THE ELIZABETHAN FAIRIES

THE FAIRIES OF SHAKESPEARE 209
the ridiculous diminutiveness and floral connections of
the descendants of the Shakespearean fairies and to the
prevailing mode of fairy poems, set going by the picture
of the fairy world in A Midsummer Night's Dream and
by the description of Mab and her chariot in Romeo and
Juliet. Here the smallness of the fairies is carried al-
most to the vanishing point, in the description of
. . . . . . . . a little elfe
(If possible, far lesser then itselfe) ; 156
while the entire book is too short to contain an adequately
detailed description of the king of fairies' costumes and
the courses of his banquet.
Oberon, who had been able in A Midsummer Night's
Dream to overcast the night and to change the course
of mortal love, is ushered into being
Cladd in a sute of speckled gilliflowre.
His hatt by some choice master in the trade
Was (like a helmett) of a lilly made.
His ruffe a daizie was, soe neately trimme,
As if of purpose it had growne for him.
His points were of the lady-grasse, in streakes,
And all were tagg'd, as fitt, with titmouse beakes.
His girdle, not three tymes as broade as thinne,
Was of a little trouts selfe-spangled skinne.
His bootes (for he was booted at that tyde),
Were fittly made of halfe a squirrells hyde,
His cloake was of the velvett flowres, and lynde
With flowre-de-lices of the choicest kinde.15?
His activities consist in dining upon minute dishes :
The first dish was a small spawn'd fish and fryde,
Had it been lesser, it had not been spyde;
156 Booke 3, Song I, Vol. 11, p. 145.
le7 Wm. Browne, Brit. Pastorals, Booke 3, Song I, 11. 815-827, Vol.
11.