Obe. That very time I saw (but thou could'st not,) Flying between the cold moon and the earth, Cupid all arm'd: a certain aim he took At a fair vestal, throned by the west; And loos'd his love-shaft sinartly from his bow, As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts: But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft Quench'd in the chaste beams of the wat'ry moon; And the imperial vot'ress passed on,

(1) A game played by boys.

(2) Autumn producing dowers unseasonably.

Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase;
The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind
Makes speed to catch the tiger: bootless speed!
When cowardice pursues, and valour flies.

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

Hel. Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field,
You do me mischief. Fie, Demetrius!
Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex:
We cannot fight for love, as men may do;
We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo.
I'll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell,
To die upon the hand I love so well.
[Exeunt Dem, and Hel.
Obe. Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave
this grove,

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

Re-enter Puck.

grows;

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 ox-lips and the nodding violet
Quite over-canopied with lush woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania, some time of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the snake 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 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;

do it, when the next thing he espies

Ay 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.

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

[Exeunt Fairies. Titania sleeps.
Enter Oberon.

Obe. What thou seest, when thou dost wake,
[Squeezes the flower on Titania's eye-lids.
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.
Enter Lysander and Hermia.

[Exit,

Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the

wood;

And to speak truth, 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:-

Puck. Fear not, my lord, your servant shall do Now much beshrew my manners and my pride,

SCENE III. Another part of the wood.
Titania, with her train.

[Exeunt. If Hermia meant to say, Lysander lied."
Enter 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!

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 rear-mice' for their leathern wings,
To make my small elves coats: and some, keep
back

The clamorous owi, that nightly hoots, and won-
ders

At our quaint spirits: sing me now asleep;
Then to your offices, and let me rest.

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 press'd! [They sleep.

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.
Pretty soul! she durst not lie

Near this lack-love, kill-courtesy.

Churl, upon thy eyes I throw

All the power this charm doth owe:10

(7) Efts. (8) Slow-worms. (9) The small tiger.

(1) By. (2) The greater cowslip. (3) Vigorous.
A kind of dance. (5) Bats. (6) Sports. (10) Possess.

Τ

Her. [Starting.] Help me, Lysander, help me.
do thy best,

To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
[Exit. Ah me, for pity!—what a dream was here!
Lysander, look, how I do quake with fear:
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey:-
Lysander! what, remov'd? Lysander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Alack, where are you? speak, an if you hear;
Speak, of all loves; I swoon almost with fear.
No ?-then I well perceive you are not nigh:
Either death, or you, I'll find immediately. [Exit.

Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, is not a lion.
In such disdainful manner me to woo.
But fare you well: perforce I must confess,
1 thought you lord of more true gentleness."
O, that a lady, of one man refus'd,
Should, of another, therefore be abus'd!
Lys. She sees not Hermia :-Hermia, sleep thou
there;

And never may'st thou come Lysander near!
For, as a surfeit of the sweetest things

Bot. A calendar, a calendar! look in the alma-| nac; find out moon-shine, find out moon-shine. Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night.

Bot. Why, then you may leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open; and the moon may shine in at the casement.

Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them, to make me afeard.^

Re-enter Snout.

Snout. O Bottom, thou art changed! what do I see on thee?

Bot. What do you see? you see an ass's head

Re-enter Quince.

Quin. Ay; or else one must come in with a bush
of thorns and a lanthorn, and say, he comes to dis-of your own; Do you?
figure, or to present, the person of moon-shine.
Then there is another thing: we must have a wall
in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby,
says the story, did talk through the chinks of a wall.
Snug. You never can bring in a wall.-What
say you, Bottom?

Quin. Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art
translated.
[Exit.
Bot. I see their knavery: this is to make an ass
of me; to fright me, if they could. But I will not
Bot. Some man or other must present wall: and stir from this place, do what they can: I will walk
let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some up and down here, and I will sing, that they shall
rough-cast about him, to signify wall; or let him hear I am not afraid.
hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall
Pyramus and Thisby whisper.

Quin. If that may be, then all is well: Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake,' and so every one according to his cue.

Quin. Odours, odours.
Pyr.

-Olours savours sweet:

The ousel-cock, so black of hue,
With orange-tawny bill,

[Sings,

The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill;

Tita. What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?

Bot.

[Waking.

The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,
The plain-song cuckoo' gray,
Whose note full many a man doth mark,
And dures not answer, nay ;—

for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a
bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he
cry, cuckoo, never so?

Tita. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again :
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me,
On the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee.

So doth thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.-
But, hark, a voice! stay thou but here a while,
Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have little
And by and by I will to thee appear.
Exit. reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason
Puck. A stranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here! and love keep little company together now-a-days:
[Aside.-Exit. the more the pity, that some honest neighbours will
not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek," upon

This. Must I speak now?

