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Obe. Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave this

grove,

Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love.

Re-enter PUCK

Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer. Puck. Ay, there it is.

Obe.
I pray thee, give it me.
I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows;
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania, some time of the night,
Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the snake throws her enamelled 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 fantasies.

Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove.

A sweet Athenian lady is in love

With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes;
But do it, when the next thing he espies
May be the lady. Thou shalt know the man
By the Athenian garments he hath on.
Effect it with some care, that he may prove

More fond on her than she upon her love.
And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow.
Puck. Fear not, my lord, your servant shall do

So.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Another part of the Wood

Enter TITANIA, with her Train

Tita. Come, now a roundel and a fairy song;
Then, for the third part of a minute, hence;
Some, to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds ;
Some, war with rere-mice for their leathern wings
To make my small elves coats; and some, keep
back

The clamorous owl that nightly hoots and wonders
At our quaint spirits. Sing me now asleep;
Then to your offices, and let me rest.

FAIRIES' SONG

I

1 Fai. You spotted snakes with double tongue,
Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen ;
Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,
Come not near our fairy queen.

Chorus

Philomel, with melody

Sing in our sweet lullaby;

Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby :
Never harm,

Nor spell nor charm,

Come our lovely lady nigh;
So, good night, with lullaby.

IL

2 Fai. Weaving spiders, come not here;

Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence!

Beetles black, approach not near ;
Worm nor snail do no offence.

Chorus

Philomel, with melody, &c.

1 Fai. Hence, away! now all is well. One, aloof, stand sentinel.

[Exeunt Fairies TITANIA sleeps

Enter OBERON, and squeezes the flower on
TITANIA's eyelids

Obe. What thou seest, when thou dost wake,
Do it for thy true-love take;

Love, and languish for his sake:

Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,

Pard, or boar with bristled hair,

In thy eye that shall appear

When thou wak'st, it is thy dear :

Wake when some vile thing is near. [Exit.

Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA

Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood;

And, to speak troth, I have forgot our way: We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, And tarry for the comfort of the day.

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

Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both ; One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth. Her. Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear,

Lie further off yet, do not lie so near.

Lys. 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 bosoms interchained with an oath; So then, two bosoms and a single troth. Then by your side no bed-room me deny,

For, lying so, Hermia, I do not lie.

:

Her. Lysander riddles very prettily :-
Now much beshrew my manners and my pride,
If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied.
But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy
Lie further off; in human modesty,
Such separation as may well be said

Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid,

So far be distant; and good night, sweet friend: Thy love ne'er alter till thy sweet 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 rest!

Her. With half that wish the wisher's eyes be [They sleep.

pressed!

Enter PUCK

Puck. Through the forest have I gone,
But Athenian found I none,

On whose eyes I might approve

This flower's force in stirring love.—
Night and silence! Who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
This is he, my master said

Despised the Athenian maid;

And here the maiden, sleeping sound
On the dank and dirty ground.

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