reynard's wonderful mirror
Preserved but no longer current.
This mirror existed only in the brain of Master Fox; he told the queen lion that whoever looked in it could see what was done a mile off. The wood of the frame was not subject to decay, being made of the same block as King Crampart's magic horse. (Reynard the Fox, ch. xii.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “reynard's wonderful mirror” mean?
This mirror existed only in the brain of Master Fox; he told the queen lion that whoever looked in it could see what was done a mile off. The wood of the frame was not subject to decay, being made of the same block as King Crampart's magic horse. (Reynard the Fox, ch. xii.
Is “reynard's wonderful mirror” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.