For briars and thorns at their apparel fnatch, 7 Some, fleeves; fome, hats: from yielders all things catch. I led them on in this distracted fear, And left fweet Pyramus tranflated there: Ob. This falls out better than I could devife. Puck. I took him fleeping;-that is finish'd too;And the Athénian woman by his fide; That when he wakes, of force fhe must be ey'd. Enter Demetrius and Hermia. Ob. Stand clofe, this is the fame Athenian. Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man. Dem. O, why rebuke you him that loves you fo? Lay breath fo bitter on your bitter foe. Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee worse; Being o'er fhoes in blood,' plunge in the deep, Some, fleeves; fome, hats : -] There is the like image in Drayton of queen Mab and her fairies flying from Hobgoblin. Some tore a ruff, and fime a gown, 'Gainst one another juftling; พ They flew about like chaff i'ib aid, Some could not flay their gloves to find, JOHNSON. latch'd,] or letch'd, lick'd over, lecher, to lick, French. In the North, it fignifies to infe. STEEVENS. HANMER. Being o'er fees in blood.] An allufion to the proverb, Over fboes, over beats. JOHNSON. The The fun was not so true unto the day, Her. What's this to my Lyfander? where is he? Of maiden's patience. Haft thou flain him then? -fo dead-] All the old copies read fo dead, in my copy of it, fome reader has altered dead to dread. JOHNSON. Dead feems to be the right word, and our author again uses it ¿d P. Hen. IV. a& i. sc. 3. Even fuch a man, fo faint, fo fpiritlefs, STEEVENS. 3 O brave touch.] Touch in Shakespeare's time was the fame with our exploit, or rather ftroke. A brave touch, a noble stroke, un grand coup. Mafin was very merry, pleasantly playing both with the forewd touches of many curft boys, and the small difcretion of many lewd fcho Imafters. Afcham. JOHNSON. Dem. Dem. You spend your paffion on a mifpris'd mood:4 I am not guilty of Lyfander's blood;' Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell. Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is well. Dem. And if I could, what should I get therefore? Her. A privilege, never to fee me more. And from thy hated prefence part I fo; See me no more, whether he be dead or no. [Exit. Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vein : Here, therefore, for a while I will remain. So forrow's heavinefs doth heavier grow, For debt, that bankrupt sleep doth forrow owe; Some true love turn'd, and not a falfe turn'd true. * Puck. Then fate o'er-rules; that, one man holding troth, A million fail, confounding oath on oath. Ob. About the wood go fwifter than the wind, And Helena of Athens, look thou find. All fancy-fick fhe is, and pale of cheer With fighs of love, that coft the fresh blood dear: Puck. I go, I go; look, how I go; Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow. [Exit. Ob. Flower of this purple dye, Hit with Cupid's archery, mifpris'd-] Mistaken; fo below misprifion is mistake, JOHNSON. Sir T. H. reads the laft line thus: Some true love turn'd false, not a false, turn'd true. STEEVENS. Sink in apple of his eye! When his love he doth efpy, When thou wak'st, if she be by, Beg of her for remedy. Re-enter Puck. Puck. Captain of our fairy-band, And the youth, mistook by me, Shall we their fond pageant fee? Ob. Stand afide: the noise they make, Will cause Demetrius to awake. 'Puck. Then will two, at once, woo one; That must needs be fport alone: And those things do beft please me, That befal prepoft'rously. Enter Lyfander, and Helena. Lyf. Why fhould you think, that I should woo in fcorn? Scorn and derifion never come in tears: Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows fo born, How can these things in me feem fcorn to you, Hel. You do advance your cunning more and more; Lyf. I had no judgment, when to her I fwore. Lyf. Lyf. Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you. Dem. [awaking] O Helen, goddefs, nymph, per fect, divine! To what, my love, fhall I compare thine eyne? If 5-Taurus' Snow.] Taurus is the name of a range of mountains in Afia. JOHNSON. This princefs of pure white,-] Thus all the editions to fir T. H.'s. He reads, This pureness of pure white; and Dr. Warburton follows him. STEEVENS. 7-feal of bliss.] He has elsewhere the fame image, But my kiffes bring again. Seals of love, but feal'd in vain. JOHNSON. -join in fouls] This is furely wrong. We may read, Jaish in fcorns, or join in fcoffs. JOHNSON. Fein in fouls. i. e. join heartily, unite in the fame mind. Shakes fpeare in Henry V. ufes an expreffion not unlike this: For we will hear, note, and believe in heart; i. e. heartily believe: and in Measure for Measure, he talks of electing with Special foul. In Troilus and Creffida, Ulyffes, re lating the character of Hector as given him by Æneas, fays, "with private foul "Did in great Ilion thus tranflate him to me." Sir T. Hanmer would read-in flouts; Dr Warburton, infolents and Dr. Johnfon, in fcorns, or in fcoffs. STEEVENS. I rather believe the line fhould be read thus, But |