Other Fairies attending their King and Queen: Attendants on Theseus and Hippolita.
SCENE, Athens, and a Wood not far from it.

ACT I.

Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
To stubborn harshness: And, my gracious duke,
Be it so she will not here before your grace
Consent to marry with Demetrius,
I beg the ancient privilege of Athens;
As she is mine, I may dispose of her:
Which shall be either to this gentleman,
Or to her death; according to our law,
Immediately provided in that case.

[maid:
The. What say you, Hermia? be advised, tair
To you your father should be as a god;
One that compos'd your beauties; yea, and one
To whom you are but as a form in wax,
By him imprinted, and within his power
To leave the figure, or disfigure it.
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
Her. So is Lysander.

The. In himself he is:

But, in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
The other must be held the worthier.

tier. I would my father look'd but with my eyes.
The. Rather your eyes must with his judgnient

look.

Her. I do intreat your grace to pardon me.
I know not by what power I am made bold;
Nor how it may concern my modesty,

In such a presence here, to plead my thoughts:
But I beseech your grace, that I may know
The worst that may befal me in this case,
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 desires,
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 aye to be in shady cloister mew'd,
To live a barren sister all your life,
Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon.
Thrice blessed they, that master so their blood,
To undergo such 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 soul consents not to give sovereignty.
The. Take time to pause; and by the next new
moon,

(The sealing-day betwixt my love and me,
For everlasting bond of fellowship)

Dem. Relent, sweet Hermia;-And, Lysander, Thy crazed title to my certain right.

5

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 fortunes every way as fairly rank'd,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius';

And, which is more than all these boasts can be,
10I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia:
Why should not I then prosecute my right?
Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,
And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes,
13 Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolaty,
Upon this spotted and inconstant man.

The. I must confess, that I have heard so much,
And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof;
But, being over-full of self-affairs,

20 My mind did lose it.-But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you shall go with me,

I have some private schooling for you both.-
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
23 Or else the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of single life.-
Come, my Hippolita; What cheer, my love?—
Demetrius, and Egeus, go along:

30I must employ you in some business
Against our nuptial; and confer with you
Of something, nearly that concerns yourselves.
Ege. With duty, and desire, we follow you.
[Exeunt Thes. Hip. Egeus, Dem. and train.
Lys. How now, my love? Why is your cheek

35

40

so pale?

How chance the roses there do fade so fast? [well
Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could
Beteem' them from the tempest of mine eyes.

Lys. Ah me! for aught that I could ever 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 enthrall'd to low!
45 Lys. Or else misgraffed, in respect of years;—
Her. O spight! too old to be engag'd to young!
Lys.Or else it stood upon the choice of friends:-
Her. O hell! to chuse love by another's eye!
Lys. Or if there were a sympathy in choice,
50 War, death, or sickness, did lay siege,to it;
Making it momentary as a sound,

Swift as a shadow, short as any dream;
Brief as the lightning in the colly'd3 night
That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,
55 And ere a man hath power to say,-Behold!
The jaws of darkness do devour it up:

So quick bright things come to confusion.
Iler. If then true lovers have been ever cross'd,
It stands as an edict in destiny:

Upon that day either prepare to die,

For disobedience to your father's will;

Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would;

Or on Diana's altar to protest,

For aye, austerity and single life.

[yield

Lys. You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him.

60

1i. e. consider your youth. 2i. e. give them.

3i. e. black.

↑ Meaning, in a sudden hasty fit.

As

Then let us teach our tryal patience,
Because it is a customary cross;

As due to love, as thoughts, and dreams, and sighs,|
Wishes, and tears, poor fancy's followers.

Lys. A good persuasion; therefore, hear me,
Hermia.

I have a widow aunt, a dowager

Of great revenue, and she hath no child :
From Athens is her house remote seven leagues;
And she respects me as her only son.
There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;
And to that place the sharp Athenian law
Cannot pursue 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 observance to a morn of May,
There will I stay for thee.

