312 DIRECT BENEFITS DERIVED FROM INSECTS. 



collect that Oberon and his queen Titania, that renowned 

 personage Robin Goodfellow, " with all the fairy elves 

 that be," number insects amongst their choicest cates, 

 you will no longer be heretical in this article, but yield 

 with a good grace ; and as a reward I will copy out for 

 you a beautiful poetical description of Oberon's feast, 

 which was lately pointed out to me by a learned biblio- 

 graphical friend, John Crosse, Esq. of Hull, in Herrick's 

 Hesperidcs, 1658. 



Shapcot, to thee the fairy state 

 I with discretion dedicate; 

 Because thou prizest things that are 

 Curious and unfamiHar. 

 Take first the feast : these dishes gone, 

 We 'II see the fairy court anon. 

 A little mushroom table spread ; 

 After short prayers, they set on bread, 

 A moon-parch'd grain of purest wheat. 

 With some small glitt'ring grit to eat 

 His choicest bits with : then in a trice 

 They make a feast less great than nice. 

 But all this while his eye is serv'd. 

 We must not think his ear was starv'd; 

 But that there was in place to stir 

 His spleen, the chirring grasshopper, 

 The merry cricket, puling fly, 

 The piping gnat for minstrelsy : 

 And now we must imagine first 

 The elves present, to quench his thirst, 

 A pure seed pearl of infant dew. 

 Brought and besweeten'd in a blue 

 And pregn;int violet ; which done. 

 His killing eyes begin to run 

 Quite through the table, where he spies 

 The horns of papery butterflies. 



