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THE CAVE OF MERLIN.

Forthwith themselves disguising, both in strange
And base attire, that none might them bewray,
To Maridunum, that is now, by change

Of name, Cayr-Merdin called, they took their way:
There the wise Merlin, whylome wont (they say)
To make his wonne, low underneath the ground,
In a deep delve, far from the view of day;
That of no living wight he mote be found,
Whenso he counseld, with his sprites encompast round

And if thou ever happen that same way
To travel, go to see that dreadful place:
It is an hideous hollow cave (they say)
Under a rock that lies a little space
From the swift Barry, tumbling down apace
Amongst the woody hills of Dynevowre:
But dare thou not, I charge, in any case,
To enter into that same baleful bower,

For fear the cruel fiends should thee un'wares devour

But standing high aloft, low lay thine ear,
And there such ghastly noise of iron chains,
And brazen cauldrons thou shalt rumbling hear,
Which thousand spirits, with long enduring pains,
Do toss, that will stun thy feeble brains;

And oftentimes great groans and grievous stound3, When too huge toil and labour them constrains; And oftentimes loud strokes and ringing sounds, From under that deep rock most horribly rebounds.

The cause, some say, is this: a little while
Before that Merlin died, he did intend

A brazen wall in compass to compile
About Cairmardin, and did it commend,
Unto these sprites to bring to perfect end;
During which work the Lady of the Lake,
Whom long he loved, for him in haste did send,
Who thereby forced his workmen to forsake,
Them bound till his return their labour not to slake,

In the meantime, through that false lady's train,
He was surprized and buried under bier,
Ne ever to his work returned again;

Natheless those fiends may not their work forbear,
So greatly his commandement they fear,
But there do toil and travail day and night,
Until that brazen wall they up do rear;
For Merlin had in magic more insight
Than ever him before or after living wight.

For he by words could call out of the sky
Both sun and moon, and make them him obey;
The land to sea, and sea to mainland dry,
And darksome night he eke could turn to day.
Huge hosts of men he could alone dismay,
And hosts of men of meanest things could frame,
When so him list his enemies to fray;

That to this day for terror of his fame,

The fiends do quake, when any him to them does name

SHAKESPEARE.

SOLITUDE.

Are not these woods

More free from peril than the envious court?
Here feel we but the penalty of Adam,
The seasons' difference; as the icy fang,
And churlish chiding of the winter's wind;
Which when it bites and blows upon my body,
Even till I shrink with cold, I smile, and say,
This is no flattery: these are counsellors
That feelingly persuade me what I am.
Sweet are the uses of adversity;

Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,

Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.

I am never merry when I hear swe

The reason is, your spirits are
For do bufnete a wild wind wanton hers
Or race of youthful and unhandled vualus
Fetching wad bounds, bellowing, and nes
Which is the bot condition of there bicor
If they hot beat perchance a trampet
Or any air of mudé touch their ears,
You shall pere, we them make a mutual storą,
Their anvage eyes turn'd to à diodest giche,
By the sweet power of music: therefore
Dakleign that Oeus drew trees, stores, an
Pilien nought so stockish, hard, and

Bot music for the time doth ebange
The man thui hath not music in his
Nor is not moved with concord af sw
Is fit for tressons, Stratagems, and
The motions of his spirit are dull
And has uổnctions dark as Erebné
lut sịu voch man be trustóď.

If we be the food of love, play shu
Give are excess of it, that, qucfesting,
The appetite may seker, med son dhe.
That strain agam porn had a dezug fall:
O! a come o'er my ear bko zker dieet south.
The breathes upoù a bank of mu kata
Being and giving adour

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