Her. My good Lysander!

I swear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow;
By his best arrow with the golden head ;
By the simplicity of Venus' doves;

By that which knitteth souls, and prospers loves;
And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage queen,
When the false Trojan under sail was seen;
By all the vows that ever men have broke,
In number more than ever women spoke ;-
In that same place thou hast appointed me,
To-morrow truly will I meet with thee. [Helena.
Lys. Keep promise, love: Look, here comes
Enter Helena.

Lys. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold:
To-morrow night, when Phoebe doth behold
Her silver visage in the watry glass,

Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass,
5 (A time that lover's flights doth still conceal)
Through Athens' gates have we devis'd to steal.

Her. And in the wood, where often you and I Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to Ïye, Emptying our bosoms of their counsels swell'd; 10 There my Lysander and myself shall meet: And thence, from Athens, turn away our eyes, To seek new friends and strange companions. Farewell, sweet playfellow: pray thou for us, And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius!15 Keep word, Lysander: we must starve our sight From lovers' food, 'till morrow deep midnight. [Exil Herm. Lys. I will, my Hermia.-Helena, adieu : you on him, Demetrius doat on you!

20

As

[Exit Lys. Hel. How happy some, o'er other some, can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so; He will not know what all but he do know. 25 And as he errs, doating on Hermia's eyes, So I, admiring of his qualities.

Her. God speed, fair Helena! Whither away? 30
Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unsay.
Demetrius loves your fair1: O happy fair! [air]
Your eyes are lode-stars; and your tongue's sweet
More tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear, [pear.
When wheat is green, when haw-thorn buds ap-35
Sickness is catching: O, were favour' so!
Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;
My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye,
Mytongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody

Things base and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can transpose to form and a guity.
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted band:
Nor hath Love's mind of any judgment ta te;
Wings, and no eyes, figure unheedy haste:
And therefore is Love said to be a child,
Because in choice he is so oft beguild.
As waggish boys themselves in game forswear,
So the boy Love is perjur'd every where:
For ere Demetrius lock'd on Hermia's eyne,
He hail'd down oaths, that he was only mine;
And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt,

Were the World mine, Demetrius being bated,40so he dissolv'd, and showers of oaths did melt.

The rest I'll 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. Oh, that your frowns would teach my

smiles such skill!

Her. I give him curses, yet he gives me love.
Hel. Oh, that my prayers could such affection

move!

45

Her. The more I hate, the more he follows me. 50
Hel. The more I love, the more he hateth me.
Her. His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine.
Hel. None but your beauty; would that fault
were mine!
[face:

Her. Take comfort; he no more shall see my 55
Lysander and myself will fly this place.—
Before the time I did Lysander see,
Seem'd Athens as a paradise to me:

O then, what graces in my love do dwell,

That he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell!

That is, your beauty, or your complexion.

2

I will go tell him of air Herinia's night;

Then to the wood wil he to-morrow night,
Pursue her; and for this mtelligence

If I have thanks, it is a dear expence;

But herein mean I to enrico my pain,

To have his sight thither, and back again. [Exit.

Enter Quince the carpenter, Snug the joiner, Bottom the weaver, Flute the bellows-mender, Snout the tinker, and Starceling the taylor.

Quin. Is all our company here? Bot. You were best to call them generally, nian by man, according to the scripo.

Rein. Here is the scrowl of every man's name, which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude before the duke and dutchess, on 60his wedding-day at night.

The lode-star is the leading or guiding-star, that is, the pole-star. Favour, here means feature, countenance. To translate, here implies to change, to transform. 1 i; e. in sport, in jest. i. e. the writing, or paper. N

Bot.

Bot. First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on; then read the names of the actors; and so grow to a point.

Quin. Marry our play is-the most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and 5 Thisby.

Bot. A very good piece of work, I assure you, and a merry.-Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the scrowl: Masters, spread yourselves.

