THE ELIZABETHAN FAIRIES

PREFACE
Any investigation of the fairy mythology of the 16th
century is immediately concerned with two problems:
the problem of the native fairies of tradition, and the
problem of the fairies of Shakespeare. In this essay an
attempt has been made to study both conceptions of the
fairy world; to present the traditional fairies of folklore,
and the whole body of beliefs popularly held in the 16th
and 17th centuries concerning them; and to trace the
development of the fairies of Shakespeare, and their
influence upon subsequent literature and folklore.
The completion of the work affords a most pleasant
opportunity for the acknowledgment of invaluable aid
and assistance. Mr. Frederic W. Erb and his assistants
on the staff of the Library of Columbia University have
my heartiest thanks for their continued aid and coopera-
tion, as has Miss Helen Kline for the meticulous care and
the efficiency with which the difficult work of preparing
and proof reading the manuscript has been done. Pro-
fessor E. M. Laney of Agnes Scott College has given me
her most kind assistance in the work of verifying and
compiling the bibliography. To Professors H. M.
Ayres and W. W. Lawrence I am indebted for reading
the manuscript and offering valuable suggestions. To
Dean Virginia Crocheron Gildersleeve of Barnard Col-
lege my debt of gratitude is great for her generous and
unfailing assistance in furthering my endeavors.
Two persons have assisted me to whom I am unable to
make any adequate acknowledgment. Dr. Gulielma Fell
Alsop has by her untiring help and encouragement made
this work possible. Professor Ashley H. Thorndike first
vii