THE BRIDAL HOUSE BLESSED BY THE FAIRIES. Enter PUCK. Puck. Now the hungry lion roars,6 Whilst the scritch-owl scritching loud, In remembrance of a shroud. That the graves all gaping wide, By the triple Hecate's team, To sweep the dust behind the door. Enter OBERON and TITANIA, with their train. Ober. Through this house give glimmering light Every elf and fairy sprite, Hop as light as bird from brier ; And this ditty after me Sing and dance it trippingly. Tita. First rehearse this song by rote: To each word a warbling note, Hand in hand, with fairy grace, Will we sing and bless the place. SONG AND DANCE Ober. Now, until the break of day, Through the house each fairy stray, To the best bride-bed will we, So shall all the couples three, And the blots of Nature's hand Shall upon their children be. With this field-dew, consecrate, Every fairy take his gait; And each several chamber bless Through this palace with sweet peace; And the owner of it blest. Trip away; Make no stay: Meet me all by break of day. 6" Now the hungry lion roars :”—Upon the songs of Puck and Oberon, Coleridge exclaims, "Very Anacreon in perfectness, proportion, and spontaneity! So far it is Greek; but then add, O! what wealth, what wild rangings and yet what compressior and condensation of English fancy! In truth, there is nothing in Anacreon more perfect than these thirty lines, or half so ricl. and imaginative. They form a speckless diamond."—Literary Remains, vol. ii., p. 114. LOVERS AND MUSIC. LORENZO and JESSICA, awaiting the return home of PORTIA and NERISSA, discourse of music, and then welcome with it the bride and her attendant. Lor. The moon shines bright. In such a night as this,' And they did make no noise,-in such a night Jes. Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew; And ran dismay'd away. Lor. In such a night Lor. And in such a night Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew, Slander her love, and he forgave it her. Jes. I would out-night you, did nobody come; But, hark; I hear the footing of a man. Enter STEPHANO. Lor. Who comes so fast in silence of the night? Step. A friend. Lor. A friend! what friend? your name, I pray you, friend? Step. Stephano is my name; and I bring word My mistress will, before the break of day, Be here at Belmont: she doth stray about By holy crosses, where she kneels and prays Lor. Who comes with her? Step. None but a holy hermit and her maid Lor. Sweet soul, let 's in, and there expect their coming. And yet no matter; why should we go in? [Exit STEPHANO. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon the bank! Sit, Jessica: look, how the floor of heaven There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st,12 Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims; Enter MUSICIANS. Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn; Jes. I am never merry when I hear sweet music. A race of youthful and unhanded colts, Fetching mad bounds,―bellowing and neighing loud, If they but hear, perchance, a trumpet sound, You shall perceive them make a mutual stand- By the sweet power of music. Therefore the poet Let no such man be trusted.-Mark the music. [Music. * Patines (Patine, Paténe, Ital.) have been generally understood to mean plates of gold or silver used in the Catholic service. A new and interesting commentator, however (the Rev. Mr. Hunter), is of opinion that the proper word is patterns. Enter PORTIA and Nerissa, at a distance. Por. That light we see is burning in my hall; Ner. When the moon shone, we did not see the candle A substitute shines brightly as a king, Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house How many things by season, season'd are, Peace, hoa! the moon sleeps with Endymion, [Music ceases Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo, 7“ In such a night as this,” &c.—All the stories here alluded to,—— Troilus and Cressida, Pyramus and Thisbe, Dido and Æneas, Jason and Medea, are in Chaucer's Legend of Good Women. It is pleasant to see our great poet so full of his predecessor. He cannot help, however, inventing particulars not to be found in his original. 8 And sigh'd his soul, &c. "The day go'th fast, and after that came eve, He looketh forth by hedge, by tree, by greve (grove), And far his head over the wall he laid." Clarke's Chaucer, vol. ii., p. 151. •“And saw the lion's shadow.”—Thisbe in Chaucer does not see |