That they have over-borne their continents 1.
The ox hath therefore ftretch'd his yoke in vain,
The ploughman loft his fweat; and the green corn
Hath rotted, ere his youth attain'd a beard:
The fold stands empty in the drowned field,
And crows are fatted with the murrain flock:
The nine-men's morris 2 is fill'd up with mud;
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green,
For lack of tread, are undiftinguishable.
The human mortals want their winter here,
No night is now with hymn, or carol bleft:-
Therefore the moon, the governefs of floods,
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,
That rheumatick difeafes do abound 3:
And, thorough this diftemperature 4, we fee
The seasons alter: hoary-headed frofts
Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rofe;
And on old Hyems' chin, and icy crown,

An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds

The childing 5 autumn, angry winter, change Their wonted liveries; and the 'mazed world,

By their increase, now knows not which is which: And this fame progeny of evils comes

6

From our debate, from our diffention;

We are their parents and original.

Ob. Do you amend it then; it lies in you:
Why should Titania cross her Oberon ?
I do but beg a little changeling boy,

To be my henchman 7.

Queen. Set your heart at rest,

The fairy land buys not the child of me.
His mother was a votrefs of my order:
And, in the fpiced Indian air, by night,
Full often hath fhe goffip'd by my fide;
And fat with me on Neptune's yellow fands,
Marking the embark'd traders on the flood;
When we have laugh'd to fee the fails conceive,
And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind:
Which the, with pretty and with fwimming gait,
(Following her womb, then rich with my young
Would imitate; and fail upon the land, ['fquire)
To fetch me trifles, and return again,
As from a voyage, rich with merchandize.
But fhe, being mortal, of that boy did die;
And, for her fake, I do rear up her boy;
And, for her fake, I will not part with him.
b. How long within this wood intend you
stay?
[day.

35

And maidens call it, love-in-idleness 9. [once ;
Fetch me that flower; the herb I fhew'd thee
The juice of it on fleeping eye-lids laid,
Will make or man or woman madly doat
Upon the next live creature that it fees.
Fetch me this herb; and be thou here again,
Ere the leviathan can fwim a league.

Puck. I'll put a girdle round about the earth
In forty minutes.

Ob. Having once this juice,

I'll watch Titania when she is asleep,

And drop the liquor of it in her eyes:

[Exit

The next thing when she waking looks upon, (Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, On meddling monkey, or on busy ape) She fhall purfue it with the foul of love. And ere I take this charm off from her fight, (As I can take it with another herb) I'll make her render up her page to me. 40 But who comes here? I am invifible; And I will over-hear their conference.

Enter Demetrius, Helena following him.
Dem. I love thee not, therefore pursue me not,
Where is Lyfander and fair Hermia?

45 The one I'll flay, the other flayeth me.
Thou told' me, they were ftoi'n unto this wood;
And here am I, and wood 10 within this wood,
Because I cannot meet my Hermia.

Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.
Hel. You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant;
But yet you draw not iron, for my heart
Is true as fteel: Leave you your power to draw,
And I fhall have no power to follow you.

Dem. Do I entice you? do I speak you fair?
Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth
Tell you-I do not, nor I cannot love you?

Hel. And even for that do I love you the more,
I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius,
The more you beat me, I will fawn on you:

Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave,
Unworthy as I am, to follow you.
What worfer place can I beg in your love,
(And yet a place of high respect with me)
Than to be used as you use your dog?

Dem.Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; For I am fick, when I do look on thee.

Hel. And I am fick, when I look not on you.
Dem. You do impeach your modesty too much,
To leave the city, and commit yourself
Into the hands of one that loves you not;

To trust the opportunity of night,
And the ill counsel of a defert place,
With the rich worth of your virginity.

Hel. Your virtue is my privilege for that.
It is not night, when I do fee your face,
Therefore I think I am not in the night :
Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company;
For you, in my refpect, are all the world:
Then how can it be said, I am alone,
When all the world is here to look on me?

Dem. I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes,

And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts.

20

Hel. The wildest hath not such a heart as you. Run when you will, the story shall be chang'd: 25 Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chafe ; The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind Makes speed to catch the tyger: Bootlefs speed! When cowardice purfues, and valour flies.

Dem. I will not stay thy questions; let me go: 30 Or, if thou follow me, do not believe But I fhall do thee mischief in the wood.

Hel. Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field,

T

I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,
Where ox-lips and the nodding violet grows;
Quite over-canopy'd with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk roses, and with eglantine:
There fleeps Titania, fome time of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the fnake throws her enamell'd skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in :
And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes,
And make her full of hateful fantafies.
Take thou fome of it, and feek through this grove:
A fweet Athenian lady is in love

1451

First Fairy.

