When to the fifteenth psalme, sometimes, had citizens recourse, When lords of farmers, farmers of the poore had more remorse. When Povertie had patience more : when none, as some of late, Illiterate, ridiculous, might on the altar wate. When canons, rubrick, liturgie, and discipline throughout One shiftlesse practise had, not to indifferencie a flout. More than be convocations now, Diocessors were stout. Although in clarks pluralities were tolerated then, Of lemmens (livings should I say) are now of clargie-men. Pluralitie that huddle, have also their brace of wives: But all the better, all that while hells heer-imployment thrives. That thus and worse hold, and increase, sith Rome may not returne, Pray, fairies, graunt, infernals, that in fire of envie burne. I have, faire fairie-elfes, besides large catalogue of sinne, Observed in this land, in this short time I heere have bin, The which at my departure, when Were not in beeing, or were then N Howbeit, hence for Ireland at the least I must transfreat: Where Rome hath roome there riot I: Yet largelier than most statesmen know, for catholicks this ile. Suppose the shepheard all this while the pulpit could not peepe: Till merrie Robin, gerding out a scape or twaine, did rise, And, with the wind therof, might seeme, were cleerd the shepherds eyes: Who glad he was deliverd so of them, then vanisht cleene, Told some, I know not whom, what ye XI. AN EPISODE OF FAIRIES. [From the Maydes Metamorphosis, 4to. Lond. 1600, a play attributed by Kirkman to Lilly.] Enter the fairies, singing and dancing. By the moon we sport and play, With the night begins our day :1 1 So Milton, 66 Come, let us our rites begin; As we dance the dew doth fall; Lightly as the little bee, Two by two, and three by three, And about go we, and about go we.1 Jo. What mawmets are these? Fris. O, they be the fairies that haunt these woods. 1 Fay. Will you have any music, sir? any fine music? 2 Fay. Will you have any 3 Fay. Most dainty music? Mop. (aside.) We must set a face on't now, there's no flying. No, sir, we are very merry, I thank you. 1 Fay. O, but you shall, sir. Fris. No, I pray you save your labour. 2 Fay. O, sir, it shall not cost you a penny. Jo. Where be your fiddles? 3 Fay. You shall have most dainty instruments, sir. Mop. I pray you, what might I call you? 1 Fay. My name is Penny. Mop. I am sorry I cannot purse you. Fris. I pray you, sir, what might I call you? 1 Fay. My name is Cricket. Mop. I would I were a chimney for your sake." Jo. I pray you, you pretty little fellow, what's your name? 3 Fay. My name is Little-little Prick. Jo. Little-little Prick! O, you are a dangerous fairy, and fright all the little wenches in the country out of their beds. I care not whose hand I were in, so I were out of yours. 1 Fay. I do come about the cops, Leaping upon flowers' tops. 1 This song is set to music in an old collection by Ravenscroft and others, and is quoted in Douce's Illustrations, vol. i., p. 11. 2 All this is so similar to the Midsummer Night's Dream, iii. 1, that one must have been taken from the other. Then I get upon a fly, She carries me above the sky, And trip and go. 2 Fay. When a dew-drop falleth down, And doth light upon my crown, Then I shake my head and skip, 3 Fay. When I feel a girl asleep, And about I skip. Jo. Ay, I thought where I should have you. 1 Fay. Wilt please you dance, sir? Jo. Indeed, sir, I cannot handle my legs. 2 Fay. O, you must needs dance and sing, Which if you refuse to do, We will pinch you black and blue, And about we go. They all dance in a ring, and sing as followeth. Round about, round about, in a fine ring-a; Round about, round about, in a fine ring-a; We have danc'd round about in a fine ring-a; XII. THE COZENAGES OF THE WESTS. The following is reprinted from a very scarce tract, published at London in 1613, with a rough but curious print on the title, illustrating one of the incidents here related. It is principally valuable for our purpose, as showing the popular belief in the existence of fairies, and also for the mention of the Queen of Fairies falling in love with a mortal; but anything of the kind is so rarely met with, that its subject alone. would sanction its introduction into this collection. The severall notorious and lewd Cousonages of John West, and Alice West, falsely called the King and Queene of Fayries, practised verie lately both in this citie and many places neere adjoyning to the impoverishing of many simple people, as well men as women: who were arraigned and convicted for the same at the Sessions house in the Old Baily, the 14. of January, this present yeare, 1613. CHAP. 1.-The lewd cousonages of JOHN WEST, and ALICE WEST, falsely called the King and Queene of Fayries. The hot sunne after the overflow of Nilus, engendred not more straunge and ugly imperfect monsters in Egypt, then this age doth impostures, in and about the citie of London: no cousonage is left unpractised, no cheat unattempted, no meanes to deceive unaffected, insomuch that the suburbs in some places may be compared to a schoole of cousonages, and a mart of unheard of abuses, of which every succeeding month begets sundrie of the newest and last edition, every one striving to exceed another in craft and subtlety. What straine of invention stretcht to the highest key of subornation, what almost incredible forgerie, without bound, limit or dimension, what degree of jugling, counterfetting, what fraud or fallacies have not beene practised in that height of cunning, able, as it were, to foole the simplicity of the |