Quin. Ay, marry, must you: for you must un-occasion. derstand, he goes but to see a noise that he heard, Tila. Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.

and is to come again.

This. Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of
hue,

Bot. Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine

Jown turn.

Of colour like the red-rose on triumphant brier, Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.
Tita. Out of this wood do not desire to go;
Most briskly juvenal, and eke most lovely Jew,
As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire, The summer still doth tend upon my state,
I am a spirit, of no common rate;
I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb.
Quin. Ninus tomb, man: why you must not And I do love thee: therefore, go with me;
speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus: you'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;
speak all your part at once, cues and all.-Pyra-
mus enter; your cue is past; it is, never tire.
Re-enter Puck, and Bottom with an ass's head.
This. O,-As true as truest horse, that yet would

never tire.

Pyr. If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine :-
Quin. O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted.
Pray, masters! fly, masters! help! [Ere. Clowns.
Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round,
Through bog, through bush, through brake, through
brier;

Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound,
A hog, a beardless bear, sometime a fire;
And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.

(1) Thicket. (2) Young man.

[Exit.

(3) The last words of the preceding speech, (4) Afraid. (5) The cuckoo, with his uniform note. which serve as a hint to him who is to speak next. (6) Joke. (7) Gooseberries.

To have my love to bed, and to arise;
And pluck the wings from painted butterflies,
To fan the moon-beams from his sleeping eyes:
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.

1 Fai. Hail, mortal!

2 Fai. Hail!

3 Fai. Hail!

4 Fai. Hail!

I led them on in this distracted fear,
And left sweet Pyramus translated there:
When in that moment (so it came to pass)
Titania wak'd, and strai htway lov'd an ass.

Obe. This falls out better than I could devise.

But hast thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?

Puck. I took him sleeping,-that is finish'd too,

Bot. I cry your worship's mercy, heartily.-I And the Athenian woman by his side; beseech, your worship's name.

Cub. Cobweb.

That, when he wak'd, of force she must be ey❜d.

Enter Demetrius and Hermia.

Obe. Stand close; this is the same Athenian. Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man. Dem. O why rebuke you him that loves you so? Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.

Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee

worse;

For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse.
If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep,
Being o'er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep,
And kill me too.

Bot. Good master Mustard-seed, I know your patience well: that same cowardly, giant-like oxbeef hath devoured many a gentleman of your The sun was not so true unto the day, house: I promise you, your kindred hath made my As he to me: Would he have stol'n away eyes water ere now. I desire you more acquaint- From sleeping Hermia? I'll believe as soon, ance, good master Mustard-seed. This whole earth may be bor'd; and that the moon May through the centre creep, and so displease Her brother's noon-ide with the Antipodes. It cannot be, but thou hast murder'd him ; So should a murderer look; so dead, so grim. Dem. So should the murder'd look; and so should I,

Tita. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my

bower.

The moon, methinks, looks with a watery eye; And when she weeps, weeps every little flower, Lamenting some enforced chastity.

Tie up my love's tongue, bring him silently.

[Exeunt. Pierc'd through the heart with your stern cruelty: Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, as clear, SCENE II.-Another part of the wood. Enter As yonder Venus in her glimmering sphere.

Oberon.

Obe. I wonder if Titania be awak'd;
Then, what it was that next came in her eye,
Which she must dote on in extremity.

Enter Puck.

Here comes my messenger.-How now, mad spirit?
What night-rule' now about this haunted grove?
Puck. My mistress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,
A crew of patches,2 rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play,
Intended for great Theseus' nuptial day.
The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort,'
Who Pyramus presented, in their sport
Forsook his scene, and enter'd in a brake:
When I did him at this advantage take,
An ass's now I fixed on his head;

Anon, his Thisbe must be answered,

Her. What's this to my Lysander? where is he?
Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?
Dem. I had rather give his carcase to my hounds.
Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv'st me past

the bounds

I am not guilty of Lysander'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 see me more.

And forth my mimic comes: when they him spy, And from thy hated presence part I so:

As wild geese that the creeping fowler eye,

Or russet-pated choughs, many in sort,
Rising and cawing at the gun's report'
Sever themselves, and madly sweep the sky;
So, at his sight, away his fellows fly:

And, at our stamp, here o'er and o'er one falls;
He murder cries, and help from Athens calls.
Their sense, thus weak, lost with their fears, thus
strong,

Made senseless things begin to do them wrong:
For briers and thorns at their apparel snatch;
Some, sleeves; some, hats: from yielders all things
catch.

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 sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow
For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe;
Which now, in some slight measure it will pay,
If for his tender here I make some stay.

[Lies down. Obe. What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken

quite,

And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight:
Of thy misprision must perforce ensue
Some true-love turn'd, and not a false turn'd true.

(6) Infected. (7) Exploit.

(8) Mistaken.