Her. Why are you grown fo rude? what change is this? fweet love?

L. Thy love? out, tawny Tartar, out; Out, loathed medicine: hated poison, hence. Her. Do you not jest?

Hel. Yes, footh, and fo do you.

Lyf. Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee. Dem. I would, I had your bond; for I perceive, A weak bond holds you; I'll not truft your word. Lyf. What, fhould I hurt her, ftrike her, kill her dead? Although I hate her, I'll not harm her fo.

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 Lyfander?

I am as fair now, as I was ere-while.

Since night, you lov'd me; yet, fince night, you left me ;
Why then you left me-(O the Gods forbid !)
In earnest, fhall I fay?

Lyf. Ay, by my life;

And never did defire to see thee more.
Therefore be out of hope, of question, doubt;
Be certain, nothing truer; 'tis no jest;

That I do hate thee, and love Helena.

Her. O me, you jugler; oh, you canker-ble ffom, You thief of love; what, have you come by night, And ftol'n my love's heart from him?

Hel. Fine, i'faith!

Have you no modefty, no maiden fhame,
No touch of bashfulness ? what, will you tear
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?
Fy, fy, you counterfeit; you puppet, you.

Her. Puppet! why, fo: ay, that way goes the game.
Now, I perceive, that the hath made compare
Between our ftatures; the hath urg'd her height;
And with her perfonage, her tall perfonage,
Her height, forfooth, the hath prevail'd with him,
And are you grown fo high in his esteem,
Because I am fo dwarfish and fo low?

How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak,
How low am I? I am not yet fo low,
But that nails can reach unto thine eyes.

my

Hel

Hel. I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen, Let her not hurt me: I was never curft; I have no gift at all in fhrewishness;

I am a right maid, for my cowardice:

Let her not strike me. You, perhaps, may think,
Because she's something lower than myself,
That I can match her.

Her. Lower! hark, again.

Hel. Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me;
I evermore did love you, Hermia,

Did ever keep your counfels, never wrong'd you;
Save that, in love unto Demetrius,

I told him of your stealth unto this wood :
He follow'd you, for love I follow'd him,
But he hath chid me hence, and threaten'd me
To ftrike me, fpurn me, nay to kill me too;
And now, fo you will let me quiet go,
To Athens will I bear my folly back,

And follow you no further. Let me go.
You fee, how fimple and how fond I am.

Her. Why, get you gone? who is't, that hinders you?
Hel. A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.
Her. What, with Lyfander?

Hel. With Demetrius.

Lyf. Be not afraid, she shall not harm thee, Helena. Dem. No, Sir, fhe shall not, though you take her part, Hel. O, when he's angry, fhe is keen and fhrewd ; She was a vixen, when she went to school;

And though the be but little, fhe is fierce.

Her. Little, again? nothing but low, and little?
Why will you fuffer her to flout me thus ?
Let me come to her.

Lys. Get you gone, you dwarf,

You Minimus, of hind'ring knot-grafs made, (21)
You bead, you acorn.

Dem.

(21) You Minimus,-] This is no term of art, that I can find; and I can scarce be willing to think, that Shakespeare would use the mafculine of an adjective to a woman. He was not fo deficient in grammar. I have not ventur'd to difturb the text; but the Author, perhaps, might have wrote;

You, Minim, you,

Dem. You are too officious,

In her behalf that fcorns your fervices.
Let her alone, speak not of Helena,

Take not her part: for if thou dost intend
Never fo little fhew of love to her,

Thou shalt aby it.

Lyf. Now fhe holds me not;

Now follow, if thou dar'ft; to try whofe right,
Or thine, or mine, is moft in Helena.

Dem. Follow? nay, I'll go with thee cheek by jowl.

[Exeunt Lyfander and Demetrius. Her. You, miftrefs, all this coyl is long of you.

Nay, go not back.

Hel. I will not truft you, I;

Nor longer stay in your curft company.

Your hands, than mine, are quicker for a fray;

My legs are longer, though, to run away.