Quin. Answer, as I call you.-Nick Bottom the

weaver.

Bot. Ready: Name what part I am for, and proceed.

10

Quin. You, Nick Bottom, are set down for 15 Pyramus.

Bot. What is Pyramus? a lover or a tyrant ? Quin. A lover, that kills himself most gallantly for love.

Star. Here, Peter Quince. Quin. Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby's mother.-Tom Snout, the tinker.

Snout. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. You, Pyramus's father; myself, Thisby's father;-Snug the joiner, you, the lion's part:and, I hope, there is a play fitted.

Snug. Have you the lion's part written? Pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study 1. Quin. You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring.

Bot. Let me play the lion too: I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me; I will roar, that I will make the duke say, Let him roar again, let him roar again.

Quin. An you should do it too terribly, youwould fright the dutchess and the ladies, that they would shriek; and that were enough to hang us all.

All. That would hang us every mother's son.

Bot. I grant you, friends, if that you should fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have.no more discretion but to hang us: but I will aggravate my voice so, that I will roar you as gently as any sucking-dove; I will roar you an 25twere any nightingale.

Bot. That will ask some tears in the true per-20 forming of it: if I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will move storms, I will condole in some measure. To the rest::-Yet my chief humour is for a tyrant: I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, to make all split.

"The raging rocks,
"And shivering shocks,
"Shall break the locks

"Of prison-gates:
"And Phibbus' car
"Shall shine from far,

"And make and mar

"The foolish fates."

Quin. You can play no part but Pyramus: for Pyramus is a sweet-fac'd man; a proper man, as one shall see in a summer's day; a most lovely, gentleman-like man; therefore you must needs 30 play Pyramus.

Bot. Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best to play it in?

Quin. Why, what you will.

Bot. I will discharge it in either your straw-co

This was lofty-now name the rest of the play-35loured beard, your orange tawney beard, your ers.-This is Ercles' vein, a tyrant's vein; a lover is more condoling.

Quin. Francis Flute, the bellows-mender.
Flu. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. You must take Thisby on you.
Flu. What is Thisby a wandering knight?
Quin. It is the lady that Pyramus must love.
Flu. Nay, faith, let me not play a woman;
have a beard coming.

Quin. That's all one; you shall play it in a mask, and you may speak as small as you will.

I

Bot. An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too: I'll speak in a monstrous little voice;"Thisne, Thisne,-Ah, Pyramus, my lover dear;] Thy Thisby dear! and lady dear!"

Quin. No, no, you must play Pyramus, and

Flute, you Thisby.

Bot. Well, proceed.

Quin. Robin Starveling the taylor.

purple-in-grain beard, or your French-crowncolour beard', your perfect yellow.

Quin. Some of your French-crowns 3 have no hair at all, and then you will play bare-fac❜d.— 40 But, masters, here are your parts: aud I am to entreat you, request you, and desire you, to con them by to-morrow night: and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the town, by moonlight; there will we rehearse; for if we meet in the city, we shall be dog'd with company, and our devices known. In the mean time, I will draw a bill of properties, such as our play wants. I pray you, fail me not.

45

50

Bot. We will meet; and there we may rehearse
more obscenely, and courageously.
Take pains;
be perfect; adieu.

Quin. At the duke's oak we meet.
Bot. Enough; Hold, or cut bow-strings".

[Exeunt.

To study a part, in the language of the theatre, is to get it by rote. 2 This alludes to the custom of wearing coloured beards. See note 2, p. 77. * See note, p. 68. Dr. Warburton says, this proverbial phrase came originally from the camp. When a rendezvous was appointed, the militia foldiers would frequently make excuse for not keeping word, that their bowstrings were broke, i. e. their arms unserviceable. Hence when one would give another absolute assurance of meeting him, he would say proverbially-Hold or cut bow-strings-i. e. whether the bow-string held or broke."

Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough briar,
Over park, over pale,

5

II.

Neighing in likeness of a silly foal:
And sometimes lurk I in a gossip's bowl,
In very likeness of a roasted crab;

And, when she drinks, against her lips I bob,
And on her wither'd dew-lap pour the ale.
The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale,
Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me;
Then slip 1 from her bum, down topples she,
And taylor cries, and falls into a cough:

16 And then the whole quire hold their hips and loffe, And waxen 10 in their mirth, and neeze and swear A merrier hour was never wasted there.-

15

201

Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander every where,
Swifter than the inoones sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green;
The cowslips tail her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in ev'ry cowslip's ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits, I'll be gone;
Our queen and all our elves come here anon.
Puck. The king doth keep his revels here to night;
Take heed, the queen come not within his sight.
For Oberon is passing fell and wrath,
Because that she, as her attendant, hath
A lovely boy, stolen from an Indian king;
She never had so sweet a changeling :
And jealous Oberon would have the child
Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild:
But she, per-force, withholds the loved boy, [joy
Crowns him with flowers, and makes him all her
And now they never meet in grove or green,
By fountain clear, or spangled star-light sheen',
But they do square; that all their elves for fear, 35
Creep into acorn cups,and hide them there. [quite,

Fai. Either I mistake your shape and making
Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite,
Call'd Robin Good-fellow: are you not he,
That frights the maidens of the villag'ry;
Skim milk; and sometimes labour in the quern",
And bootless make the breathless huswife churn;
And sometime make the drink to bear no barm";
Mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm?
Those that Hobgoblin call you, and sweet Puck,
You do their work, and they shall have good luck
Are not you he?

Puck. Thou speak'st aright;

I am that merry wanderer of the night.
I jest to Oberon, and make him smile,

When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,

2

:|

25

30

Enter Oberon, king of Fairies, at one door with bis train, and the queen at another, with her.

Ob. Ill met by moon-light, p-oud Titania.
Queen. What, jealous Oberon? tairy, skip hence;
I have forsworn his bed and company.

Ob. Tarry, rash wanton; Am not I thy lord?
Queen. Then I must be thy lady: But I know
When thou hast stolen away from firy land,
And in the shape of Corin sat all day,
Playing on pipes of corn, and versang love
To amorous Phillida. Why art thou here,
Come from the farthest steep of India?
But that, for-ooth, the bouncing Amazón,
Your buskin'd mistress, and your warrior love,
To Theseus must be wedded; and you come
To give their bed joy and prosperity.

Gb. How can'st thou thus, for shame, Titania,
Glance at my credit with Hippolita,
Knowing I know thy love to Theseus; [night
Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering
From Perigune, whom he ravish'd?

And make him with fair Egle break his faith, 40 With Ariadne and Antiopa?

Queen. These are the forgeries of jealousy:
And never since the middle summer's spring",
Met we on hill, in dale, forest, or mead,
By paved fountain, or by rushy brook,

45Or on the beached margent of the sea,
To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind,
But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport.
Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,
As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea
50 Contagious Togs; which talling in the land,
Have every peiting river made so proud,

This alludes to the circles supposed to be made by the fairies on the ground, whose verdure proceeds from the fairy's care to water them. Lob, lubber, boby, lobcock, all imply both indolence of body and dulness of mind. i. e. shining. 4 To square here signities, to quarrel. A quern is a hand

8

mill. Barm is a name for yeast, still used in our midland counties. Pick is said to bave been an old Gothick word, signifying end or d vil. In Staffordshire the epithet of aunt is still applied indiscriminately to old women, and is there pronounced naunt. This may perhaps allude to a custom of crying taylor at a sudden fall backwards, as a person who slips beside his chair falis as a taylor squats upon his board. i. e. encrease. "By the middle summer's spring, our author seems to mean the beginning of middle or mid summer. i. e. despicable, mean.

12

N 2

That