Page:Singular adventures of Sir Gawen, and the enchanted castle.pdf/21

21 shrunk not to the gentle pressure, and each smiling on her favorite knight, he flung his brilliant arms aside & mingled in the dance.

Whilst thus they flew in rapid measures o’er the lawn, Sir Gawen forgetting his situation and impatient to salute the assembly, involuntarily stept forward, and instantaneously a shrill and hollow gust of wind murmured through the woods, the moon dipt into a cloud, and the knights the dames and aerial spirits vanished from his view leaving the amazed Sir Gawen to repent at leisure, of his precipitate intrusion; scarce howevar, had he time to determine what he should pursue when a gleam of light flashed suddenly along the horizon and the beauteous Being, whom he first beheld in the air, stood before him, he waved his snowy wand, and pointing to the wood, which now appeared sparkling with a thousand fires, moved gently on. Sir Gawen felt an irresistable impulse which compelled him to follow, and having penetrated the wood, he perceived many bright rays of light, which darting like the beams of the sun through every part of it, most beautifully illuminated the shafts of the trees. As they advanced forwards the radiance became more intense and converged towards the centre; and the fairy Being turning quickly round, commanded Sir Gawen to kneel down and having squeezed the juice