Reliques of ancient English poetry: consisting of old heroic ballads ...

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ANCIENT SONGS
XXVI.
THE FAIRIES FAREWELL.
This humorous old fong fellfrom the hand of thefacetious
hijhop Corbet (probably in his youth)', and is printed from
his Poetica Stromata, 1648, i2mo. {compared with the
third edition of his poems, 1672.) It is there called, " 4
" proper new Ballad, intituled, The Fairies Farewell, or
*' God-a-mercy Will, to be fung or whifiled to the tune of
" The Meddow brow, by the learned: by the unlearned, to
" the tune of Fortune."
The departure of Fairies is here attributed to the abolition,
monkery : Chaucer has, with equal humour,, ajjigned a
of
caufe the 'very reverfe.
" In the old dayes of king Artour
" (Of which the Britons fpeken grete honour)
" All was this londfulfilled offayry
" The elf-quene, with herjolly company,
" Daunfedfull oft in many a-grene mede*
*' This was an old opinion as I rede :
fi Ifpeke of 7nany hundredyere agoe :
* e But now can no mail fee no elfes moe :
" For now the grete charite, and prayeres
*' Of Limitours, and other holy freres;
" That ferchen every lond, and every fir erne,
*' As thick as motes in the funne beme,
" Blejfing halles, chambers, kitchins, and bowrsh
(< Cities, borowes, cafielles, and hie toures,
" Thrcpes, and hemes, Jhepens, and dairies ;
*' This makeih that there ben now no fairies :
11 For there as wont to walken was an elfe,
" There walketh now the Limitour himfelfe,
li In undermeles and in morrewnynges,
fi And faieth his mattins and his holie thinges,
;
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