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. Fíe, 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,
To die upon the hand I love so well.
[Exeunt Dem. and Hel.
Obe. Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave
Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love.
Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer.
Puck. Ay, there it is.
Obe.
I pray thee, give it me,
I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,
Where ox-lips2 and the nodding violet grows;
Quite over-canopied with lush woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania, some time of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in:
And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes,
And make her full of hateful fantasies.
Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove:
A sweet Athenian lady is in love
With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes;
do it, when the next thing he espies
be the lady: thou shalt know the man
the Athenian garments he hath on.
Effect it with some care; that he may prove
More fond on her, than she upon her love:
And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow.
Puck. Fear not, my lord, your servant shall do
SCENE III.-Another part of the wood.
Titania, with her train.
And to speak truth, I have forgot our way; We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good,
And tarry for the comfort of the day.
Her. Be it so, Lysander: find you out a bed,
For I upon this bank will rest my head.
Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both.
One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.
Her. Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear,
Lie further off yet, do not lie so near.
Lys. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence,
Love takes the meaning, in love's conference.
I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit,
So that but one heart we can make of it:
Two bosoms interchained with an oath;
So then, two bosoms, and a single troth.
Then, by your side no bed-room me deny ;
For, lying so, Hermia, I do not lie.
Her. Lysander riddles very prettily:-
Now much beshrew my manners and my pride,
[Exeunt. If Hermia meant to say, Lysander lied.
Enter But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy
Lie further off; in human modesty
Such separation, as, may well be said,
Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid:
So far be distant; and good night, sweet friend:
Thy love ne'er alter, till thy sweet life end!
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-mice' for their leathern wings,
To make my small elves coats: and some, keep
Lys. Amen, amen, to that fair prayer, say I; And then end life, when I end loyalty! Here is my bed: sleep give thee all his rest! Her. With half that wish the wisher's eyes be press'd! [They sleep.
Puck. Through the forest have I gone,
But Athenian found I none,
On whose eyes I might approve
This flower's force in stirring love.
Night and silence! who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
This is he, my master said,
Despised the Athenian maid;
And here the maiden, sleeping sound,
On the dank and dirty ground.
Pretty soul! she durst nct lie
Near this lack-love, kill-courtesy.
Churl, upon thy eyes I throw
All the power this charm doth owe:
By.. (2) The greater cowslip. (3) Vigorous. (7) Efts. (8) Slow-worms. (9) The small tiger. A kind of dance. (5) Bats.
When thou wak'st, let love forbid
Sleep his seat on thy eyelid.
So awake, when I am gone;
For I must now to Oberon.
Enter Demetrius and Helena, running. Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius. Dem. charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.
Hel. O, wilt thou darkling1 leave me? do not so.
Dem. Stay, on thy peril; I alone will go.
[Exit Demetrius.
Hel. O, I am out of breath in this fond chase!
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.
Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies;
For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.
How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears:
If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear;
For beasts that meet me, run away for fear:
Therefore, no marvel, though Demetrius
Do, as a monster, fly my presence thus.
What wicked and dissembling glass of mine
Made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyne?
But who is here ?-Lysander! on the ground!
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound :-
Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake.
Lys. And run through fire I will, for thy sweet
sake.
[Waking.
Transparent Helena! Nature here shows art,
That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart.
Where is Demetrius ? O, how fit a word
Is that vile name, to perish on my sword!
Hel. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so: What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what
Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content.
Lys. Content with Hermia? No: I do repent
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia, but Helena I love :
Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reason sway'd;
And reason says you are the worthier maid.
Things growing are not ripe until their season:
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason;
And touching now the point of human skill,
Reason becomes the marshal to my will,
And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook
Love's stories written in love's richest book.
Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?
When, at your hands, did I deserve this scorn?
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can,
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my insufficiency?
Her. [Starting.] Help me, Lysander, help me. do thy best,
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
for pity!-what a dream was here!
Lysander, look, how I do quake with fear:
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey :-
Lysander! what, remov'd? Lysander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Alack, where are you? speak, an if you hear;
Speak, of all loves; I swoon almost with fear.
No?-then I well perceive you are not nigh:
Either death, or you, I'll find immediately. [Eriz.
SCENE I.-The same. The queen of fairies lving asleep. Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom. Flute, Snout, and Starveling.
Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal: this green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our tyring-house; and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the duke.
Quin. What say'st thou, bully Bottom ? Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?
Snout. By'rlakin,' a parlous fear.
Star. I believe, we must leave the killing out, when all is done.
Bot. Not a whit; I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue: and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords: and that Pyramus is not killed indeed: and, for the more better assurance, tell them, that I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them out of fear.
Quin. Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six.
Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.
Snout. Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion? Star. I fear it, I promise you.
Bot. Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to bring in, God shield us! a lion among ladies, is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion, living; and we ought to look to it.
