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people, that, from it, their meetings and merry makings have been called junkettings.

Fuseli has made beautiful pictures of these goblins, of the fairy Mab, and the lubbar fiend, conceived in the true spirit of the poet-his picture of twilight is admirable.

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Fryar's Lantern, or Will of the Wisp, is a meteor, which is spontaneously kindled in the atmosphere near graves and marshy places, where hydrogen or inflammable air is generated. This light flame, which lasts a very short time, follows the current of the air, and is suddenly extinguished. Formerly these meteors terrified the vulgar; but knowledge of all sorts has been so much disseminated by the art of printing, that these vain terrours exist scarcely any where except in remote places.

Another strange legend or old story, which was formerly current in the country, was, that if a bowl of cream was laid in a barn for a certain fairy, he would come by night and thresh a large quantity of corn; and when he was tired, would lie down before the fire in the house, till the cock crowed.

The word lubbar is here used to express the clumsy size of the fiend. Lubbar commonly means lazy perhaps it may here mean tired.

Cropfull-is a term appropriate to poultry.

It here means full to the throat with the cream that had been set for him.

Tow'red cities please us then,
And the bufy hum of men,'

-Where throngs of knights and baróns bold,
In weeds of peace, high triumphs hold,
With store of ladies, whose bright eyes
Rain influence, and judge the prize
Of wit or arms, while both contend
To win her grace, whom all commend.
There` let 'Hymen oft appear
In saffron robe, and taper clear,
And pomp, and feast, and revelry
With mask, and antique pageantry;
Such sights as youthful poets dream
On summer eves, by haunted stream.

"Then we seek the pleasures of the city, where knights and barons hold splendid assemblies; where ladies, from the influence of their charms, are appealed to as judges, in contests both of wit and arms; while the candidates for either prizes endeavour to win the favour of her who is considered as superiour to the rest.

"In these assemblies may Hymen, the God of Marriage, be often present, drest in saffroncoloured robes, and carrying his nuptial torch, burning with bright and auspicious flame, accompanied by pomp, and feast and merriment; with masks and splendid shows, such as were

anciently represented, and attended with every pleasure that youthful pride and poetic imagination can dream of, while reposing in summer evenings by the side of some haunted stream." Milton now quits the country, where the,

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tired peasant early goes to rest; and he describes the revels and amusements of cities, which usually begin at a late hour.

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Weeds of peace.-Weeds formerly meant any kind of dress; but is now confined to the mourn, ing dresses of widows, which are called their weeds.

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The poet seems to forget himself a little when he speaks of adjudging a prize both of wit and arms at a midnight assembly. Perhaps he means a change of time, as well as of scene. In the days of chivalry, and even as late as the reign of queen Elizabeth, justs, tilts, and tournaments were common amusements. They were warlike games, in which young men contended for superiority, with strength and address. A large space was enclosed with a strong rail, called the barrier or lists: this space was surrounded by. seats for the spectators, one of which in particular was raised higher than the rest, for the judges.

The knights who contended were covered from head to foot with defensive iron armour.

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They were mounted upon strong steeds, covered partly with armour, and partly with! housings beautifully embroidered with gold and various colours. On these housings and on their shields were displayed the devices or arms of the knights, to which custom it is said, but not with certainty, that heraldry owes it's origin. The knights, on horseback, rode against each other with blunted lances, which were usually broken in the onset; they sometimes fought, or seemed to fight with blunted swords-These sports however frequently ended fatally. Henry the second of France was killed by count Montgomery at

a tournament.

At these trials of courage and address some lady remarkable for birth or beauty presided ; she was attended by two ladies as maids or assistants and the successful champion or knight, when the prize was adjudged to him, came before the seat of honour, and, taking off his helmet, made low obeisance to the lady of the tournament. This is alluded to in the

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To win her grace, whom all commend."

"Then to the well-trod stage anon,
If Jonson's learned sock be on,

Or sweetest Shakspeare, Fancy's child,
Warble his native wood-notes wild.

"Then let me frequent the stage, if the learned plays of Ben Jonson are represented, or those of Shakspeare, the child of nature, whose poetry, like the wild notes of sweet birds, are unrestrained by rules of art."

Learned sock-The ancient actors, when they represented tragedies, wore buskins; when they appeared in comedies they wore a kind of sandal, or half shoe, buckled on with leathern straps, and called a sock: hence the sock means comedy, and the buskin tragedy.

Anon-means soon.

Milton here pays a just compliment to Ben Jonson and Shakspeare. Jonson's, as well as Milton's poetry, abounds with allusions to the ancients, and is full of abstruse learning.

Shakspeare, though far from ignorant, followed nature, both in his descriptions of external objects, and in his delineations of human characters and passions.

Jonson was probably preferred by his contem poraries; but Shakspeare has deservedly become the favourite, though not the principal poet of the English nation.. It is singular that Milton,

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