Chapter XXVI: Mr. Fox

_Source_.--Contributed by Blakeway to Malone's Variorum Shakespeare, to illustrate Benedick's remark in _Much Ado about Nothing_ (I. i. 146): “Like the old tale, my Lord, 'It is not so, nor 'twas not so, but, indeed, God forbid it should be so;'” which clearly refers to the tale of Mr. Fox. “The Forbidden Chamber” has been studied by Mr. Hartland, _Folk-Lore Journal_, iii. 193, _seq._

_Parallels_.--Halliwell, p. 166, gives a similar tale of “An Oxford Student,” whose sweetheart saw him digging her grave. “Mr. Fox” is clearly a variant of the theme of “The Robber Bridegroom” (Grimm, No. 40, Mrs. Hunt's translation, i. 389, 395; and Cosquin, i. 180-1).