofhislegs,could
moveonlywithgreatpainanddifficultyalongaroadorfloor,the
prodigiousmuscularpowerwhichnatureseemedtohavebestowed
uponhisarms,bywayofcompensationfordeficiencyinthelower
limbs,enabledhimtoperformmanyfeatsofwonderfuldexterity,
wheretreesorropeswereinquestion,oranythingelsetoclimb.
Atsuchexerciseshecertainlymuchmoreresembledasquirrel,
orasmallmonkey,thanafrog.
Iamnotabletosay,withprecision,fromwhatcountryHop-Frog
originallycame.Itwasfromsomebarbarousregion,however,that
nopersoneverheardof—avastdistancefromthecourtofourking.
Hop-Frog,andayounggirlverylittlelessdwarfishthanhimself
(althoughofexquisiteproportions,andamarvellousdancer),hadbeen
forciblycarriedofffromtheirrespectivehomesinadjoiningprovinces,
andsentaspresentstotheking,byoneofhisever-victoriousgenerals.
Underthesecircumstances,itisnottobewonderedatthataclose
intimacyarosebetweenthetwolittlecaptives.Indeed,theysoon
becameswornfriends.Hop-Frog,who,althoughhemadeagreatdeal
ofsport,wasbynomeanspopular,haditnotinhispowertorender
Trippettamanyservices;butshe,onaccountofhergraceandexquisite
beauty(althoughadwarf),wasuniversallyadmiredandpetted;soshe
possessedmuchinfluence;andneverfailedtouseit,whenevershe
could,forthebenefitofHop-Frog.
Onsomegrandstateoccasion—Iforgotwhat—thekingdetermined
tohaveamasquerade,andwheneveramasqueradeoranythingofthat
kind,occurredatourcourt,thenthetalents,bothofHop-Frogand
Trippettaweresuretobecalledintoplay.Hop-Frog,inespecial,was
soinventiveinthewayofgettinguppageants,suggestingnovel
characters,andarrangingcostumes,formaskedballs,thatnothing
couldbedone,itseems,withouthisassistance.
