^ The Scents of Early Summer ^ 



passing beauty, ' sheen bright elves ' of whom in later 

 days Shakespeare and Shelley had rare visions. Indeed 

 our Saxon ancestors would have understood Ariel as few 

 of us understand him, for he is the old English ' bright 

 elf.' As for that mischievous elf Puck, he and all his kind 

 were continually about their ways. 



Even before the twelfth century the dark monstrous 

 elves had begun to disappear, for the learned Gervase 

 of Tilbury tells us of creatures more akin to our Brownies, 

 impish creatures, l making sport of man's simplicity.' 

 In mediaeval and Tudor days, the fairies we know and 

 love disported themselves in our fields and gardens, 

 tripped about in our houses and held their midnight 

 revels with grasshopper, gnat and fly serving them for 

 minstrelsy. 



1 Round about, round about in a fine ring-a : 

 Thus we dance, thus we dance, and thus we sing-a : 

 Trip and go, to and fro, over this green-a, 

 All about, in and out, for our brave queen-a ! ' 



We have glimpses of fairy feasts, concerts and revels, 

 and even of preparations for a fairy wedding, and the 

 bride's gown of pansy, pink and primrose leaves embroid- 

 ered with flowers of rosemary, her head-dress 



' Of the yellows in the full- bloom rose 

 Which in the top it doth enclose 

 Like drops of gold ore shall be hung ' 



and the canopy to be borne aloft over her of l moons from 

 the peacock's tail ' and pheasant's head feathers ; we 

 read of a dowry in fairyland, consisting of a house of 

 mother-of-pearl, an ivory tennis court, a nutmeg parlour, 

 a sapphire dairy, chambers of agate, kitchens all of 



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