Snout. Therefore, another prologue must tell he
Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, is not a lion.
In such disdainful manner me to woo.
But fare you well: perforce I must confess,
I thought you lord of more true gentleness.
O, that a lady, of one man refus'd,
Should, of another, therefore be abus'd!
Lys. She sees not Hermia :-Hermia, sleep thou
there;
And never may'st thou come Lysander near!
For, as a surfeit of the sweetest things
The deepest loathing to the stomach brings;
Or, as the heresies, that men do leave,
Are hated most of those they did deceive;
Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect,-Ladies, or fair ladies, I would wish [Exit. you, or, I would request you, or, I would entreat you, not to fear, not to tremble: my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life: no, I am no such thing; I am a man as other men are:-and there, indeed, let him name hia name; and tell them plainly, he is Snug the joiner.
Quin. Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things; that is, to bring the moon-light into a chamber: for you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moon-light.
Snug. Doth the moon shine, that night we play our play?
(3) By our ladykin. (4) Dangerous. (5) Terrible.
Bot. A calendar, a calendar! look in the alma-| nac; find out moon-shine, find out moon-shine. Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night.
Bot. Why, then you may leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open; and the moon may shine in at the casement.
Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them, to make me afeard."
Snout. O Bottom, thou art changed! what do I see on thee?
Bot. What do you see? you see an ass's head
Quin. Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and say, he comes to dis-of your own; Do you? figure, or to present, the person of moon-shine. Then there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby, says the story, did talk through the chinks of a wall. Snug. You never can bring in a wall.-What say you, Bottom?
Quin. Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated. [Exit. Bot. I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me; to fright me, if they could. But I will not Bot. Some man or other must present wall: and stir from this place, do what they can: I will walk let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some up and down here, and I will sing, that they shall rough-cast about him, to signify wall; or let him hear I am not afraid. hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper.
Quin. If that may be, then all is well: Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake,' and so every one according to his cue.
Puck. What hempen home-spuns have we swag-]
gering here,
So near the cradle of the fairy queen?
What, a play toward? I'll be an auditor;
An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause.
Quin. Speak, Pyramus:-Thisby, stand forth.
Pyr.
Thisby, the flowers of odious savours
sweet,-
Quin. Odours, odours.
Pyr. -Odours savours sweet:
So doth thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.But, hark, a voice! stay thou but here a while, And by and by I will to thee appear. Exit. Puck. A stranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here! [Aside.-Exit.
This. Must I speak now?
Quin. Ay, marry, must you: for you must understand, he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.
This. Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,
Of colour like the red-rose on triumphant brier, Most briskly juvenal,2 and eke most lovely Jew, As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire, Pll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb. Quin. Ninus tomb, man: why you must not speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus; you speak all your part at once, cues and all.-Pyramus enter; your cue is past; it is, never tire. Re-enter Puck, and Bottom with an ass's head. This. O,-As true as truest horse, that yet would
Pyr. If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine :-
Quin. O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted.
Pray, masters! fly, masters! help! [Exe. Clowns.
Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round,
Through bog, through bush, through brake, through
brier;
Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound,
A hog, a beardless bear, sometime a fire;
And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.
(1) Thicket. (2) Young man.
The ousel-cock, so black of hue,
With orange-tawny bill,
The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill;
Tita. What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?
[Waking.
The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,
The plain-song cuckoo' gray,
Whose note full many a man doth mark,
And dares not answer, nay ;
for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a
bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he
cry, cuckoo, never so?
Tita. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me,
On the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee.
Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days: the more the pity, that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek," upon occasion.
Tita, Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.
Bot. Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine
Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. am a spirit, of no common rate;
Tita. Out of this wood do not desire to go;
The summer still doth tend upon my state,
And I do love thee: therefore, go with me;
And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep:
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;
And sing, while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep:
And I will purge thy mortal grossness so,
That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.
Peas-blossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustard-seed!
Enter four Fairies.
(3) The last words of the preceding speech, (4) Afraid. (5) The cuckoo, with his uniform note, which serve as a hint to him who is to speak next.|(6) Joke. (7) Gooseberries.
I led them on in this distracted feat.
That, when he wak'd, of force she must be ey'd.
Enter Demetrius and Hermia.
Obe. Stand close; this is the same Athenian.
Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man
Dem. O why rebuke you him that loves you so s
Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thes
Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.
This whole earth may be bor'd; and that the moo
From sleeping Hermia? I'll believe as soon,
Her brother's noon-tide with the Antipodes.
May through the centre creep, and so displease
So should a murderer look; so dead, so grim.
It cannot be, but thou hast murder'd him;
Dem. So should the murder'd look; and so
should I,
[Exeunt. Pierc'd through the heart with your stern cruelty
Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, as clear,
SCENE II.-Another part of the wood. Enter As yonder Venus in her glimmering sphere.
