h have born him, which have bred him up; and
he will, if he is encouraged, write on. Three of these tales, or of
these traditions--for the titles, with this writer, appear to us
exchangeable--regard the fairies properly so called. They are, "_The
Priest's Well_," "_The Fairies' Sabbath_," here given, and "_The Fairy
Tutor_," being the first, the third, and the seventh, of the entire
present series. Upon these three tales the foregoing attempt at fixing
the generic notion of a fairy was intended to bear. Should pretty Maud,
the stone-mason's daughter, our heroine for to-day, find the favour in
English eyes which her personal merit may well claim, the remaining two
are not likely to be long withheld.

The illustrations which shall now follow, drawn from distinguished
authorities, aim at showing the consonancy of Herr Willkomm's pictures
with authentic representations of Elfin superstition already known to
the world. If, however, the criteria which have been proposed, have
been rightfully deduced, the illustrations should as materially serve us
in justifying these by proof.

Amongst the numerous points of analogy which strikingly connect our tale
with popular tales and traditions innumerable, _three_ are main to the
structure of the tale itself. They may be very briefly described as--

I. The Heathenism of the Fairies.
II. Their need, thence arising.
III. Maud's ability to help them.

* * * * *

I. The opinion, which sets the fairies in opposition to the established
faith of all Christendom, is widely diffused. To the _Breton_ peasant,
as M. de la Villemarque has above informed us, his Korrigan is a heathen
princess, doomed to a long sorrow for obstinately refusing the message
of salvation.

The brothers Grimm, speaking of the fairies in _Ireland_, say that "they
are angels cast out from heaven, who have not fallen as low as hell; but
in great fear and uncertainty about their future state, doubt,
themselves, whether they shall obtain mercy at the last day."{K}

Of the fairies in _Scotland_, it is averred by the same learned and
exact writers, that "they were originally angels dwelling in bliss, but
who, because they suffered themselves to be seduced by the archfiend,
were hurled down from heaven in innumerable multitudes. They shall
wander till the last day over mountains and lakes. They know not how
their sentence will run--whether they shall be saved or damned; but
dread t