And haft thou kill'd him fleeping? O brave 'touch!
Could not a worm, an adder, do fo much!
An adder did it; for with doubler tongue
Than thine, thou ferpent, never adder stung.

Dem. You spend your paffion on a mispris'd mood:
I am not guilty of Lyfander's blood;

Nor is he dead, for ought that I can tell.

Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.
Dem. An if I could, what fhould I get therefore?
Her. A privilege, never to fee me more.→

And from thy hated prefence part I fo;
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 forrow's heavinefs doth heavier grow,
For debt that bankrupt fleep doth forrow owe;
Which now in fome flight measure it will pay,

i

If for his tender here I make some stay.

[Lies down.

Ob. What haft thou done? thou hast mistaken quite, And laid the love-juice on fome true-love's fight: Of thymifprifion must perforce enfue

Some true love turn'd, and not a false turn'd true.

Puck. Then fate o'er-rules; that, one man holding troth,

A million fail, confounding oath on oath.

Ob. About the wood go fwifter than the wind,

And Helena of Athens look thou find :

All fancy-fick fhe is, and pale' of cheer

With fighs of love, that coft the fresh blood dear:
By fome illufion fee thou bring her here;

I'll charm his eyes, against she do appear.

f touch!-stroke, feat, exploit.

2 on a mifpris'd mood :]-erroneously, you mistake its object.
Ifo-for ever, as I would wish you to do.
tender]-approach.
of cheer]-in countenance.

k

* mifprifion]-blunder.

Puck.

Puck. I go, I go; look, how I go;

Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.

Ob. Flower of this purple dye,
" Hit with Cupid's archery,
Sink in apple of his eye!
When his love he doth efpy,
Let her fhine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.-
When thou wak'ft, if fhe be by,
Beg of her for remedy.

Re-enter Puck.

Puck. Captain of our fairy band,
Helena is here at hand;

And the youth, mistook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee;

Shall we their " fond pageant fee?

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

Ob. Stand afide: the noise they make,

Will cause Demetrius to awake.

Puck. Then will two, at once, woo one;

[Exit.

Lys. Why fhould you think, that I should woo in scorn? Scorn and derifion never come in tears:

Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows fo born,

Hit with Cupid's archery,]—

--the bolt of Cupid fell,

"It fell upon a little western flower

"Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound.”

A& II, S. 2. Ob.

In their nativity all truth appears.

How can these things in me feem fcorn to you,
Bearing the badge of faith to prove them true?
Hel. You do advance your cunning more and, more.
When truth kills truth, O devilish-holy fray!
These vows are Hermia's; Will you give her o'er?
Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh:
Your vows, to her and me, put in two fcales,
Will even weigh; and both as light as tales.
Lyf. I had no judgment, when to her I fwore.
Hel. Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er.
Lyf. Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
Dem. [awaking.] O Helen, goddefs, nymph, perfect,
divine!

To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne ?
Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show

Thy lips, thofe kiffing cherries, tempting grow !
That pure congealed white, high Taurus' fnow,
Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow,
When thou hold❜ft up thy hand: O, let me kifs
This princess of pure white, this feal of bliss!
Hel. O fpight! O hell I fee, you are all bent
To fet against me, for your merriment.

If

you were civil, and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you must join in foul to mock me too?
If you were men, as men you are in show,
You would not ufe a gentle lady fo;

To vow, and fwear, and fuperpraise my parts,
When, I am sure, you hate me with your hearts.

P nativity]—the very manner of their utterance.

Taurus]-A range of mountains in Afia.

join in foul]-clofely and earnestly confpire-in fouls; ill fouls; in Seouls, fcoffs.

You

You both are rivals, and love Hermia;
And now both rivals to mock Helena:
A trim exploit, a manly enterprize,

To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes,
With your derifion! none, of nobler fort,
Would fo offend a virgin; and extort
A poor foul's patience, all to make you sport.

Lys. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not fo;
For you love Hermia; this, you know, I know:
And here, with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Whom I do love, and will do to my death.

Hel. Never did mockers waste more idle breath.
Dem. Lyfander, keep thy Hermia; I will none:
If e'er I lov'd her, all that love is gone.
My heart with her but, as gueft-wife, fojourn'd;
And now to Helen it is home return'd,
There to remain.

Lys. Helen, it is not fo.

Dem. Difparage not the faith thou doft not know, Left, to thy peril, thou 'aby it dear.

Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear.

Enter Hermia.

Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehenfion makes;

Wherein it doth impair the feeing sense,
It pays the hearing double recompence :-
Thou art not by mine eye, Lyfander, found;
Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy found.
But why unkindly did'ft thou leave me so?

sextort]-rack, weary out.

aby-fuffer for it.

Lyf

Lyf. Why fhould he stay, whom love doth prefs to go? Her. What love could prefs Lyfander from my fide? Lyf. Lyfander's love, that would not let him bide, Fair Helena; who more engilds the night

Than all yon fiery "o's and eyes of light.

W

Why feek'st thou me? could not " this make thee know, The hate I bare thee made me leave thee fo?

X

Her. You speak not as you think it cannot be.
Hel. Lo, fhe is one of this confederacy!
Now I perceive they have conjoin'd, all three,
To fashion this falfe fport in fpight of me.
Injurious Hermia! most ungrateful maid!
Have you confpired, have you with these contriv'd
To bait me with this foul derifion?

Is all the counsel that we two have shar'd,

y

The fifters' vows, the hours that we have spent,
When we have chid the hafty-footed time
For parting us,-O, and is all forgot?
All school-day friendship, childhood innocence?
We, Hermia, like two artificial gods,
Have with our neelds created both one flower,
Both on one fampler, fitting on one cushion,
Both warbling of one fong, both in one key;
As if our hands, our fides, voices, and minds,
Had been incorporate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, seeming parted;
But yet a union in partition,

Two lovely berries molded on one stem:

So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart; - Two of the firft, like coats in heraldry,

- o's]-orbs.

to me.

W

this]-Helena's beauty.
2 needles.

artificial]-fkilful.

Two of the firft,]-two coats of the firft house, or principal quarterings of a coat, borne in two diftinct fhields, united at top, and crowned with one creft.

Due