William Hayley, 1777 (1745-1820)
When mighty Shakespeare to thy judging eye
Presents that magic glass whose ample round
Reflects each figure in Creation’s bound,
And pours, in floods of supernatural light,
Fancy’s bright beings on the charmed sight,
This chief enchanter of the willing breast
Will teach thee all the magic he possessed.
Placed in his circle, mark in colours true
Each brilliant being that he calls to view:
Wrapt in the gloomy storm, or robed in light,
His weird sister or his fairy sprite.
Boldly o’erleaping, in the great design,
The bounds of nature, with a guide divine.
A Poetic Epistle to an Eminent Painter [George Romney]. 2nd edition, 1779. Part II. ll. 472-84.