A careful search of Shakspeare shows that while perhaps he knew little directly to our purpose, he still had a knowledge that we may utilize; for example, he speaks of the “midnight mushroom,” showing that it was an element of midnight revels of the fairies; he alludes to customs which certainly suggest that slaves and criminals were in early days buried beneath dung-heaps as a punishment; and he can be adduced to prove that the epithet “dunghill” applied to a man, was a most deadly insult; but let the bard speak for himself,—
“Prospero. Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves;
And ye that on the sands with printless feet,
Do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him,
When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
By moonshine do the green, sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe bites not; and you whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms.”—(Tempest, act v. scene 1.)
“Ajax. Thou stool for a witch.”—(Troilus and Cressida, act ii. scene 1.)
The concordance consulted was that of the Clarkes.