[Exeunt: Hermia pursuing Helena,

Enter Oberon and Puck.

Ob. This is thy negligence: ftil thou mistak'st,
Or else committ'ft thy knaveries willingly.
Puck. Believe me, King of fhadows, I mistook.
Did not you tell me, I fhould know the man
By the Athenian ga:ments he had on?
And fo far blameless proves my enterprize,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes ;
And fo far I am glad it did fo fort,

As this their jangling I efteem a fport.

Ob. Thou feeft, these lovers feek a place to fight; Hie therefore Robin, overcaft the night;

The starry welkin cover thou anon

With drooping fog, as black as Acheron ;
And lead thefe tefty rivals fo aftray,

As one come not within another's way.

i. e. You diminutive of the creation, you reptile.

In this fenfe, to ufe a more recent authority, Milton uses the word

in the 7th book of Paradife Loft.

Thefe as a line their long dimenfion drew,

Streaking the ground with finuous trace; not all
Minims of nature;

Like to Lyfander, fometime, frame thy tongue,
Then ftir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
And sometime rail thou, like Demetrius;

And from each other, look, thou lead them thus;
'Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep;
Then cruth this herb into Lyfander's eye,
Whofe liquor hath this virtuous property,
To take from thence all error with its might:
And make his eye-balls roll with wonted fight.
When they next wake, all this derifion
Shall feem a dream, and fruitless vifion ;
And back to Athens fhall the lovers wend
With league, whose date 'till death shall never end.
Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,
I'll to my Queen, and beg her Indian boy:
And then I will her charmed eye release
From monfter's view, and all things fhall be peace.
Puck. My fairy Lord, this must be done with hafte,
For night's fwift dragons cut the clouds full faft,
And yonder fhines Aurora's harbinger;

At whofe approach, ghofts wandering here and there
Troop home to church-yards; damned fpirits all,
That in crofs.ways and floods have burial,
Already to their wormy beds are gone;
For fear left day fhould look their fhames upon,
They wilfully exile themselves from light;
And muft for aye confort with black-brow'd night.
Ob. But we are spirits of another fort;

I with the morning-light have oft made sport;
And, like a forefter, the groves may tread,
Ev'n till the eaftern gate, all fiery red,
Opening on Neptune with fair bleffed beams,
Furns into yellow gold his falt green ftreams.
But, notwithstanding, hafte; make no delay;
We may effect this business yet ere day. [Exit Oberon.
Puck. Up and down, up and down,

I will lead them up and down:

I am fear'd in field and town,

VOL. I.

G

Gablin,

Enter Lyfander,

Lys. Where art thou, proud Demetrius? speak thou now. Puck. Here, villain, drawn and ready. Where art thou? Lyf. I will be with thee ftraight.

Puck. Follow me then

To plainer ground.

[Lyf. goes out, as following Dem.

Enter Demetrius.

Dem. Lyfander, speak again;

Thou run-away, thou coward, art thou fled?
Speak in fome bush: where doft thou hide thy head?
Puck. Thou coward, art thou bragging to the ftars,
Telling the bushes that thou look'st for wars,

And wilt not come? come, recreant; come thou child,
I'll whip thee with a rod; he is defil'd,

That draws a fword on thee.

Dem. Yea, art thou here?

Puck. Follow my voice, we'll try no manhood here.

Lyfander comes back.

[Exeunt.

Lyf. He goes before me, and still dares me on;
When I come where he calls me, then he's gone.
The villain is much lighter-heel'd, than I:
I follow'd faft, but fafter he did fly;
That fall'n am I in dark uneven way,

And here will reft me. Come, thou gentle day:

[Lies down. For if but once thou fhew me thy gray light, I'll find Demetrius, and revenge this spight.

Enter Puck and Demetrius.

Puck. Ho, ho, ho, coward, why com'ft thou not?
Dem. Abide me, if thou dar'ft: for well I wot,
Thou runn'ft before me, fhifting every place;
And dar'ft not stand, nor look me in the face,
Where art thou?

Puck.