Brief Discourse of the true use of Charact’ring the Degrees, &c

By the moon we sport and play,
With the night begins our day:
As we frisk the dew doth fall;
Trip it, little urchins all!
Lightly as the little bee,
Two by two, and three by three;
And about, about go we.

Dare you haunt our hallow’d green?
None but fairies here are seen.
Down and sleep,
Wake and weep,
Pinch him black, and pinch him blue,
That seeks to steal a lover true!
When you come to hear us sing,
Or to tread our fairy ring,
Pinch him black, and pinch him blue!
O thus our nails shall handle you!

Round about in a fair ring-a,
Thus we dance and thus we sing-a;
Trip and go, to and fro,
Over this green-a;
All about, in and out,
Over this green-a.

Round-a, round-a, keep your ring:
To the glorious sun we sing, —
        Ho, ho!
He that wears the flaming rays,
And th’ imperial crown of bays,
Him with shouts and songs we praise —
        Ho, ho!
That in his bounty he’d vouchsafe to grace
The humble sylvans and their shaggy race.