as _Moonshine_."

The Fairy's Wand

A TALE OF WINDSOR PARK IN THE DAYS OF THE MERRY MONARCH

In the time of Charles II., Windsor Park stood just where it stands now,
and the castle of Windsor was very often the abode of royalty, as it is
now; but in those merry, but licentious times, there was much more fun
and feasting going on than perhaps there is at present. Rochester was
master of the revels, and the Countesses of ---- but I will say nothing
about the ladies, although some of the highest of our aristocracy are
descended from them. There were great preparations in the castle, for
King Charles had invited down the Mayor of London, and a bevy of
aldermen; not so much with a view of doing honour to the magistrates of
the great and ancient city, as with the hope to extract some amusement
from their peculiarities.

The fact is, that the Mayor and aldermen of London had certified to the
Earl of Rochester, that they had some complaint to make and some favour
to request of his Majesty. Rochester, ever willing to procure amusement
for his royal master, at the same time was equally careful not to allow
him to be annoyed, and therefore had contrived to ferret out that the
complaint against the lords of the court, was for their foo great
familiarity with the citizens' wives, and that the favour to be demanded
was, a curtailment of the dress, ornaments, and expensive habits of the
city ladies.--He considered this a very favourable opportunity for
procuring some mirth at the expense of the corporation.

With the consent of the king, he had intimated to the mayor and
aldermen, that they would be received in the evening, and honoured with
a seat at the royal banquet; and at the same time he had privately made
known to the lady mayoress, what were the demands about to be made by
her husband, desiring her to communicate the same, under a strict
promise of secrecy, to the wives of all the aldermen; and also
acquainting them that his Majesty would be glad to receive the ladies on
the same evening, provided that they could come without the knowledge of
their husbands, which might be done by their setting off for Windsor
some short time after them. It was the intention of the king, that when
the mayor and corporation should present the address, they should be met
face to face by their wives, and thus issue be joined.

But mortals were not the only parties who revelled in the beauties of
the park of Windsor.

On the evenin