Follying (her womb then rich with my young squire)
Would imitate; and fail upon the land,
To fetch me trifles, and return again,
As from a voyage rich with merchandize.
But fhe, being mortal, of that boy did die;
And, for her fake, I do rear up her boy;
And, for her fake, I will not part with him.
Ob. How long within this wood intend you stay?
Queen. Perchance, 'till after Thefeus' wedding day.
If you will patiently dance in our round,
And fee our moon-light revels, go with us;
If not, fhun me, and I will fpare your

haunts.

Ob. Give me that boy, and I will go with thee. Queen. Not for thy fairy kingdom. Elves, away: We shall chide downright, if I longer stay.

[Exeunt Queen and her train. Ob. Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove, "Till I torment thee for this injury.

My gentle Puck, come hither; thou remember'ft
Since once I fat upon a promontory,

And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin's back,
Uttering fuch dulcet and harmonious breath,
That the rude fea grew civil at her fong;

And certain ftars fhot madly from their spheres,
To hear the fea-maid's music.

Puck. I remember.

Ob. That very time I faw, but thou could'st not,
Flying between the cold moon and the earth,
Cupid alarm'd: a certain aim he took (9)

At

Would imitate;] Following what? She did not follow the ship whofe motion the imitated; for that failed on the water, fhe on the land. And if by following, we are to understand, copying; it is a mere pleonafm, that meaning being included in the word imitate. From circumftances in the context, there is great reason to think our Author wrote, follying, i. e. wantoning, in fport and gaiety; fo the old writers used follity for foolishness; and both words are from, and in the fenfe of folatrer, to play the wanton. And this admirably agrees with the action, for which the is here commended, and with the context;full iften bas he goffip'd by my fide, and, When we bave laugh'd to fee, &c. Mr. Warburton,

(9) Cupid all arm'd ;] Surely, this prefents us with a very unclaffical image. Where do we read or fee, in ancient books, or monu

ments,

At a fair veftal, throned by the weft,

And loos'd his love-fhaft fmartly from his bow,
As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts;
But I might fee young Cupid's fiery shaft
Quench'd in the chafte beams of the wat'ry moon,
And the imperial votrefs paffed on,

In maiden meditation, fancy free.

Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell,
It fell upon a little weftern flower:

Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound;
And maidens call it Love in idleness.

Fetch me that flow'r.; (the herb I fhew'd thee once)
The juice of it on fleeping eye-lids laid,
Will make or man, or woman, madly doat
Upon the next live creature that it fees.
Fetch me this herb, and be thou here again,
Ere the Leviathan can fwim a league.

Puck. I'll put a girdle round about the earth
In forty minutes.

Ob. Having once this juice,

I'll watch Titania when she is afleep,
And drop the liquor of it in her eyes;

The next thing which the waking looks upon,
(Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull,
On medling monkey, or on bufy ape)
She fhall purfue it with the foul of love:
And ere I take this charm from off her fight,
(As I can take it with another herb)

[Exit.

ments, Cupid aim'd more than with his bows and arrows? and with thefe we for ever fee him arm'd. And thefe are all the arms he had occafion for in this prefent action; a more illuftrious one, than any, his friends, the clafficks, ever brought him upon. -The change I make is fo fmall, but the beauty of the thought fo great, which this alteration carries with it, that, I think, we are not to hefitate upon it. For what an addition is this to the compliment made upon this Virgin Queen's celibacy, that it alarm'd the power of love? as if his empire was in danger, when this Imperial Votrefs had declared herfelf for a fingle life: fo powerful would her great example be in the world-Queen Elizabeth could not but be pleafed with our Author's address upon this head. Mr. Warburton.

A Midfummer-Night's Dream.

I'll make her render

up her

to me,

But who comes here? I am invifible, (1c)
page
And I will over-hear their conference

Enter Demetrias, Helena following him.
Dem. I love thee not, therefore purfue me not.
Where is Lyfander, and fair Hermia?

The one I'll flay; the other layeth me. (11)
Thou told'ft me, they were ftol'n into this wood;
And here am I, and wood within this wood;
Because I cannot meet my Hermia.

Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.
Hel. You draw me, you hard-heatred adamant,
But yet you draw not iron; for
Is true as feel.

my

heart

Leave you your pow'r to draw,
And I shall have no pow'r to follow

you.

Dem. Do I entice you? do I fpeak you fair?

Or rather do I not in plainest truth

Tell you, I do not, nor I cannot, love you?

