Never harm, Nor spell nor charm, Come our lovely lady nigh; So, good night, with lullaby. Weaving spiders, come not here; Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence! A Fairy. Hence, away! now all is well: 20 Enter OBERON, and squeezes the flower on Titania's eyelids. Obe. What thou seest when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true-love take, Love and languish for his sake: Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, When thou wakest, it is thy dear: Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA. 30 [Exit. Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood; We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; Lys. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence! 40 Two bosoms interchained with an oath; Her. Lysander riddles very prettily: So far be distant; and, good night, sweet friend: Lys. Amen, amen, to that fair prayer, say I; And then end life when I end loyalty! Here is my bed: sleep give thee all his rest! Her. With half that wish the wisher's eyes be press'd! Enter PUCK. Puck. Through the forest have I gone, On whose eyes I might approve This is he, my master said, Despised the Athenian maid; And here the maiden, sleeping sound, 50 60 [They sleep. 70 Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running. Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius. Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus. Hel. O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not so. [Exit. Dem. Stay, on thy peril: I alone will go. Hel. O, I am out of breath in this fond chase! The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace. For she hath blessed and attractive eyes. How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears: No, no, I am as ugly as a bear; For beasts that meet me run away for fear: 90 100 Lys. [Awaking.] And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake. Transparent Helena! Nature shows art, That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. Is that vile name to perish on my sword! Hel. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so. What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though? Lys. Content with Hermia! No; I do repent Who will not change a raven for a dove? ΠΙΟ Things growing are not ripe until their season: Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, But you must flout my insufficiency? Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, In such disdainful manner me to woo. But fare you well: perforce I must confess I thought you lord of more true gentleness. O, that a lady, of one man refused, Should of another therefore be abused! 120 130 [Exit. Lys. She sees not Hermia. Hermia, sleep thou there: The deepest loathing to the stomach brings, So thou, my surfeit and my heresy, Of all be hated, but the most of me! And, all my powers, address your love and might To honour Helen and to be her knight! 140 [Exit. Eer. [Awaking.] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast! Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here! 150 What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word? Alack, where are you? speak, an if you hear; [Exit. ACT III. SCENE I. The wood. Titania lying asleep. Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING. Bot. Are we all met? Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke. Quin. What sayest thou, bully Bottom? Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? Snout. By'r lakin, a parlous fear. II Star. I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done. Bot. Not a whit: I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords and that Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more better assurance, tell them that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them out of fear. 20 Quin. Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six. |