Legendary fictions of the Irish Celts

1 66 Fictions of the Irish Celts.
abominable sabats as he delighted to hold in German
and Flemish forests, being conveyed thither on any
article that came to hand. The utmost atrocity of which
Irish witches were, in times past, proved guilty in their
excursions, was the taking of an ?ary ride on a hooliaun
hiii to the cellar of some English castle, and making
themselves glorious with the wine and strong waters
found there. The following adventure has been differ-
ently treated by fairy historians; so we confine our-
selves to the principal facts, adhering to the Leinster
version :
— —
THE WITCHES' EXCURSION.
Shemus Riia (Red James) was awakened from his sleep
one night by noises in his kitchen. Stealing to the door, he
saw half-a-dozen old women, sitting round the fire, jesting,
and laughing, his own old housekeeper, Madge, quite frisky
and gay, helping her sister crones to cheering glasses of
punch. He began to admire the impudence and imprudence
of Madge, displayed in the invitation and the riot,
l)ut recollected on the instant her oflficiousness in urging
him to take a comfortable posset, which she had brought
to his bedside just before he fell asleep. Had he drunk
it he would have been just now deaf to the witches' glee.
He heard and saw them drink his health in such a mocking
style as nearly to tempt him to charge them, besom
in hand, but he restrained himself. The jug being
emptied, one of them cried out, " It is time to be gone,"
and at the same moment, putting on a red cap, she
added
" By yarrow and rue,
And my red cap too,
Hie over to England."