I'll whip thee with a rod : He is defild,
That draws, a sword on thee.

Dem. Yea; art thou there?
Puck. Follow my voice; we'll try no manhood here.

[Exeunt.
Re-enter Lysander.
Lys. He goes before me, and still dares me on;
When I come where he calls, then he is gone.
The villain is much lighter heel’d, than I :
I follow'd fast, but fafter he did fly;
That fallen am I in dark uneven way,
And here will rest me. Come, thou gentle day! [Lies down.
For if but once thou shew me thy grey light,
I'll find Demetrius, and revenge this spight.

Re-enter Puck and Demetrius.

Puck. 'Ho, ho, ho! coward, why comeft thou not?

Dem. Abide me, if thou dar'ft: for well I wot,
Thou runn'st before me, shifting every place ;
And darst not stand, nor look me in the face.
Where art thou ?

Puck. Come hither ; I am here.
Dem. Nay, then thou mock'st me. Thou shalt 'buy

this dear,
If ever I thy face by day-light see :
Now go thy way. Faintness constraineth me
To measure out my length on this cold bed.-
By day's approach look to be visited. [Lies down.

Enter Helena.
Hel. O weary night, O long and tedious night,

Abate thy hours; shine, comforts, from the east;

* H, be, bo !]-An exclamation peculiar to Puck, and the burden of his song, wherein he recounts his frolicks. buy this dear,]-pay dearly for it. E 3

Thaç

(Sleeps.

That I may back to Athens, by day-light,

From these that my poor company detest:
And, neep, that sometime shuts up forrow's eye,
Steal me a while from mine own company.

Puck. Yet but three ? come one more ;
Two of both kinds makes

up

four.
Here she comes, 2 curst, and sad :-
Cupid is a knavilh lad,
Thus to make poor females mad.

Enter Hermia.
Her. Never so weary, never so in woe,

Bedabbled with the dew, and torn with briers;
I can no further crawl, no further go ;

My legs can keep no pace with my desires. Here will I rest me, 'till the break of day. Heavens shield Lysander, if they mean a fray! [Lies down.

Puck. On the ground

Sleep found:
I'll apply

To your eye,
Gentle lover, remedy.

(Squeezing the juice on Lysander's eye. When chou wak'st,

Thou tak'st
True delight

In the sight
Of thy former lady's eye:
And the country proverb known,
That every man should take his own,
In your waking shall be shown :

b

* curf,)-peevith, vexed. o see tbou tak ft.

• Sleep thou found.

Jack

Jack shall have Jill;

Nought shall go ill; The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.

[Exit Puck.

[They sleep.

ACT IV.

SCENE I.

A Wood.

Enter Queen of the Fairies, Bottom, Fairies attending, and

the King behind them.
Queen. Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,

While I thy amiable cheeks do 'coy,
And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head,

And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.
Bot. Where's Pease-blossom ?
Pease. Ready.
Bot. Scratch my head, Pease blossom.-- Where's mons
fieur Cobweb?
Cob. Ready.

Bot. Monsieur Cobweb; good monsieur, get your weapons

in

your hand, and kill me a red-hip'd humble bee on the top of a thistle; and, good monsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur; and, good monsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loth to have you overflown with a honey-bag, signior.- Where's monsieur Muf. tard-feed?

Muft. Ready
Bot. Give me your d neif, monsieur Mustard-seed. Pray

coy,]-stroke.

d neif,]-fift.

E4

you,

you, leave your courtesy, good monsieur.

Muft. What's your will ?

Bot. Nothing, good monsieur, but to help cavalero • Pease-blossom to scratch. I must to the barber's, monsieur; for, methinks, I am marvellous hairy about the face : and I am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me, I must scratch.

Queen. What, wilt thou hear some musick, my sweet love?

Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in musick: let us have the tongs and the bones.

Queen. Or, say, sweet love, what thou desir'st to eat.

Bot. Truly, a peck of provender; I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle of hay : good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow.

Queen. I have a venturous fairy that shall seek The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee thence new nuts.

Bot. I had rather have a handful, or two, of dried pease. But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me; I have an exposition of neep come upon me.

Queen. Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms. Fairies, be gone, and ' be all ways away. So doth the 6 woodbine, the sweet honey-suckle, Gently entwist,—the 'female ivy so Enrings the barky fingers of the elm. O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee !

Oberon advances. Enter Puck.

Ob. Welcome, good Robin. Seest thou this sweet sight? Her dotage now I do begin to pity.

e Cobweb. i be all ways away. ]-disperse upon your different employments. % woodbine, ]—the plant.

honey - Juckle,]-the power. female ivyl-wanting the support of the elm, which is therefore called its bufand.

For

pretty flourets'

For meeting her of late, behind the wood,
Seeking sweet · favours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her, and fall out with her :
For she his hairy temples then had 'rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers ;
And that same dew, which sometime on the buds
Was wont to swell, like round and orient pearls,
Stood now within the

eyes,
Like tears, that did their own disgrace bewail.
When I had, at my pleasure, taunted her,
And fhe, in mild terms, begg'd my patience,
I then did ask of her her changeling child ;
Which strait she gave me, and her fairy sent
To bear him to my bower in fairy land.
And, now I have the boy, I will undo
This hateful imperfection of her eyes.
And gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp
From off the head of the Athenian swain;
That he awaking when the others do,
May all to Athens back again repair ;
And think no more of this night's accidents,
But as the m fierce vexation of a dream.
But first I will release the fairy queen ;
Be, as thou wast wont to be

[Touching her eyes with an berb.
See, as thou wast wont to see :
Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower

Hath such force and blessed power.
Now, my Titania ; wake you, my sweet queen.

Queen. My Oberon! what visions have I seen!
Methought, I was enamour'd of an ass.

favours ]-garlands-Javours.

I rounded ]-surrounded. in fierce vexation)- lively impression, strong illusion.

Ob.