With Ariadne, and Antiope? Tit. These are the forgeries of jealousy: To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind, By their increase, now knows not which is which: From our debate, from our dissension: We are their parents and original. Ober. Do you amend it then: it lies in you: Why should Titian cross her Oberon ? I do but beg a little changeling boy, To be my henchman,† * Nine men's morris.—A rustic game, played with stones upon lines cut in the ground. t Henchman-Page. The fairy land buys not the child of me. To fetch me trifles and return again, Ober. How long within this wood intend you stay? If you will patiently dance in our round, If not, shun me, and I will spare your haunts. [Exeunt TITANIA and her train. Ober. Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove, Till I torment thee for this injury.— My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou remember'st Since once I sat upon a promontory, And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back, Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath, And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, Ober. That very night I saw (but thou couldst 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 smartly from his bow, * At a fair vestal, throned by the west.-An allusion to Queen Elizabeth. See in the Rev. Mr. Halpin's remarks on this passage, published by the Shakspeare Society, a most ingenious speculation on the hidden meaning of it, as a bit of secret court history. As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts: In maiden meditation, fancy free. Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell; It fell upon a little western flower, Before milk-white; now purple with love's wound, And maidens call it Love-in-idleness.* Fetch me that flower: the herb I showed thee once: Will make or man or woman madly dote Fetch me this herb: and be thou here again, Ere the leviathan can swim a league. Puck. I'll put a girdle round about the earth, In forty minutes. Tit. Come, now a roundel, and a fairy song; Then to your offices, and let me rest. *Love-in-idleness.-The heart's-ease. SONG. 1st Fai. You spotted snakes with double tongue, Newts and blind worms, do no wrong; Chorus. Philomel with melody Sing in our sweet lullaby, Lulla, lulla, lullaby: lulla, lulla, lullaby; So, good night-with lullaby. 2d Fai. Weaving spiders, come not here; Hence you long-legged spinners, hence: Chorus. Philomel with melody, &c. 1st Fai. Hence, away; now all is well: Ober.-What thou seest when thou dost awake [Squeezes the flower on Titania's eyelids. 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 evil thing is near. [Exit. Enter BOTTOM, singing; Рuck having clapt on him an ass's head SONG. Bot. The ousel-cock, so black of hue, With orange-tawny bill, The throstle with his note so true, The wren with little quill Tit. What angel wakes me from my flowery bed? I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again; Mine ear is much enamor'd of thy note; [Wakes. 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. Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that, and yet to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days. The more the pity that some honest neighbors will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek* upon occasion. Tit. Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful. Bot. Not so neither; but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn. Tit. Out of this wood do not desire to go: Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. I am a spirit of no common rate; The summer still doth tend upon my state, And I do love thee; therefore go with me; I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee; And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, That thou shalt like an airy spirit go, Peas-blossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustard-seed! Tit. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman; Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes; And pluck the wings from painted butterflies, 1st Fai. Hail, mortal! 2nd Fai. Hail! 3rd Fai. Hail! 4th Fai. Hail! Bot. I cry your worship's mercy, heartily. I beseech your worship's name. * Gleek.-Banter. |