nutive demons, or middle fpecies between men and Spirits, whom they called DUERGAR or DWARFS, and to whom they attributed many wonderful performances, far exceeding human art. Vid. Hervarer Saga Olaj Verelj. 1675. Hickes Thefaur. &c. OME, follow, follow mee, COM Ye, fairye elves that bee; When mortals are at reft, And, if the house be foull Then we pinch their armes and thighes; But if the house be swept, Is meat that's easily chew'd; 35 The grafhopper, gnat, and fly, Grace faid, we dance a while, And fo the time beguile : And if the moon doth hide her head, The glow-worm lightes us home to bed. Ne'er bends where we do walk: Yet in the morning may be feene 45 XXVI. THE XXVI. THE FAIRIES FAREWELL. It is This humourous old fong fell from the hand of the facetious bishop Corbet (probably in his youth) and is printed from the third edition of his poems, Lond. 1672. 12mo. there called, "A proper new Ballad, intituled, The Fairies "Farewell, or God-a-mercy Will, to be fung or whiftled to "the tune of The Meadowes brown, by the learned: by the "unlearned, to the tune of Fortune.” The departure of Fairies is here attributed to the abolition of monkery Chaucer has, with equal humour, affigned a cause the very reverse. : "In the old dayes of king Artour "(Of which the Britons fpeken grete honour) Daunfed full oft in many a grene mede. Р "As he goeth in his limitacioune. Wife of Bath's Tale. Dr. Richard Corbet, having been bishop of Oxford about three years, and afterwards as long Bp. of Norwich, died in 1635, Etat. 52. Arewell rewards and fairies! FA Good housewives now may say; For now foul fluts in dairies, Do fare as well as they : And though they fweep their hearths no less Than maids were wont to doe, Yet who of late for cleanliness Finds fix-pence in her shoe ? Lament, lament old abbies, The fairies laft command; For love of your demains. At morning and at evening both 5 10 15 20 When When Tom came home from labour, Or Cifs to milking rose, Then merrily went their tabour, And nimbly went their toes. Witness those rings and round-delayes Were footed in queene Maries dayes And later James came in ; They never danc'd on any heath, By which we note the fairies Their fongs were Ave Maries, Their dances were proceffion. But now, alas! they all are dead, Or gone beyond the feas, Or further from religion fled, A tell-tale in their company It was a just and christian deed 25 30 35 40 45 O how the common-wealth doth need Such juftices, as you! Now |