THE ELIZABETHAN FAIRIES

INTRODUCTION
And foodlesse famin. Will thou her immediatly withowt
Delay too shed hirself intoo the stomacke of the wretch,
And let no plentie staunch her force, but let her working stretch
Above the powre of mee. And least the longnesse of the way
May make thee wearie, take thou heere my charyot: take I say
My draggons for to beare thee through the aire. In saying so
She gave hir them. The Nymph mounts up: and flying thence as
tho
Alyghts in Scythy land. and up the cragged top of hye
Mount Caucasus did cause hir Snakes with much a doo too stye,
Where seeking long for famin, shee the gaptoothd elfe did spye
Amid a barreine stony feeld a ramping up the grasse
With ougly nayles, and chanking it. Her face pale colourd was.
Hir heare was harsh and shirle, her eyes were sunken in her head.
Her lyppes were hore with filth, her teeth were furd and rustv
read ;
Her skinne was starched, and so sheere a man myght well espye
The verie bowels in her bulk how every one did lye.
And eke above her coorbed loynes her withered hippes were seene.
In stead of belly was a space where belly should have beene.
Her breast did hang so sagging downe as that a man would weene
That scarcely to her ridgebone had hir ribbes beene fastened well;
Her leannesse made her joynts bolne big, and kneepannes for too
swell,
And with exceeding mighty knubs her heeles behynd boynd out.
Now when the Nymph behild this elfe a farre (she was in dout
Too come too neere her:) shee declarde her Ladies message. And
In that same little whyle although the Nymph aloof did stand,
And though shee were but newly come, yit seemed shee too feele
The force of fa mi^^.^^
69 Rouse ed., 1904, 11. 966-1009.