You fpotted fnakes, with double tongue,
Thorny bedge-begs, be not seen;
Newts, and blind-worms, do no wrong i
Come not near our fairy queen:

Chorus.
Philomel, with melody,

Sing in your feet lullaby :

Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby :
Never barm, nor spell nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So, good night, with lullaby.
Second Fairy.

Weaving Spiders, come not bere;
Hence, you long-legg'd fpinners, bence
Beetles black, approach not near;
Werm, nor fnail, do no offence.
Chorus.

Philomel, with melody, &c.

Firft Fairy.

Hence, away; now all is well :

One, aloof, stand sentinel.

[Exeunt Fairies. The Queen fleeps.

Enter Oberon.

55

When thou wak'ft, it is thy dear;

Wake, when fome vile thing is near. [Exit Oberon. Enter Lyfander and Hermia.

Lyf. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the

wood;

Her.

Her. Be it fo, Lysander: find you out a bed, For I upon this bank will reft my head.

Lyf. One turf fhall ferve as pillow for us both; One heart, one bed, two bofoms, and one troth.

Her. Nay, good Lyfander; for my fake, my dear, Lye further off yet, do not lye so near,

Lyf. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence; Love takes the meaning, in love's conference. I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit ; So that but one heart we can make of it: Two bofoms interchained with an oath; So then, two bofoms, and a single troth. Then, by your fide no bed-room me deny; For, lying fo, Hermia, I do not lie.

I

Her. Lyfander riddles very prettily: Now much befhrew my manners, and my pride, If Hermia meant to lay, Lyfander ly`d. But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy Lye further off; in human modesty Such feparation, as, may well be fald, Becomes a virtuous batchelor, and a maid: So far be diftant; and good night, fweet friend : Thy love ne'er alter, till thy fweet life end!

Lyf. Amen, amen, to that fair pray'r, say I; And then end life, when I end loyalty! Here is my bed: Sleep give thee all his reft! Her. With half that with the wifher's eyes be prefs'd! [They fleep.

Enter Puck.

Puck. Through the foreft have I gone,

But Athenian found I none,
On whofe eyes I might approve
This flower's force in stirring love.
Night and filence! who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
This is he, my master said,
Defpifed the Athenian maid;
And here the maiden, fleeping found,
On the dank and dirty ground.
Pretty foul! fhe durft not lye
Near to this lack-love, this kill-courtesy.
Churl, upon thy eyes I throw

All the power this charm doth owe :
When thou wak'ft, let love forbid

5

ΙΟ

No, no, I am as ugly as a bear,

For beafts, that meet me, run away for fear:
Therefore, no marvel, though Demetrius
Do, as a monster, fly my prefence thus.
What wicked and diffembling glass of mine
Made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyne ?-
But who is here? Lyfander? on the ground?
Dead? or afleep? I fee no blood, no wound:-
Lyfander, if you live, good fir, awake.

Lyf. And run through fire I will, for thy fweet [Waking.

fake.

Transparent Helena! Nature fhews art,
That through thy bofom makes me fee thy heart.
Where is Demetrius? Oh, how fit a word

15 Is that vile name, to perifh on my sword!

20

Hel. Do not fay fo, Lyfander; fay not fo: What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though 3?

Yet Hermia ftill loves you: then be content.
Lyf. Content with Hermia? No: I do repent
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia, but Helena I love :

Who will not change a raven for a dove? The will of man is by his reafon sway'd; 25 And reafon fays you are the worthier maid. Things growing are not ripe until their season : So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason; And touching now the point of human (kill, Reafon becomes the marshal to my will, 30 And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook Love's ftories, written in Love's richest book. Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?

35

When, at your hands, did I deferve this fcorn?
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can,
Deferve a fweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my infufficiency?
Good troth, you do me wrong, good footh, you do,

4c In fuch difdainful manner me to woo.

But fare you well: perforce I must confefs,

45

I thought you lord of more true gentleness 4.
Oh, that a lady, of one man refus'd,
Should, of another, therefore be abus'd!
Lyf. She fees not Hermia :-Hermia, fleep thou
there;

[Exit.

Sleep his feat on thy eye-lid.

So awake, when I am gone;

For I must now to Oberon.

And never may'ft thou come Lysander near!
For, as a furfeit of the fweetest things,
The deepest loathing to the ftomach brings;
Or, as the herefies, that men do leave,
Are hated most of those they did deceive;
So thou, my furfeit, and my heresy,

Of all be hated; but the moft, of me! And all my powers, addrefs your love and might, 55 To honour Helen, and to be her knight! [Exit. Her. [ftarting from fleep.] Heip me, Lyfander, help me! do thy beft,

To pluck this crawling ferpent from my breaft! Ay me, for pity !-what a dream was here? |60|Lysander, look, how I do quake with fear!

2 i. e. My accept

Methought,