 | A Fairy Tale |  |
11
He comes forward.
Mer.
What art thou, spirit? of what name or order?
(For I have view'd thee in my magic glass)
Making thy moan among the midnight wolves,
That bay the silent moon: speak, I conjure thee.
'Tis Merlin bids thee, at whose awful wand,
The pale ghost quivers, and the grim fiend gasps.
Phil.
An airy shape, the tend'rest of my kind,
The last seduc'd, and least deform'd of hell;
Half white, and shuffl'd in the crowd, I fell,
Desirous to repent, and loth to sin;
Aukward in mischief, piteous of mankind.
My name is Philidel, my lot in air,
Where next beneath the moon and nearest heav'n,
I soar and have a glimpse to be receiv'd,
For which the swarthy dæmons envy me.
Mer.
Thy business here?
Phil.
To shun the Saxon wizard's dire commands.
Osmond, the awfull'st name next thine below.
'Cause I refuse to hurl a noisom fog
On christen'd heads, the hue-and-cry of hell
Is rais'd against me for a fugitive sprite.
Mer.
Osmond shall know, a greater power protects thee;
But follow then the whispers of thy soul,
That draw thee nearer heav'n.
And as thy place is nearest to the sky,
The rays will reach thee first, and bleach thy soot.
Phil.
In hope of that, I spread my azure wings,
And wishing still, for yet I dare not pray,
I bask in day-light, and behold with joy
My scum work outward, and my rust wear off.
Mer.
Why, that's my hopeful spirit, now mark me, Philidel,
12
Thou know'st, in spite of valiant Oswald's arms,
Or Osmond's powerful spells, the field is ours—
Phil.
Oh master! hasten
Thy dread commands; for Grimbald is at hand,
Osmond's fierce fiend; I snuff his earthy scent:
The conquering Britons he misleads to rivers,
Or dreadful downfalls of unheeded rocks;
Where many fall, that ne'er shall rise again.
Mer.
Be that thy care, to stand by falls of brooks,
And trembling bogs, that bear a green-sward show.
Warn off the bold pursuers from the chace:
No more, they come, and we divide the task.
But lest fierce Grimbald's pond'rous bulk oppress
Thy tender flitting air, I'll leave my band
Of spirits with united strength to aid thee,
And force with force repel.
[Exeunt Merlin and Philidel into the cave.
| A Fairy Tale | |