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A MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S

DREAM.

A CT. I.

SCENE, the Duke's Palace in Athens.

Enter Thefeus, Hippolita, Philoftrate, with attendants.

N

THESEUS.

OW, fair Hippolita, our nuptial hour
Draws on apace; four happy days bring in
Another moon: but oh, methinks, how flow
This old moon wanes! the lingers my defires,
Like to a step-dame, or a dowager,

Long withering out a young man's revenue.

Hip. Four days will quickly fteep themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time:

And then the moon, like to a filver bow

New bent in heaven, fhall behold the night
Of our folemnities.

The. Go, Philoftrate,

Stir up th' Athenian youth to merriments,

Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth:

Turn melancholy forth to funerals,

The pale companion is not for our pomp. [Exit Phi. Hippolita, I woo'd thee with my fword,

And

And won thy love, doing thee injuries:
But I will wed thee in another key,

With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.

Enter Egeus, Hermia, Lyfander, and Demetrius. Ege. Happy be Thefeus, our renowned Duke! The. Thanks, good Egeus; what's the news with thee? Ege. Full of vexation, come I with Complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia.

Stand forth, Demetrius.My noble lord,
This man hath my confent to marry her.
Stand forth, Lyfander. And, my gracious Duke,
This man hath witch'd the bofom of my child :
Thou, thou, Lysander, thou haft giv'n her rhimes,
And interchang'd love-tokens with my child:
Thou haft by moon-light at her window fung,
With feigning voice, verfes of feigning love;
And ftoll'n th' impreffion of her fantafie,
With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,
Knacks, trifles, nofegays, fweet-meats; (meffengers
Of ftrong prevailment in unharden'd youth)
With cunning haft thou filch'd my daughter's heart,
Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
To stubborn harfhnefs: And, my gracious Duke,
Be't fo, fhe will not here before your Grace
Confent to marry with Demetrius;

I beg the ancient privilege of Athens,
As he is mine, I may difpofe of her:
Which fhall be either to this gentleman,
Or to her death, according to our law,
Immediately provided in that cafe.

The. What fay you, Hermia? be advis'd, fair maid. To you your father fhould be as a God,

One, that compos'd your beauties; yea, and one,
To whom you are but as a form in wax

power

By him imprinted; and within his
To leave the figure, or disfigure it:
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
Her. So is Lyfander.
The. In himself he is;

But

But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
The other must be held the worthier.

Her. I would, my father look'd but with my eyes.
The. Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.
Her. I do intreat your Grace to pardon me:

I know not, by what pow'r I am made bold;
Nor how it may concern my modefty,

In fuch a prefence here, to plead my thoughts:
But, I beseech your Grace, that I
may know
The worst, that may befal me in this cafe,
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

The. Either to die the death, or to abjure
For ever the fociety of men.

Therefore, fair Hermia, queftion your defires;
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun;

For aye to be in fhady cloifter mew'd,
To live a barren fifter all your life,

Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitless, moon?
Thrice bleffed they, that mafter fo their blood,
To undergo fuch maiden pilgrimage!
But earthlier happy is the role diftill'd,
Than that, which, withering on the virgin thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies, in fingle blessedness.

Her. So will I grow, fo live, fo die, my lord,
Ere I will yield my virgin patent up

Unto his lordship, to whofe unwish'd yoak

My foul confents not to give Sov'reignty.

The. Take time to paufe; and by the next new moon,

(The fealing day betwixt my love and me,

For everlasting bond of fellowship)

Upon that day either prepare to die,
For disobedience to your father's will;

Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would;
Or on Diana's altar to proteft,

For aye, aufterity and fingle life.

Dem. Relent, fweet Hermia; and, Lyfander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right.

VOL. I.

G

Lyf.

Lyf. You have her father's love, Demetrius;
Let me have Hermia's; do you marry him.

Ege. Scornful Lyfander! true, he hath my love,
And what is mine, my love fhall render him.
And the is mine, and all my right of her
I do eftate unto Demetrius.

Lyf. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well poffeft: my love is more than his :
My fortune's ev'ry way as fairly rank’d,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius:

And, which is more than all these boasts can be,
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia.
Why fhould not I then profecute my right?
Demetrius (I'll avouch it to his head)
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena;
And won her foul; and fhe, fweet lady, doats,
Devoutly doats, doats in idolatry,

Upon this spotted and inconftant man.

The. I must confefs, that I have heard fo much, And with Demetrius thought t' have spoke thereof; But, being over-full of felf-affairs,

felf

My mind did lofe it. But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you fhall go with me;
I have fome private fchooling for you both.
For you, fair Hermia, look, you arm your
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or elfe the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of fingle life.
Come, my Hippolita; what cheer, my love?
Demetrius, and Egeus, go along;

I muft employ you in fome bufiness
Againft our nuptials, and confer with you.
Of fomething nearly that concerns your felves.
Ege. With duty and defire we follow you.
Manent Lyfander and Hermia.

[Exeunt.

Lyf. How now, my love? why is your cheek fo pale? How chance, the rofes there do fade fo faft?

Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.

Lyf.

Lyf. Hermia, for ought that ever I could read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,

The course of true love never did run smooth;
But, either, it was different in blood

Her. O cross! -- too high, to be enthrall'd to low ! -- (1) Lyf. Or elfe mifgraffed, in refpect of years

Her. Ofpight! too old, to be engag'd to young! Lyf. Or else it stood upon the choice of friendsHer. O hell! to chufe love by another's eye! Lyf. Or if there were a fympathy in choice, War, death, or fickness did lay fiege to it; Making it momentary as a found, Swift as a fhadow, fhort as any dream, Brief as the lightning in the collied night, That (in a fpleen) unfolds both heav'n and earth And ere a man hath power to fay, Behold! The jaws of darkness do devour it up; So quick bright things come to confufion.

Her. If then true lovers have been ever croft,

(1) Too high, to be enthrall'd to Love.] This Reading poffeffes all the Editions, but carries no just meaning in it. Nor was Hermia difpleas'd at being in Love; but regretts the Inconveniences, that generally attend the Paflion: Either, the Parties are difproportion'd, in degree of Blood and Quality; or unequal, in refpect of Years; or brought together by the Appointment of Friends, and not by their own Choice. These are the Complaints reprefented by Lyfander; and Hermia, to anfwer to the first, as fhe has done to the other two, muft neceffarily fay;

O Grofs! too high, to be enthrall'd to low!

So the Antithefis is kept up in the Terms; and fo fhe is made to condole the Difproportion of Blood and Quality in Lovers. And This is one of the Curfes, that Venus, on feeing Adonis dead, prophefies fhall always attend Love,in our Author's Poem, call'd, VENUS and ADONISStanz. 190.

Since thou art dead, lo! here I prophefie,
Sorrow on Love hereafter shall attend;
It shall be waited on with Jealoufie;
Find fweet Beginning, but unfav'ry End:
Ne'er fettled equally, to high, or low;

That all Love's Pleasures fhall not match his Woe.
And fo the Young Prince complains, in the Winter's Tale :
You are married?

Leon.
Flo. We are not, Sir, nor are We like to be:
The Stars, I fee, will kifs the Vallies firft
The Odds for high and low's alike.

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