FAIRY REVELS

by: John Lyly (1553-1606)

INCH him, pinch him, black and blue,

Saucy mortals must not view

What the queen of stars is doing,

Nor pry into our fairy wooing.

Pinch him blue--

And pinch him black--

Let him not lack

Sharp nails to pinch him blue and red,

Till sleep has rocked his addlehead.

For the trespass he hath done,

Spots o'er all his flesh shall run.

Kiss Endymion, kiss his eyes,

Then to our midnight heidegyes.

• John Lyly - A biographical sketch of the Elizabethan dramatist.
• John Lyly (1554?-1606) - A biography, plus links to purchase all of his works currently in print.
• John Lyly: Bibliography - A bibliography of the works of John Lyly; includes a list of critical and biographical resources.
• Elizabethan Playhouses, Actors, and Audiences - An overview of Elizabethan theatre; covers regulation and licensing of plays, objections to playhouses, companies of actors, and composition and ownership of plays.
• Purchase books by John Lyly