Hel. And ev'n for that do I love thee the more;

I am your fpaniel; and, Demetrius,

you.

my

97

Spirit;

The more you beat me, I will fawn on you: Ufe me but as your spaniel, fpurn me, ftrike me, Neglect me, lofe me; only give me leave, Unworthy as I am, to follow What worfer place can I beg in your love, And yet a place of high refpect with me) Than to be used, as you use your dog? Dem. Tempt not too much the hatred of For I am fick, when I do look on thee. Hel. And I am fick, when I look not on you. (10) I am invifible,] I thought proper here to obferve, that, as Oberon, and Puck his attendant, may be frequently obferved to fpeak, when there is no mention of their entering; they are defigned by the Poet to be fuppofed on the flage during the greateft part of the remainder of the play; and to mix, as they pleafe, as fpirits, with the other actors; and embroil the plot, by their interpofition, wi.hout being feen, or heard, but when to their own purpose.

(11) The one I'll Ray, the other Rayeth me.] Thus it has been in all the editions hitherto but Dr. Thirlby ingeniously saw, it must be, as I have conected in the text.

Vol. I.

f

Dem. You do impeach your modesty too much,
To leave the city, and commit yourself 1557
Into the hands of one that loves you not soft 911!!
To trust the opportunity of night, borsat at that
And the ill counfel of a delart place, old stort DA
With the rich worth of your virginity of
Hel. Your virtue is my privilege or that Lo
It is not night when I do fee your face,d geam bef
Therefore, I think, I am not in the night drop!
Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company;svit A
For you in my respect are all the world.
Then how can it be faid, I am alone;

When all the world is here to look on me?.

d

Dem. I'll run from thee and hide me in the brakes,

And leave thee to the mercy of wild beafts.

Hel. The wildeft hath not fuch a heart as you;
Run when you will, the ftory fhall be chang'd:
Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chafe;
The dove purfues the griffin; the mild hind
Makes fpeed to catch the tyger. Bootlefs fpeed!
When cowardife purfues, and valour flies.

9731

Dem. I will not tay thy queftions; let me go: Or if thou follow me, do not believe, lead of since fhall do thee mifchief in the wood.

1. Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field,
You d do me mifchief. Fie, Demetrius,
Your wrongs do fet a fcandal on my UD 120 1
We cannot fight for love, as men may do

fex:

We fhou'd be woo'd, and were not made to woo.
I follow thee, and make a heav'n of hell;

To die

upon

the hand, I love fo well.

[Exeunt.

Ob Fare thee well, nymph; ere he doth leave this grove, Thou shalt fly him, and he shall feek thy love.

Haft thou the flow'r there? welcome, wanderer.

Enter Puck.

Puck. Ay, there it is.

Ob. I pray thee, give it me;"

I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,
Where ox-lip and the nodding violet grows,

O'er

Γ'

"O'er-canopy'd with lufcious woodbine, no.
With fweet mufk-rofes, and with eglantine,
There fleeps Titania, fome time of the night,
Lull'd in these flow'rs, with dances and delightf
And there the fnake throws her enammel'd skinpof
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in s

And with the juice of this I'll freak her eyes,

1

And make her full of hateful fantafies. .1 ད་
Take thou fome of it, and feek through this grove;
A fweet Athenian Lady is in love

124

With a difdainful youth; anoint his eyes;
But do it, when the next thing he efpies
May be the Lady. Thou shalt know the man, 1
By the Athenian garments he hath on.~
Effect it with fome care, that he may prove
More fond of her, than the upon her love;
And, look, you meet me ere the first cock crow.
Puck: Fear not, my Lord, your fervant shall do so. [Ex¢.
Enter Queen of Fairies, with her Train..

Queen. Come, now a roundel, and a fairy long:
Then, 'fore the third part of a minute, hence; (12)
Some to kill cankers in the mufk-rofe buds,

Some my fmall elves coats; and fome keep back Some war with rear-mice for their leathern wings,

To

The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders
At our queint fpirits. Sing me now afleep:
Then to your offices, and let me reft.

124 to Fairies fingyas, pada wolleł 2

vo You spotted fnakes with double tongue.)

?

vol Thorny hedgehogs, be not feen

Newts and blind worms, do no wrong
Come not near our fairy Queen.

a

bence, But the Queen

(12) Then for the third part of employ'd for the remainder

fets them work, that is to

of the night: The Poet,

them

btedly, intended her to fay, dance

your round, and fing your fong, and then instantly before the third part of a minute) begone to your respective duties, go gradu

Philomel