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 fo near.

Lyf. O take the fenfa, sweet, of my innocence ;3 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:

30 take the fenfe, fweet, of my innocence;

Lave takes the meaning, in love's conference.]

Here, by fome mifchance or other, innocence and conference have been jumbled into one another's places, and thereby deprived a very fenfible reply of all kind of meaning. Reftore each to its right place and the fenfe will be this ;-when she had interpreted his words to an evil meaning, he replies,

ọ take the fenfe, fweet, of my conference;

i. e. judge of my meaning by the drift of my whole fpeech, and do not pervert the fenfe of an ambiguous word to a meaning quite foreign to the difcourfe. Befides, fays he,

1

Love takes the meaning, in love's innocence.

i. e. The innocence of your love may teach you to discover the innocence of mine. Thefe are the fentiments, which were quite loft in this aukward tranfpofition. WARBURTON.

I am by no means convinced of the neceffity of this alteration. Lyfander in the language of love profeffes, that as they have one heart, they shall have one bed; this Hermia thinks rather too much, and intreats him to lye further off. Lyfander answers,

O take the fenfe, feet, of my innocence.

understand the meaning of my innocence, or my innocent meaning. Let no fufpicion of ill enter thy mind.

Love takes the meaning, in love's conference.

In the converfation of those who are affured of each other's kindnefs, not fufpicion, but love takes the meaning. No malevolent interpretation is to be made, but all is to be received in the fenfe which love can find, and which love can dictate. JOHNSON.

The latter line is certainly intelligible as Mr. Johnson has explained it; but, i think, it requires a flight alteration to make it connect well with the former. I would read,

Love take the meaning in love's conference.

Obferv. & Conject. printed at Oxford, 1766. 4 -we can make of it :] The folio, instead of we can, reads can you. STEEVENS.

Two

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 lye.

}

Her. Lyfander, riddles very prettily Now much beshrew my manners, and my pride, If Hermia meant to fay, Lyfander ly'd. But, gentle friend, for love and curtesy, Lye further off, in human modefty. Such feparation, as, may well be said, Becomes a virtuous batchelor and a maid, So far be distant, and good night, fweet friend: Thy love ne'er alter, till thy fweet life end! Lys. Amen, amen, to that fair prayer say I; And then end life, when I end loyalty! Here is my bed: Sleep give thee all his reft! Her. With half that wifh the wifher's eyes be [They fleep.

prefs'd!

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 ftirring 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-curtefy.'

Churl upon thy eyes, I throw

All the power this charm doth owe:

Near to this lack-love, this kill-curtefy.] Mr. Theobald and fir T. Hanmer, for the fake of the measure, leave out this lack-love.

STEEVENS.

When thou wak'ft, let love forbid
Sleep his feat on thy eye-lid.
So awake, when I am gone;
For I must now to Oberon.

Enter Demetrius and Helena running.

[Exit.

Hel. Stay, tho' thou kill me, fweet Demetrius ! Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.

Hel. O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not fo.
Dem. Stay, on thy peril; I alone will go.

[Exit Demetrius.
Hel. O, I am out of breath in this fond chace!
The more my prayer, the leffer is my grace."
Happy is Hermia, wherefoe'er fhe lies;
For the hath bleffed, and attractive eyes.
How came her eyes fo bright? not with falt tears:
If fo, my eyes are oftner wash'd than hers.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear;

?

For beafts, that meet me, run away for fear.
Therefore, no marvel, tho' Demetrius
Do (as a monster) fly my presence thus.
What wicked, and diffembling glass of mine
Made me compare with Hermia's fphery 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 thro' fire I will, for thy fweet fake.
[Waking.

Transparent Helena! Nature fhews art,

That through thy bosom makes me fee thy heart.
Where is Demetrius? Oh, how fit a word
Is that vile name, to perish on my sword!

Hel. Do not fay fo, Lyfander; fay not fo;
What tho' he love your Hermia? Lord, what tho' ?

my grace.] My acceptablenefs, the favour that I can

gain. JOHNSON.

Yet

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 now I love!
Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reafon fway'd;
And reason fays, you are the worthier maid.
Things, growing, are not ripe until their feafon :
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reafon
And, touching now the point of human skill,
Reason becomes the marshal to my will,"
And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook
Love's stories, written in love's richest book.

}

Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When, at your hands, did I deserve this fcorn? Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man, That I did never, no, nor never can, Deferve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, But you must flout my infufficiency?

Good troth, you do me wrong, good footh, you do,
In fuch difdainful manner me to woo:

But fare you well. Perforce I must confefs,
I thought you lord of more true gentleness;
Oh, that a lady, of one man refus'd,

Should, of another, therefore be abus'd!

[Exit.

Lyf. She fees not Hermia :-Hermia, fleep thou

there;

And never may'st thou come Lyfander near !
For, as a furfeit of the fweetest things,
The deepest loathing to the stomach brings;
Or, as the herefies, that men do leave,
Are hated most of those they did deceive;

7 Reafon becomes the marshal to my will,] That is, My will now follows reafon. JOHNSON.

S -true gentleness;] Gentleness is equivalent to what, in modern language, we should call the spirit of a gentleman. PERCY.

So thou, my furfeit and my herefy,

Of all be hated, but the most of me!

And all my powers address your love and might
To honour Helen, and to be her knight !

[Exit. Her. [Starting from fleep.] Help me, Lyfander, help me! do thy best,

To pluck this crawling ferpent from my breaft!
Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here?
Lyfander, look, how I do quake with fear:
Me-thought, a ferpent eat my heart away;
And you fat fmiling at his cruel prey.
Lyfander! what, remov'd? Lyfander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? no found, no word?
Alack, where are you? fpeak, an if you hear
Speak, of all loves; I fwoon almoft, with fear.
No?-then I well perceive, you are not nigh:
Or death, or you, I'll find immediately.

9

2

I

[Exit.

And you] Inftead of you, the firft folio reads yet. Mr. Pope first gave the right word from the quarto 1600. STEEVENS.

A

Speak, of all loves;] Of all loves is an adjuration more than once ufed by our author. So Merry Wives, &c. A&t II. Sc. 8. -to fend her your little page, of all loves,” STEEVENS.

&c.] The folio 1623, and the quarto 1600, read either. STEEVENS.

ACT