FAREWELL rewards and Fairies! Good housewives now may say; For now foule sluts in dairies, Doe fare as well as they : And though they sweepe their hearths no less Finds sixe-pence in her shoe? Lament, lament, old Abbies, The fairies lost command; 5 10 They did but change priests babies, But some have chang'd your land: And all your children stoln from thence 15 Who live as changelings ever since, At morning and at evening both You merry were and glad, So little care of sleepe and sloth, 20 When Tom came home from labour, Then merrily went their tabour, Or Ciss to milking rose, And nimbly went their toes. Witness those rings and roundelayes Were footed in queene Maries dayes And later James came in ; By which wee note the fairies 25 30 35 Or farther for religion fled, Or else they take their ease. A tell-tale in their company They never could endure; Their mirth, was punish'd sure: To pinch such blacke and blue : Now they have left our quarters ; Who can preserve their charters; Are kept in store; con twenty thanks To William Churne of Staffordshire Who every meale can mend your cheare To William all give audience, For all the fairies evidence Were lost, if it were addle. 40 45 50 55 60 After these Songs on the Fairies, the Reader may be curious to see the manner in which they were formerly invoked and bound to human service. In Ashmole's Collection of MSS. at Oxford [Num. 8259. 1406. 2.], are the papers of some Alchymist, which contain a variety of Incantations and Forms of Conjuring both Fairies, Witches, and Demons, principally, as it should seem, to assist him in his Great Work of transmuting Metals. Most of them are too impious to be reprinted: but the two following may be very innocently laughed at. Whoever looks into Ben Jonson's "Alchymist," will find that these impostors, among their other Secrets, affected to have a power over Fairies: and that they were commonly expected to be seen in a chrystal glass appears from that extraordinary book, "The Relation of Dr. John Dee's actions with Spirits, 1659,' folio. "An excellent way to gett a Fayrie. (For myself I call Margarett Barrance; but this will obteine any one that is not allready bownd.) "First, gett a broad square christall or Venice glasse, in length and breadth 3 inches. Then lay that glasse or christall in the bloud of a white henne, 3 Wednesdayes, or 3 Fridayes. Then take it out, and wash it with holy aq. and fumigate it. Then take 3 hazle sticks, or wands of an yeare groth: pill them fayre and white; and make them' soe longe, as you write the Spiritts name, or Fayries name, which you call, 3 times on every sticke being made flatt on one side. Then bury them under some hill, whereas you suppose Fayries haunt, the Wednesday before you call her and the Friday followinge take them uppe, and call her at 8 or 3 or 10 of the clocke, which be good planetts and houres for that turne: but when you call, be in cleane life, and turne thy face towards the east. And when you have her, bind her to that stone or glasse." "An Unguent to annoynt under the Eyelids, and upon the Eyelids eveninge and morninge: but especially when you call; or find your sight not perfect. "R. A pint of sallet-oyle, and put it into a viall glasse: but first wash it with rose-water, and marygold-water; the flowers to be gathered towards the east. Wash it till the oyle come white; then put it into the glasse, ut supra: and then put thereto the budds of holyhocke, the flowers of marygold, the flowers or toppes of wild thime, the budds of young hazle: and the thime must be gathered neare the side of a hill where Fayries use to be: and 'take' the grasse of a fayrie throne, there. All these put into the oyle, into the glasse: and set it to dissolve 3 dayes in the sunne, and then keep it for thy use; ut supra." After this Receipt for the Unguent follows a Form of Incantation, wherein the Alchymist conjures a Fairy, named Elaby Gathon, to appear to him in that Chrystal Glass, meekly and mildly; to resolve him truly in all manner of questions; and to be obedient to all his commands, under pain of Damnation, &c. One of the vulgar opinions about Fairies is, that they cannot be seen by human eyes, without a particular charm exerted in favour of the person who is to see them: and that they strike with blindness such as having the gift of seeing them, take notice of them mal-a-propos. As for the Hazle Sticks mentioned above, they were to be probably of that species called the Witch Hazle: which received its name from this manner of applying it in incantations. THE END OF BOOK THE SECOND. Reliques OF ANCIENT POETRY, &c. SERIES THE THIRD.-BOOK III. 1. THE BIRTH OF ST. GEORGE. THE incidents in this, and the other ballad of "St. George and the Dragon," are chiefly taken from the old story-book of "The Seven Champions of Christendome;" which, tho' now the plaything of children, was once in high repute. Bp. Hall in his Satires, published in 1597, ranks "St. George's sorell, and his cross of blood," among the most popular stories of his time: and an ingenious critic thinks that Spenser himself did not disdain to borrow hints from it ;* tho' I much doubt whether this popular romance were written so early as the Faery Queen. The author of this book of the Seven Champions was one Richard Johnson, who lived in the reigns of Elizabeth and James, as we collect from his other publications: viz.-" The nine worthies of London": 1592, 4to.-"The pleasant walks of Moor fields": 1607, 4to.-" A crown garland of Goulden Roses, gathered," &c. 1612, 8vo.-"The life and death of Rob. Cecill, E. of Salisbury": 1612, 4to." The Hist. of Tom of Lincoln," 4to. is also by R. J. who likewise reprinted "Don Flores of Greece," 4to. Mr. Warton. Vid. "Observations on the Fairy Queen," 2 vol. 1762, 12mo. passim. The Seven Champions, tho' written in a wild inflated style, contains some strong Gothic painting; which seems, for the most part, copied from the metrical romances of former ages. At least the story of St. George and the fair Sabra is taken almost verbatim from the old poetical legend of "Syr Bevis of Hampton." This very antique poem was in great fame in Chaucer's time [see above, pag. 105], and so continued till the introduction of printing, when it ran thro' several editions: two of which are in black letter, 4to. "imprinted by Wyllyam Copland,” without date; containing great variations. As a specimen of the poetic powers of this very old rhimist, and as a proof how closely the author of the Seven Champions has followed him, take a description of the dragon slain by sir Bevis. Whan the dragon, that foule is, Had a syght of syr Bevis, He cast up a loude cry, As it had thondred in the sky; He turned his bely towarde the son; Then downe went horse and man, And two rybbes of Bevis brused than." After a long fight, at length, as the dragon was preparing to fly sir Bevis "Hit him under the wynge As he was in his flyenge, There he was tender without scale, And Bevis thought to be his bale. With his good sword Morglaye. Up to the hiltes Morglay yode Through harte, lyver, bone, and bloude: Great joye syr Bevis begon. He smote off his head forth right, And put it on a spere:" &c. Sign. K. iv. |