Ob. Flower of this purple dye, Re-enter PUCK. Puck. Captain of our fairy band, And the youth, mistook by me, Shall we their fond pageant see? : Ob. Stand aside the noise they make Puck. Then will two at once, woo one; That must needs be sport alone; And those things do best please me, That befal prepost'rously. Enter LYSANDER and HELENA. Lys. Why should you think, that I should woo in scorn? Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born, How can these things in me seem scorn to you, [9] This alludes to what was said before : "the bolt of Cupid fell: "It fell upon a little western flower, "Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound." STEEVENS. To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne? Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow! To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts, And now both rivals, to mock Helena: To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes, A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport. Hel. Never did mockers waste more idle breath. Dem. Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none : If e'er I lov'd her, all that love is gone. My heart with her but, as guest-wise, sojourn'd; Lys. Helen, it is not so. Dem. Disparage not the faith thou dost not know, Lest, to thy peril, thou aby it dear. -Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear. Taurus is the name of a range of mountains in Asia. JOHNSON. He has in Measure for Measure, the same image: "But my kisses bring again, "Seals of love, but seal'd in vain. JOHNSON. [3] Harass, torment. JOHNSON, Enter HERMIA. Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehension makes; Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense, It pays the hearing double recompense :Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found; Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound. But why unkindly didst thou leave me so? Lys. Why should he stay, whom love doth press to go? Her. What love could press Lysander from my side? Lys. Lysander's love, that would not let him 'bide, Fair Helena; who more engilds the night Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light. Why seek'st thou me? could not this make thee know, Her. You speak not as you think; it cannot be. Is all the counsel that we two have shar'd, The sisters' vows, the hours that we have spent, All school-days' friendship, childhood innocence? Have with our neelds created both one flower ; [4] Shakespeare uses O for a circle. STEEVENS. D'Ewes's Journal of Queen Elizabeth's Parliaments, p. 650, mentions a patent to make spangles and oes of gold; and I think haberdashers call small curtain rings O's, as being circular. TOLLET. [5] Mr Gibbon observes, that in a poem of Gregory Nazianzen on his own life, are some beautiful lines which burst from the heart, and speak the pangs of injured and lost friendship, resembling these. He adds, "Shakespeare had never read the poems of Gregory Nazianzen: he was ignorant of the Greek language; but his mother tongue, the language of nature, is the same in Cappadocia and in Britain." Gibbon's Hist. Vol. III. p. 15. REED. [6] Most of our modern editors, with the old copies, have-needles; but the word was probably written by Shakespeare neelds, (a common contraction in the inland counties at this day,) otherwise the verse would be inharmonious. In the age of Shakespeare many contractions were used. Of the evisceration and extension of words, however, T. Churchyard affords the most numerous and glaring instances; for he has not scrupled even to give us rune instead of ruin, and miest instead of mist, when he wants rhymes to soon and criest. STEEVENS. Both warbling of one song, both in one key; Two lovely berries moulded on one stem : Her. I am amazed at your passionate words: [7] These are, as Theobald observes, terms peculiar to heraldry; but that observation does not help to explain them -Every branch of a family is called a house; and none but the first of the first house can bear the arms of the family, without some distinction. Two of the first, therefore, means two coats of the first house, which are properly due but to one. M. MASON, Lys. Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excuse; My love, my life, my soul, fair Helena! Hel. O excellent! Her. Sweet, do not scorn her so. Dem. If she cannot entreat, I can compel. Lys. Thou canst compel no more than she entreat; Thy threats have no more strength, than her weak prayers. Helen, I love thee; by my life, I do ; I swear by that which I will lose for thee, To prove him false, that says I love thee not. Her. Lysander, whereto tends all this? Lys. Away, you Ethiop! Dem. No, no, sir :-he will Seem to break loose; take on, as you would follow; But yet come not: You are a tame man, go! Lys. Hang off, thou cat, thou burr: vile thing let loose; Or I will shake thee from me, like a serpent. Her. Why are you grown so rude? what change is this, Sweet love? Lys. Thy love? out, tawny Tartar, out! Out, loathed medicine! hated potion, hence! Hel. Yes, 'sooth; and so do you. Lys. Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee. Dem. I would, I had your bond; for, 1 perceive, A weak bond holds you; I'll not trust your word. Lys. What, should I hurt her, strike her, kill her dead? Although I hate her, I'll not harm her so. Her What, can you do me greater harm, than hate? Hate me wherefore? O me! what news, my love? Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lysander? I am as fair now, as I was erewhile. Since night, you lov'd me; yet, since night you left me: Why, then you left me,-0, the gods forbid ! In earnest, shall I say? Lys. Ay, by my life; And never did desire to see thee more. Therefore, be out of hope, of question, doubt, C |