In his Gesta Regnum Agnlorum, the 12th-century chronicler William of Malmesbury tells a short story about a man who was torn apart by mice. This is a bit of a trope; other chroniclers tell similar cheery tales (Gerald of Wales has an account of a man devoured by toads, despite his friends’ heroic efforts to save him). I’ve always enjoyed William’s story, and a while ago I had the opportunity to perform it as part of Cornell’s Winter Festival of Medieval Readings. I presented it as I feel like it was meant to be read: as a children’s story, and I added drawings. Feel free to use this as a bedtime story for any and all children.
Click below for the flipbook version of this ageless tale of rodent assault (give it a moment to load):