Queen. I pray thee, gentle Mortal, fing again,
Mine Ear is much enamour'd of thy Note;
On the first view to fay, to fwear I love thee,
So is mine Eye enthralled to thy Shape,
And thy fair Virtues force (perforce) doth move me. Bot. Methinks, Miftrefs, you should have little Reason for that: And yet, to fay the truth, Reafon and Love keep litt Company together, now a-days. The more the pity, that fome honeft Neighbours will not make them Friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occafion.
Queen. Thou art as Wife as thou art Beautiful.
Bot. Not fo neither: But if I had Wit enough to get out
of this Wood, I have enough to ferve mine own turn.
Queen. Out of this Wood do not defire to go,
Thou fhalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no,
I am a Spirit of no common Rate;
The Summer ftill doth tend upon my State,
And I do love thee; therefore go with me,
I'll give thee Fairies to attend on thee;
And they shall fetch thee Jewels from the Deep,
And fing, while thou on preffed Flowers doth fleep:
And I will purge thy mortal Grofness so,
That thou shalt like an airy Spirit go.
Enter Peafebloffom, Cobweb, Moth, Muftardfee d, and four Fairies.
1 Fair. Ready. 2 Fair. And I.
3 Fair. And I,
4 Fair. And I, Where fhall we go?
Queen. Be kind and courteous to this Gentleman.
Hop in his Walks, and Gambole in his Eye,
Feed him with Apricocks and Dewberries,
With purple Grapes, green Figs, and Mulberries,
The Honey Bags fteal from the Humble Bees,
And for Night Tapers crop their waxen Thighs,
And light them at the fiery Glow-worm's Eyes,
To have my Love to Bed, and to arife:
And pluck the Wings from painted Butterflies,
To fan the Moon-beams from his fleeping Eyes,
Nod to him Elves, and do him Courtefies.
Fair. Hail Mortal, Hail.
2 Fair. Hail.
3 Fair. Hail.
Bot. I cry your Worship's Mercy heartily, I beseech your Worship's Name.
Bot. I fhall defire of you more Acquaintance, good Mafter Cobweb; if I cut my Finger, I fhall make bold with you. Your Name, honeft Gentleman ?
Bot. I pray you commend me to Mistress Squash your Mother, and to Mafter Peafecod your Father. Good Mafter Peafebloom, I fhall defire of you more Acquaintance too. Your Name, I beseech you, Sir?
Bot. Good Mafter Mustardfeed, I know your Patience well: That fame cowardly Giant-like Ox-beef hath devour'd many a Gentleman of your Houfe. I promise you, your Kindred hath made my Eyes water e'er now. I defire more of your Acquaintance, good Mafter Mustardfeed.
Queen. Come wait upon him, lead him to my Bower.
The Moon, methinks, looks with a watry Eye,
And when the weeps, weep every little Flower,
Lamenting fome enforced Chastity.
Tye up my Lover's Tongue, bring him filently. [Exeunt.
Enter King of Fairies folus.
Ob. I wonder if Titania be awak'd:
Then what it was that next came in her Eye,
Which the muft dote on in Extremity.
Here comes my Mcffenger: How now mad Spirit,
What Nigh-rule now about this haunted Grove?
Puck. My Miftrefs with a Monster is in love.
Near to her clofe and confecrated Bower,
While he was in her dull and fleeping Hour,
A crew of Patches, rude Mechanicals,
That work for Bread upon Athenian Stalls,
Were met together to Rehearse a Play,
Intended for great Thefeus Nuptial Day.
The fhalloweft thick Skin of that barren fort,
Who Pyramus prefented, in their Sport
For fook his Scene, and entred in a Brake,
When I did him at this Advantage take,
An Afs's Nole I fixed on his Head;
Anon his Thisby must be answered,
And forth my Mimick comes; When they him fpy,
As wild Geefe, that the creeping Fowler eye,
Or ruffet-pated Choughs, many in fort,
Rifing and Kawing at the Gun's report,
Sever themselves, and madly fweep the Sky;
So at his fight, away his Fellows Ay,
And at our ftamp here o'er and o'er one falls;
He Murder cries, and help from Athens calls.
