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And now we must imagine first

The elves present, to quench his thirst,
A pure seedpearl of infant dew,
Brought and besweeten'd in a blue
And pregnant violet; which done,
His kitling eyes begin to run

Quite through the table, where he spies
The horns of pap❜ry butterflies,
Of which he eats; and tastes a little
Of what we call the cuckow's spittle :
A little furze-ball pudding stands
By, yet not blessed by his hands,

That was too coarse; but then forthwith
He ventures boldly on the pith
Of sugar'd rush, and eats the sag
And well-bestrutted bee's sweet bag;
Gladding his palate with some store
Of emmet's eggs: what would he more,
But beards of mice, a newt's stew'd thigh,
A bloated earwig, and a fly;

With the red-capp'd worm, that is shut
Within the concave of a nut,

Brown as his tooth; a little moth,

Late fatten'd in a piece of cloth;

With wither'd cherries; mandrakes' ears;
Moles' eyes; to these, the slain stag's tears;
The unctuous dewlaps of a snail;

The broke heart of a nightingale
O'ercome in music; with a wine
Ne'er ravish'd from the flatt'ring vine,
But gently press'd from the soft side
Of the most sweet and dainty bride,
Brought in a dainty daisy, which
He fully quaffs up to bewitch

His blood to height? This done, commended
Grace by his priest, the feast is ended.

XCVIII.

TO VIRGINS.

HEAR, ye virgins; and I'll teach
What the times of old did preach.
Rosamond was in a bower

Kept, as Danäe in a tower;
But yet Love, who subtile is,
Crept to that, and came to this:
Be ye lock'd up, like to these,
Or the rich Hesperides,

Or those babies in your eyes
*In their crystal nunneries:
Notwithstanding, Love will win,
Or else force a passage in :
And as coy be as you can;

Gifts will get ye, or the man.

XCIX.

THE BELMAN.

FROM noise of scarefires rest ye free;

From murder's benedicite;

From all mischances, that may fright
Your pleasing slumbers in the night!
Mercy secure ye all; and keep

The goblin from ye, while ye sleep!

*This conceit, contained also in poem 11, is here still more beautifully touched upon . Besides the bards mentioned in my note to that poem, I find another who has ad opted it:

When th' am'rous youth looks babies in your eyes.
ROBERT HEATH. Clarastella.

POEM XCIX.] In ancient times, the watchman, when he cried the hours, was accustomed likewise to recite bene

Past one o'clock, and almost two;
My masters all, good day to you.

C.

UPON PRUDENCE BALDWIN

HER SICKNESS.

PRU, my dearest maid, is sick,
Almost to be lunatick :
Esculapius, come, and bring
Means for her recovering ;
And a gallant cock shall be
Offer'd up by her to thee.

dictions, and other carmina, to drive away the fairies, and demons of the night. Thus Shakspeare, in his Cymbeline, Act 2. Sc. 2.

From fairies, and the tempters of the night,

Guard me, beseech ye!

And Milton, in his Il Penseroso :

The belman's drowsy charm,

To bless the doors from nightly harm.

Take the following lines also to the same purport:
Saint Francis, and saint Benedight!
Bless this house from wicked wight;
From the nightmare, and the goblin
That is hight Goodfellow Robin,
Keep it, &c.

CARTWRIGHT's Ordinary. A. 3. Sc. 1. Herrick was alive to all the superstitions of his age; and his collection abounds with amulets, and charms against the fiends, and spectres of Gothic mythology.

DRAKE.

POEM C.] It would appear that our poet had a favourite maidservant, who was sometimes the subject of his song; and this is the first of his poems wherein we find her mentioned. Phillips, in his Theatrum Poetarum, very unjustly says, that he was influenced by no other nymph, or goddess than Pru; and Grainger, as unjustly and flippantly, adds, that, from the effects of her inspiration, she was but indif ferently qualified for a tenth muse. But Phillips surely had not seen his numerous verses to Julia, and those to Anthea, Dianeme, Electra, Sappho, Myrrha, Biancha, Corinna, and Perilla, as well as to other ladies of no fictitious name.

CI.

TO APOLLO.

A SHORT HYMN.

PHOEBUS, when that I a verse,
Or some numbers more rehearse;
Tune my words, that they may fall
Each way smoothly musical :
For which favour there shall be
Swans devoted unto thee.

CII.

A HYMN TO BACCHUS.

BACCHUS, let me drink no more;
Wild are seas that want a shore.
When our drinking has no stint,
There is no one pleasure in't.
I have drank up, for to please
Thee, that great cup Hercules.
Urge no more, and there shall be
Daffodills giv'n up to thee.

CIII.

ON HIMSELF.

HERE down my wearied limbs I'll lay,
My pilgrim's staff, my weed of grey,
My palmer's hat, my scallop's shell,
My cross, my cord; and all farewell!
For, having now my journey done,

Just at the setting of the sun,

POEM CII. This, and indeed the two preceding poems, shew how much Herrick had cultivated a taste for the chastity, and simplicity of the Greek epigram.

Here I have found a chamber fit,

God and good friends be thank'd for it! Where if I can a lodger be

A little while, from tramplers free,

At my uprising next, I shall,

If not requite, yet thank

ye all.

Meanwhile, the holy-rood hence fright The fouler fiend, and evil spright, From scaring you or your's this night!

CIV.

UPON A CHILD THAT DIED.

HERE she lies, a pretty bud,
Lately made of flesh and blood;
Who as soon fell fast asleep,
As her little eyes did peep.
Give her strewings, but not stir
The earth that lightly covers her!

CV.

CONTENT, NOT CATES.

'Tis not the food, but the content, That makes the table's merriment: Where trouble serves the board, we eat

The platters there, as soon as meat.
A little pipkin, with a bit

Of mutton, or of veal in it,

Set on my table, trouble-free,

More than a feast contenteth me.

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