ON FAIRIES.
35
Safely home they then would see him,And from brakes and quagmires free him."
The fairies were exceedingly diminutive, but, it must be confessed, we shall not readily find their actual dimensions. They were small enough, however, if we may believe one of queen Titanias maids of honour, to conceal themselves in acorn shells; speaking of a difference between the king and queen, she says:
"But they do square; that all their elves for fear,Creep into acorn cups, and hide them there."
They, uniformly, and constantly, wore green vests, unless when they had some reason for changing their dress. Of this circumstance we meet with many proofs: Thus in The merry wives of windsor:
"Like urchins, ouphes, and fairies green."[1]
In fact, we meet with them of all colours: as in the same play:
"Fairies black, grey, green, and white."
- ↑ In the same play is this line
"You orphan-heirs of fixed destiny,"
for which Warburton proposes to read "ouphen-heirs."
