hillipps's "Illustrations of Fairy Mythology,"
p. 167; see Douce's "Illustrations of Shakespeare," pp. 122, 123.

In "Round About our Coal Fire," we find the following passage bearing on
the subject: "When the master and mistress were laid on the pillows, the
men and maids, if they had a game at romps, and blundered up stairs, or
jumbled a chair, the next morning every one would swear 'twas the
fairies, and that they heard them stamping up and down stairs all night,
crying, 'Waters lock'd, waters lock'd!' when there was no water in every
pail in the kitchen." Herrick, too, in his "Hesperides," speaks of this
superstition:

"If ye will with Mab find grace,
Set each platter in his place;
Rake the fire up, and set
Water in, ere sun be set,
Wash your pales and cleanse your dairies,
Sluts are loathesome to the fairies:
Sweep your house; who doth not so,
Mab will pinch her by the toe."

While the belief in the power of fairies existed, they were supposed to
perform much good service to mankind. Thus, in "A Midsummer-Night's
Dream" (v. 1), Oberon says:

"With this field-dew consecrate,
Every fairy take his gait;
And each several chamber bless,
Through this palace, with sweet peace;
And the owner of it blest,
Ever shall in safety rest"--

the object of their blessing being to bring peace upon the house of
Theseus. Mr. Douce[37] remarks that the great influence which the belief
in fairies had on the popular mind "gave so much offence to the holy
monks and friars, that they determined to exert all their power to expel
these imaginary beings from the minds of the people, by taking the
office of the fairies' benedictions entirely into their own hands;" a
proof of which we have in Chaucer's "Wife of Bath:"

"I speke of many hundred yeres ago;
But now can no man see non elves mo,
For now the grete charitee and prayeres
Of limitoures and other holy freres
That serchen every land and every streme,
As thikke as motes in the sonne beme,
Blissing halles, chambres, kichenes, and boures,
Citees and burghes, castles highe and toures,
Thropes and bernes, shepenes and dairies,
This maketh that ther ben no faeries:
For ther as wont to walken was an elf
Ther walketh now the limitour himself."

[37] "Illustrations of Shakespeare," pp. 126, 127.

Macbeth, too (v. 8), in his encounter with Macduff, says:

"I bear a