Their Senfe thus weak, loft with their Fears thus ftrong,
Made fenfelefs things begin to do them wrong.
For Briars and Thorns at their Apparel fnatch,
Some Sleeves, fome Hats, from Yielders all things catch.
I led them on in this distracted fear,
And left fweet Pyramus translated there:
When in that moment (fo it came to paf)
Titania wak'd, and straightway lov'd an Ass.
Ob. This falls out better than I could devife.
But haft thou yet latch'd the Athenian Eyes
With the Love Juice, as I did bid thee do?
Puck. I took him fleeping; that is finish'd too;
And the Athenian Woman by his fide,
That when he wak'd, of force the must be ey'd.
Enter Demetrius and Hermia.
Ob. Stand clofe, this is the fame Athenian.
Puck. This is the Woman, but not this the Man.
Dem. O why rebuke you him that loves you fo?
Lay Breath fo bitter on your bitter Foe.
Her. Now I but chide, but I fhould ufe thee worfes
For thou, I fear, haft given me cause to Curfe,
If thou haft flain Lyfander in his fleep.
Being o'er Shoes in Blood, plunge in the deep, and kill me too.
The Sun was not fo true unto the Day
As he to me, Would he have ftollen away
From fleeping Hermia? I'll believe as foon
This whole Earth may be bor'd, and that the Moon
May through the Center creep, and fo difplease
Her Brother's Noon-tide, with th' Antipodes.
It cannot be but thou haft murder'd him,
So fhould a Murtherer look, fo dead, fo grim.
Dem. So fhould the Murtherer look, and fo fhould I,
Pierc'd through the Heart with your ftern Cruelty:
Yet you the Murderer look as bright and clear,
As yonder Venus in her glimmering Sphere.
Her. What's this to my Lyfander? Where is he? Ah good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?
Dem. I'd rather give his Carkafs to my Hounds.
Her. Out Dog, out Cur, thou driv'it me paft the bounds
Of Maiden's Patience. Haft thou flain him then?
Henceforth be never numbred among Men.
Oh! once tell true, and even for my fake,
Durst thou a look'd upon him, being awake?
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 Serpent, never Adder stung.
Dem. You spend your Paffion on a mifpriz'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. And if I could, what should I get therefore?
Her. A Privilege never to fee me more;
And from thy hated Prefence part I. See me no more,
Whether he be dead or no.
[Exit Dem. There is no following her in this fierce Vein, Here therefore for à while I will remain.
So Sorrows heavinefs doth heavier grow :
For Debt that Bankrupt fleep doth Sorrow owe,
Which now in fome flight measure it will pay,
If for his tender here I make fome stay.
[Lies down.
Ob. What haft thou done? Thou haft mistaken quite,
And laid thy Love-Juice on fome true Love's fight:
Of thy Mifprision muft perforce enfue
Some true Love turn'd, and not a falfe 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 fee thou find.
All Fancy-fick he is, and pale of Cheer,
With fighs of Love, that cofts the fresh Blood dear;
By fome Illufion fee thou bring her here;
I'll charm his Eyes against the doth
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 she be by,
Beg of her for Remedy.
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 thefe Mortals be!
Ob. Stand afide: The noise they make
Will caufe Demetrius to awake.
Puck. Then will two at once woo one; That must needs be Sport alone.
And those things do beft please me,
That befal prepofterously.
Enter Lyfander and Helena.
Lyf. Why should you think that I should woo in fcorn?
Scorn and Derifion never come in Tears.
Look when I vow, I weep, and Vows fo born,
In their Nativity all Truth appears:
How can these things in me feem Scorn 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 Scales,
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.
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