At her approach, fee Hope, fee Fear,

See Expectation fly!

And Difappointment in the rear,
That blafts the purpos'd joy.

The tears, which Pity taught to flow,
My eyes fhall then difown;

The heart, that throbb'd at others woe,

Shall then scarce feel its own.

The wounds, which now each moment bleed,
Each moment then shall close;
And tranquil days fhall ftill fucceed
To nights of fweet repose,

O Fairy-elf! but grant me this,
This one kind comfort fend!
And fo may never-fading blifs
Thy flowery paths attend!

So may the glow-worms glimmering light,
Thy tiny footsteps lead

To fome new region of delight,
Unknown to mortal tread!

And be thy acorn goblet fill'd

With heavens ambrofial dew,

From fweeteft, frefheft flowers diftill'd,

That shed fresh fweets for you.

And

་

When mortals are at rest,
And fnoring in their neft;
Unheard and unespied,

Through key-holes we do glide;

Over tables, ftools, and shelves,
We trip it with our Fairy elves.

And if the house be foul,
With platter, dish, or bowl,
Up ftairs we nimbly creep,
And find the fluts asleep;

Then we pinch their arms and thighs;
None us hears, and none us spies.

But

But if the house be swept,
And from uncleannefs kept,
We praise the household maid,
And duly fhe is paid:
Every night before we go,
We drop a tefter in her shoe.

Then o'er a mushrooms head
Our table-cloth we spread;
A grain of rye or wheat,
The diet that we eat ;
Pearly drops of dew we drink,
In acorn cups fill'd to the brink.

The brains of nightingales,
With unctuous fat of fnails,
Between two cockles ftew'd,
Is meat that's eas❜ly chew'd;
Tails of worms and marrow of mice,
Do make a difh that's wondrous nice.

The grasshopper, gnat, and fly,
Serve for our minstrelfy;
Grace faid, we dance awhile,

And fo the time beguile:

And if the moon doth hide her head,

The glow-worm lights us home to bed.

O'er tops of dewy grafs

So nimbly we do país,
The young and tender ftalk

Ne'er bends where we do walk;

Yet in the morning may be seen

Where we the night before have been.

O.

SONG LVI.

IMITATED FROM THE MIDSUMMER-NIGHTS DREAM OF SHAKSPEARE. ACT II. SCENE V.

L

O! here, beneath this hallow'd fhade,
Within a cowflips blossom deep,

The lovely Queen of Elves is laid,
May nought difturb her balmy sleep!

Let not the fnake, or baleful toad
Approach the filent manfion near,
Or newt profane the sweet abode,
Or owl repeat her orgies here!

No fnail or worm fhall hither come,
With noxious filth her bow'r to stain;

Hence be the beetles fullen hum,
And spiders disembowel'd train.

The love-lorn nightingale alone

Shall through Titanias arbour stray,
To footh her fleep with melting moan,

And lull her with his fweeteft lay.

SONG

SONG LVII.

THE MAD MERRY PRANKS OF ROBIN GOOD-FELLOW.

ROM Oberon, in Fairy-land,

FR

The king of ghofts and fhadows there,

Mad Robin I, at his command,

Am fent to view the night-fports here;
What revel rout

Is kept about,

In every corner where I go,

I will o'er fee,

And merry be,

And make good fport, with ho, ho, ho!

More fwift than lightning can I fly

About this airy welkin foon,
And, in a minutes fpace, defcry

Each thing that's done below the moon.
There's not a hag,

Nor ghoft fhall wag,

Nor cry, Goblin! where I do go;

But Robin I

Their feats will spy,

And fear them home, with ho, ho, ho!

If any wanderers I meet,

That from their night-sport do trudge home;

With counterfeiting voice I greet,

And cause them on with me to roam,