The tricks of the fairy called Gull

She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies
Athwart men's noses as they lie asleep.

Romeo and Juliet, 1. iv. 55-59

She as her attendant hath

A lovely boy, stol'n from an Indian king;
She never had so sweet a changeling.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, II. i. 21—23

When mortals keep their beds I walk abroad, and for my pranks am called by the name of Gull. I with a feigned voice do often deceive many men, to their great amazement. Many times I get on men and women, and so lie on their stomachs, that I cause them great pain, for which they call me by the name of Hag, or Night-mare. 'Tis I that do steal children, and in the place of them leave changelings. Sometimes I also steal milk and cream, and then with my brothers Patch, Pinch, and Grim, and sisters Sib, Tib, Lick, and Lull, I feast with my stolen goods. Our little piper hath his share in all our spoils, but he nor our women fairies do ever put themselves in danger to do any great exploit.

What Gull can do, I have you shown;
I am inferior unto none.

Command me, Robin, thou shalt know,
That I for thee will ride or go:
I can do greater things than these
Upon the land, and on the seas.

The tricks of the fairy called Grim

I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round,
Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier:
Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound,

A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire;

And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, III. i. 112—117

Where the bee sucks, there suck I:
In a cowslip's bell I lie;

There I couch when owls do cry.
On the bat's back do I fly
After summer merrily:

Merrily, merrily shall I live now

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.

The Tempest, v. i. 88—94

I walk with the owl, and make many to cry as loud as she doth holloa. Sometimes I do affright many simple people, for which some have termed me the Black Dog of Newgate. At the meeting of young men and maids I many times am, and when they are in the midst of all their good cheer, I come in, in some fearful shape, and affright them, and then carry away their good cheer, and eat it with my fellow fairies. 'Tis I that do, like a screech-owl, cry at sick men's windows, which makes the hearers so fearful, that they say, that the sick person cannot live. Many other ways have I to fright the simple, but the understanding man I cannot move to fear, because he knows I have no power to do hurt.

My nightly business I have told,
To play these tricks I use of old:
When candles burn both blue and dim,
Old folks will say, Here's fairy Grim.
More tricks than these I use to do:
Hereat cry'd Robin, Ho, ho, hoh!

Robin Good-fellow; his mad prankes and merry jests 1628

§ 5. Astrology

Soothsayer. Beware the ides of March.

Caesar. He is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass.

Julius Caesar, 1. ii. 23-24

Edgar. How now, brother Edmund! What serious contemplation are you in?

Edmund. I am thinking, brother, of a prediction I read this other day, what should follow these eclipses.

Edgar. Do you busy yourself with that?

Edmund. I promise you the effects he writes of succeed unhappily ; as of unnaturalness between the child and the parent; death, dearth, dissolutions of ancient amities; divisions in state; menaces and maledictions against king and nobles; needless diffidences, banishment of friends, dissipation of cohorts, nuptial breaches, and I know not what. Edgar. How long have you been a sectary astronomical ? King Lear, 1. ii. 155-170

A Mock Prognostication

The eclipse of the sun according to Proclus' opinion is like to produce many hot and pestilent infirmities, especially amongst summoners and pettifoggers, whose faces being combust with many fiery inflamatives shall show ye dearth that by their devout drinking is like to ensue of barley, if violent death take not away such consuming maltworms....And Mars being placed near unto the sun sheweth that there shall be a great death among people. Old women that can live no longer shall die for age: and young men that have usurers to their father shall this year have great cause to laugh, for the devil hath made a decree, that after they are once in hell, they shall never rise again to trouble their executors. Beside that by all conjectural arguments the influence of Mars shall be so violent, that divers soldiers in parts beyond the seas, shall fall out for want of their pay, and here in our meridional clime, great quarrels shall be raised between man and man, especially in cases of law. Gentry shall go check-mate with justice, and coin out countenance ofttimes equity. The poor sitting on penniless bench, shall sell their coats to strive for a straw, and

See Glossary under "Checkmate."

lawyers laugh such fools to scorn as cannot keep their crowns in their purses....

It is further to be feared, that because the eclipse happeneth in July, there will through the extreme heat grow such abundance of fleas, that women shall not go to bed before twelve o'clock at night, for the great murders and stratagems they are like to commit upon those little animals.

And whereas this eclipse falleth out at three of the clock in the afternoon, it foresheweth that many shall go soberer into taverns than they shall come out: and that he which drinks hard and lies cold, shall never die of the sweat; although Gemini, combust and retrograde, sheweth that some shall have so sore a sweating, that they may sell their hair by the pound to stuff tennis balls. But if the beadles of Bridewell be careful this summer, it may be hoped that Petticoat Lane may be less pestered with ill airs than it was wont: and the houses there so clear cleansed, that honest women may dwell there without any dread of the whip and the cart....

But here by the way, gentle reader, note that this eclipse sheweth that this year shall be some strange births of children produced in some monstrous form, to the great grief of the parents, and fearful spectacle of the beholders: but because the eclipse chanceth southerly, it is little to be feared that the effects shall fall in England: yet somewhat it is to be doubted, that divers children shall be born, that when they come to age shall not know their own fathers. Some shall be born with feet like unto hares, that they shall run so swift, that they shall never tarry with master, but trudge from post to pillar, till they take up Beggars' Bush for their lodging. Others shall have noses like swine, that there shall not be a feast within a mile, but they shall smell it out. But especially it is to be doubted, that divers women this year shall be born with two tongues, to the terrible grief of such as shall marry them, uttering in their fury such rough-cast eloquence, that 'knave' and slave' shall be but holiday words to their husbands. And whereas this fearful eclipse doth continue but an hour and a half, it signifieth that this year women's love to their husbands shall be very short, sometimes so momentary, that it shall scarce continue from the church door to the wedding house: and that hens, capons, geese, and other pullin shall little haunt poor men's tables, but

fly away with spits in their bellies to fat churls' houses, that pamper themselves up with delicates and dainties. Although very few other effects are to be prognosticated, yet let me give this caveat to my countrymen, as a clause to this wonderful eclipse. Let such as have clothes enow, keep themselves warm from taking cold: and I would wish rich men all this winter to sit by a good fire, and hardly to go to bed without a cup of sack, and that so qualified with sugar, that they prove not rheumatic: let them feed daintily and take ease enough, and no doubt according to the judgment of Albumazar, they are like to live as long as they can, and not to die one hour before their time.

THOMAS NASHE? A wonderful astrological prognostication 1591