A

POEM by Sir Simon Steward,1 from the "Musarum Deliciæ, or the Muses Recreation," 12mo, Lond. 1656. Other copies of it are in MS. Ashmole 38, f. 99, MS. Rawl. Poet. 147, and MS. Malone 17. A great part of it, with some variations, is inserted in Poole's "English Parnassus."

When the monthly horned Queen
Grew jealous, that the stars had seen
Her rising from Endimions armes,
In rage, she throws her misty charmes
Into the bosome of the night,
To dim their curious prying light.
Then did the dwarfish faery elves.
(Having first attir'd themselves)
Prepare to dresse their Oberon king
In highest robes for revelling.
In a cobweb shirt, more thin
Then ever spider since could spin,

1 [But see what is said in Hazlitt's edition of Herrick, 1869, P. 475-7-]

Bleach'd by the whitenesse of the snow,
As the stormy windes did blow
It in the vast and freezing aire ;
No shirt halfe so fine, so faire.
A rich wastcoat they did bring,
Made of the trout-flies gilded wing;
At that his elveship 'gan to fret,
Swearing it would make him sweat,
Even with its weight, and needs would wear
His wastcoat wove of downy haire,
New shaven from an eunuch's chin;
That pleas'd him well, 'twas wondrous thin.
The outside of his doubtlet was

Made of the four leav'd true-love grasse,
On which was set so fine a glosse,
By the oyle of crispy mosse;

That through a mist, and starry light,

It made a rainbow every night.

On every seam, there was a lace

Drawn by the unctuous snailes slow trace; To it, the purest silver thread

Compar'd, did look like dull pale lead.

Each button was a sparkling eye
Ta'ne from the speckled adders frye,
Which in a gloomy night, and dark,
Twinckled like a fiery spark:

And, for coolnesse, next his skin,
'Twas with white poppy lin'd within.

His breeches of that fleece were wrought,

Which from Colchos Jason brought;

Spun into so fine a yarne,

That mortals might it not discerne ;

Wove by Arachne, in her loom,
Just before she had her doom;

Dy'd crimson with a maiden's blush,
And lyn'd with dandelyon push.

A rich mantle he did wear
Made of tinsel gossamere,
Be-starred over with a few
Dyamond drops of morning dew.
His cap was all of ladies love,
So passing light that it did move,
If any humming gnat or fly
But buzz'd the ayre, in passing by ;
About it was a wreath of pearle,
Drop'd from the eyes of some poor girle
Pinch'd because she had forgot

To leave faire water in the pot.
And for feather, he did weare
Old Nisus fatall purple haire.

The sword they girded on his thigh
Was smallest blade of finest rye.
A paire of buskins they did bring
Of the cow-ladyes corall wing;
Power'd o'er with spots of jet,
And lin❜d with purple-violet.

His belt was made of mirtle leaves,
Plaited in small curious threaves,
Beset with amber cowslip studds,
And fring'd about with daizy budds;
In which bugle horne was hung,
Made of the babbling eccho's tongue;
Which set unto his moon-burn'd lip,
He windes and then his faeries skip;
At that, the lazy dawn 'gan sound,
And each did trip a faery round.

A Description of the King and Queene of Fayries, their Habit, Fare, their Abode, Pompe, and State. Beeing very delightfull to the sense, and full of mirth. London: printed for Richard Harper, and are to be sold at his shop at the Hospitall Gate, 1635. sm. 12mo.

THI

HIS curious little volume, consisting of eleven leaves only, which is plentifully embellished with rude woodcuts, commences with the following address "to the reader: ".

"Courteous Reader,-I present thee here with the description of the king of the Fayries, of his attendants, apparel, gesture, and victuals, which, though comprehended in the brevity of so short a volume, yet as the proverbe truely averres, it hath as mellifluous and pleasing discourse, as that whose amplitude containes the fulnesse of a bigger composition: yet not so much presuming on the contentment that it will bring to thee, as partly relying upon thy connivence

at the faults therein contained, which beeing innocent and harmelesse, can give no great disturbance to thy patience, but please thy palate with varietie of mirth, and not doubting but my labour will bee remunerable with your good approbation, I shall thinke my paines well taken, and myselfe really satisfied with your contentment, emboldning me to subscribe myselfe,

"Yours hereafter, if now approved on,

"R. S."

Immediately following this is an extract from Seward's poem on Fairies, under the title of "A Description of the King of Fayries clothes, brought to him on New-yeare's day, in the morning, 1626, by his Queene's chambermaids." We have then a poetical address from the compiler, who has thought proper to leave out the names of his authorities :

Deepe skild geographers, whose art and skill
Do traverse all the world, and with their quill
Declare the strangeness of each severall clime,
The nature, scituation, and the time
Of being inhabited; yet all their art
And deepe-informed skill could not impart
In what set climate of this orbe or ile,
The king of Fayries kept, whose honor'd stile
Is here inclos'd with the sincere description
Of his abode, his nature, and the region
In which he rules: reade, and thou shalt find
Delightfull mirth, fit to content thy mind.
May the contents thereof thy palate sute,
With its mellifluous and pleasing fruit:
For nought can more be sweetn'd to my mind,
Than that this pamphlet thy contentment find;
Which, if it shall, my labour is suffic'd,

In being by your liking highly priz❜d.