Obe. Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove, Till I torment thee for this injury. – My gentle Puck, come hither: Thou remember'st And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin's back, And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, Puck. I remember. Obe. That very time I saw, (but thou could'st not,) Flying between the cold moon and the earth, Cupid all arm'd: A certain aim he took At a fair vestal, throned by the west; And loos'd his love-shaft smartly from his bow, As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts: But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft Quench'd in the chaste beams of the wat'ry moon; And the imperial vot'ress passed on, In maiden meditation, fancy-free. Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell: Before, milk-white; now purple with love's wound,- Fetch me that flower; the herb I show'd thee once: Puck. I'll put a girdle round about the earth Obe. I'll watch Titania when she is asleep, And drop the liquor of it in her eyes: The next thing then she waking looks upon, She shall pursue it with the soul of love. And ere I take this charm off from her sight, (As I can take it, with another herb,) I'll make her render up her page to me. But who comes here? I am invisible; And I will over-hear their conference. Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA following him. Dem. I love thee not, therefore pursue me not. Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more. Dem. Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth you the more. Tell you The more you beat me, I will fawn on you: Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave, Unworthy as I am, to follow you. What worser place can I beg in your love, (And yet a place of high respect with me,) Than to be used as you use your dog? Dem. Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; For I am sick, when I do look on thee. Hel. And I am sick, when I look not on you. 7 7 Bring in question. To leave the city, and commit yourself Hel. Your virtue is my privilege for that. When all the world is here to look on me? Dem. I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts. Hel. The wildest hath not such a heart as you. Run when you will, the story shall be chang' Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase; The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind Makes speed to catch the tiger: Bootless speed! When cowardice pursues, and valour flies. Dem. I will not stay thy questions; let me go: Or, if thou follow me, do not believe But I shall do thee mischief in the wood. Hel. Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, You do me mischief. Fye, Demetrius! Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex: We cannot fight for love, as men may do; We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo. I'll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell, 8 To die upon the hand I love so well. [Exeunt DEM. and HEL. Obe. Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave this grove, Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love. Re-enter Puck. Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer. Puck. Ay, there it is. Obe. 9 I pray thee, give it me. And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes, Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove: With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes; SCENE III. Another part of the Wood. Enter TITANIA, with her train. Tita. Come, now a roundel, and a fairy song; Then, for the third part of a minute, hence; Some, to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds; Some, war with rear-mice3 for their leathern wings, To make my small elves coats; and some, keep back 9 The greater cowslip. 2 A kind of dance. I Vigorous. 3 Bats. The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders SONG. 1 Fai. You spotted snakes, with double tongue, Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen; CHORUS. Newts, and blind-worms, do no wrong; Philomel, with melody, Sing in our sweet lullaby; Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby: Never harm, nor spell nor charm, II. 2 Fai. Weaving spiders, come not here; CHORUS. Hence, you long-legg'd spinners hence: Beetles black, approach not near; Worm, nor snail, do no offence. Philomel, with melody, &c. 1 Fai. Hence, away; now all is well: One, aloof, stand sentinel. [Exeunt Fairies. TITANIA sleeps. Enter OBERON. Obe. What thou seest, when thou dost wake, [Squeezes the flower on TITANIA's eye-lids. Do it for thy true love take; Love, and languish for his sake: 5 Efts. 6 Slow-worms, 7 The small tiger. |