prospects afar across the Irish sea. At length, after
feasting my eyes on all the pleasant objects around me, until the sun had
reached his goal in the west, I lay down upon the green grass,
reflecting, how fair and enchanting, from my own country, the countries
appeared whose plains my eyes had glanced over, how delightful it would
be to obtain a full view of them, and how happy those were who saw the
course of the world in comparison with me: weariness was the result of
all this toiling with my eyes and my imagination, and in the shadow of
Weariness, _Mr. Sleep_ came stealthily to enthrall me, who with his keys
of lead, locked the windows of my eyes, and all my other senses securely.
But it was in vain for him to endeavour to lock up the soul, which can
live and toil independently of the body, for my spirit escaped out of the
locked body upon the wings of Fancy, and the first thing which I saw by
the side of me was a dancing ring, and a kind of rabble in green
petticoats and red caps dancing away with the most furious eagerness. I
stood for a time in perplexity whether I should go to them or not,
because in my flurry I feared they were a gang of hungry gipsies, and
that they would do nothing less than slaughter me for their supper, and
swallow me without salt: but after gazing upon them for some time, I
could see that they were better and handsomer than the swarthy, lying
Egyptian race. So I ventured to approach them, but very softly, like a
hen treading upon hot embers, that I might learn who they were; and at
length I took the liberty of addressing them in this guise, with my head
and back lowered horizontally: "Fair assembly, as I perceive that you are
gentry from distant parts, will you deign to take a Bard along with you,
who is desirous of travelling?" At these words the hurly-burly was
hushed, and all fixed their eyes upon me: "_Bard_," squeaked
one--"_travel_," said another--"_along with us_," said the third. By
this time I saw some looking particularly fierce upon me; then they began
to whisper in each others ears certain secret words, and to look at me;
at length the whispering ceased, and each laying his gripe upon me they
raised me upon their shoulders, as we do a knight of the shire, and then
away with me they flew like the wind, over houses and fields, cities and
kingdoms, seas and mountains; and so quickly did they fly that I could
fasten my sight upon nothing, and what was worse, I began to suspect