To whom you are but as a form in wax
By him imprinted; and within his power
To 'leve the figure, or disfigure it.
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
Her. So is Lyfander.
The. In himself he is;
But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
The other must be held the worthier.
Her. I would my father look'd but with my eyes.
The. Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.
Her. I do intreat your grace to pardon me :
I know not by what pow'r I am made bold;
Nor how it may concern my modesty,
In such a prefence here, to plead my thoughts:
But I befeech your Grace, that I may know
The worst that may befal me in this cafe,
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.
The. Either to die the death, or to abjure
For ever the society of men.
Therefore, fair Hermia, question your defires;
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun;
For ay to be in shady cloister mew'd,
To live a barren fister all your life,
Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitless, moon?
Thrice blessed they that master so their blood,
To undergo fuch maiden pilgrimage!
But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd,
Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies, in single blessedness.
Her. So will I grow, so live, so die, my Lord,
Ere I will yield my virgin patent up
Unto his Lordship, to whose unwish'd yoke
My foul consents not to give sov'reignty.
The. Take time to pause; and by the next new moon,
(The fealing day betwixt my love and me,
For everlasting bond of fellowship),
Upon that day either prepare to die,
For difobedience to your father's will;
Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would;
Or on Diana's altar to protest,
For ay, austerity and single life.
Dem. Relent, sweet Hermia; and, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right.
Lys. You have her father's love, Demetrius;
Let me have Hermia's; do you marry him.
Ege. Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my love;
And what is mine, my love shall render him.
And she is mine, and all my right of her
I do estate unto Demetrius.
Lys. I am, my Lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well possess'd: my love is more than his:
My fortune's every way as fairly rank'd,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius :
And, which is more than all these boasts can be,
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia.
Why should not I then profecute my right?
Demetrius (I'll avouch it to his head)
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena;
And won her foul; and she, sweet Lady, doats,
Devoutly doats, doats in idolatry,
Upon this spotted and inconstant man.
The. I must confefs, that I have heard so much, And with Demetrius thought t' have spoke thereof: But, being over-full of felf-affairs, My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, come: And come, Egeus; you shall go with me : I have fome private schooling for you both. For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself To fit your fancies to your father's will; Or else the law of Athens yields you up (Which by no means we may extenuate) To death, or to a vow of fingle life. Come, my Hippolita; what cheer, my love? Demetrius, and Egeus, go along; I must employ you in fome business Against our nuptials, and confer with you Of fomething nearly that concerns yourselves. Ege. With duty and defire we follow you.
SCENE II. Manent Lysander and Hermia. Lys. How now, my love? why is your cheek so pale? VOL. I. How
How chance the roses there do fade so fast?
Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well
Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.
Lyf. Hermia, for aught that ever I could read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth;
But, either it was different in blood-
Her. O cross! - too high, to be inthrall'd to
Lys. Or elfe misgraffed, in respect of years
Her. O fpight! too old, to be engage'd to young!
Lys. Or else it stood upon the choice of friends-
Her. O hell! to chuse love by another's eye!
Lyf. Or if there were a sympathy in choice,
War, death, or fickness, did lay fiege to it;
Making it momentary as a found,
Swift as a fhadow, short as any dream,
" Brief as the lightning in the collied night,
• That (in a spleen) unfolds both heav'n and earth;
" And here a man hath power to say, Behold!
"The jaws of darkness do devour it up;
So quick bright things come to confufion.
Her. If then true lovers have been ever croft,
It stands as an edict in destiny:
Then let us teach our trial patience;
Because it is a customary cross,
As due to love, as thoughts, and dreams, and fighs,
Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers!
Lyf. A good perfuafion; therefore hear me, Hermia.
I have a widow-aunt, a dowager
Of great revenue, and she hath no child :
From Athens is her house remov'd seven leagues,
And she respects me as her only fon.
There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;
And to that place the sharp Athenian law
Cannot purfue us. If thou lov'st me, then,
Steal forth thy father's house to-morrow night;
And in the wood, a league without the town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena,
To do obfervance to the morn of May,
There will I stay for thee.
Her. My good Lyfander,
Lys. I swear to thee by Cupid's strongest bow, By his best arrow with the golden head, By the fimplicity of Venus' doves, By that which knitteth fouls, and profpers loves; And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage Queen, When the false Trojan under fail was feen; By all the vows that ever men have broke, In number more than ever women spoke; Her. In that fame place thou hast appointed me, To-morrow truly will I meet with thee.
Lys. Keep promise, love. Look, here comes Helena.
SCENE III. Enter Helena.
Her. God speed, fair Helena! whither away?
Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unsay;
Demetrius loves you, fair; O happy fair!
Your eyes are load-stars, and your tongue's sweet air,
More tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear,
When wheat is green, when hawthorn-buds appear.
Sickness is catching: oh, were favour so !
Your's would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;
My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye;
My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody.
Were the world mine, Demetrius being 'bated,
The rest I'd give to be to you translated.
O teach me how you look; and with what art
You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart.
Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me still.
Hel. O, that your frowns would teach my smiles
Her. I give him curses, yet he gives me love.
Hel. Oh, that my pray'rs could such affection move !
Her. The more I hate, the more he follows me.
Hel. The more I love, the more he hateth me.
Her. His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine. [mine!
Hel. None, but your beauty; would that fault were
Her. Take comfort; he no more shall fee my face;
Lyfander and myself will Ay this place.
Before the time I did Lysander fee,
Seem'd Athens like a paradife to me.
O then, what graces in my love do dwell,
That he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell?
Lys. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold;
To-morrow night, when Phœbe doth behold
Her filver visage in the wat'ry glass,
Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass,
(A time, that lovers flights doth still conceal),
Through Athens' gate have we devis'd to steal.
Her. And in the wood, where often you and I
Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie,
Emptying our bosoms of their counsels swell'd;
There my Lyfander and myself shall meet;
And thence from Athens turn away our eyes,
To seek new friends and strange companions.
Farewel, sweet play-fellow; pray thou for us,
And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius !
Keep word, Lysander; we must starve our fight
From lovers' food, till morrow deep midnight.
Lys. I will, my Hermia. Helena, adieu;
As you on him, Demetrius doat on you! [Exit Lysan.
Hel. How happy some, o'er other fome, can be !
Through Athens I am thought as fair as the.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not fo:
He will not know, what all but he do know.
And as he errs, doating on Hermia's eyes,
So I, admiring of his qualities.
Things base and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can transpose to form and dignity :
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath love's mind of any judgment taste;
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste:
And therefore is Love said to be a child,
Because in choice he is so oft beguil'd.
As waggish boys themselves in game foreswear,
So the boy Love is perjur'd every where.
For ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne,
He hail'd down oaths, that he was only mine;
And when this hail fome heat from Hermia felt,
So he disolv'd, and showers of oaths did melt.
I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight :
Then to the wood will he, to-morrow night,
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