Her. What's this to my Lysander? where is he
Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?
Dem. I had rather give his carcase to my hounds
Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv'st me past
Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him then?
O! once tell true, tell true, even for my sake;
Henceforth be never number'd among men!
Durst thou have look'd upon him, being awake,
And hast thou kill'd him sleeping? O brave touch;"
Could not a worm, an adder, do so much?
An adder did it: for with a doubler tongue
Than thine, thou serpent, never adder stung.
Dem. You spend your passion on a mispris'd'
mood:
I am not guilty of Lysander's blood;
Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell.
Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.
Dem. And if I could, what should I get there.
And forth my mimics comes: when they him spy, See me no more, whether he be dead or no.. [Exit.
1) Revelry.
(3) Stupid company. (4) Head. (5) Actor.
Dem. There is no following her in this fierce
Here, therefore, for a while I will remain.
So sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow
For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe;
Which now, in some slight measure it will pay,
[Lies down.
If for his tender here I make some stay.
Obe. What hast thou done? thou nastanistaker
quite,
Of thy misprision must perforce ensue
And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight:
Some true-love turn'd, and not a false turn'd true
(8) Mistaken
(7) Exploit.
(6) Infected.
Puck. Then fate o'er-rules; that one man
A million fail, confounding oath on oath.
hold-When, I am sure, you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia;
And now both rivals, to mock Helena:
Obe. About the wood go swifter than the wind, A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,
And Helena of Athens look thou find :
All fancy-sick' she is, and pale of cheer
With sighs of love, that cost the fresh blood
By some illusion see thou bring her here;
I'll charm his eyes, against she do appear.
Puck. I go, I go; look, how I go;
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.
Obe. Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid's archery,
Sink in apple of his eye!
When his love he doth espy,
Let her shine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.-
When thou wak'st, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy.
Puck. Captain of our fai, band,
Helena is here at hand;
And the youth, mistook by ne,
Pleading for a lover's fee;
Shall we their fond pagean see?
Lord, what fools these mor als be!
Obe. Stand aside: the no se they make,
Will cause Demetrius to a vake.
Puck. Then will two at once, woo one;
That must needs be sport alone;
And those things do best please me,
That befal preposterously.
Enter Lysander and Helena.
Lys. Why should you think, that I should woo
in scorn?
Scorn and derision never come in tears:
Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born,
In their nativity all truth appears.
How can these things in me seem scorn to you,
Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true?
Hel. You do advance your cunning more and
Lys. Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
Dem. [Awaking.] O Helen, goddess, nymph,
perfect, divine!
To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show
Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!
That pure congealed white, high Taurus' snow,
Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow,
When thou hold'st up thy hand: O let me kiss
This princess of pure white, this seal of bliss!
Hel. O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
To set against me for your merriment.
If you were civil, and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you must join, in souls,3 to mock me too?
If you were men, as men you are in show,
You would not use a gentle lady so;
To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,
(1) Love-sick. (2) Countenance.
(3) Heartily. (4) Degree. (5) Pay dearly for it.
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes,
With your derision! none, of noble sort,
Would so offend a virgin; and extort
A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport.
Lys. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so;
For you love Hermia; this, you know, I know:
And here, with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Whom I do love, and will do to my death.
Hel. Never did mockers waste more idle breath.
Dem. Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none:
If e'er I lov'd her, all that love is gone.
My heart with her, but as guestwise, sojourn'd
And now to Helena is it home return'd,
There to remain.
Lys.
Dem. Disparage not the faith thou dost not know Lest, to thy peril, thou aby it dear."
Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear.
Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function
takes,
The ear more quick of apprehension makes;
Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense,
It pays the hearing double recompense:-
Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found;
Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound.
But why unkindly didst thou leave me so?
Lys. Why should he stay, whom love doth press
Her. What love could press Lysander from my side?
Lys. Lysander's love, that would not let him
'bide,
Fair Helena; who more engilds the night
Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light.
Why seek'st thou me? could not this make thee
know,
The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so?
Her. You speak not as you think; it cannot be.
Hel. Lo, she is one of this confederacy!
Now I perceive they have conjoin'd, all three,
To fashion this false sport in spite of ine.
Injurious Hermia! most ungrateful maid!
Have you conspir'd, have you with these contriv'd
To bait me with this foul derision?
Is all the counsel that we two have shar'd,
The sisters' vows, the hours that we have spent,
When we have chid the hasty-footed time
For parting us,-0, and is all forgot?
All school-days' friendship, childhood innocence?
We, Hermia, like two artificial' gods,
Have with our neelds created both one flower,
Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion,
Both warbling of one song, both in one key:
As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds,
Had been incorporate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, seeming parted;
But yet a union in partition,
Two lovely berries moulded on one stem:
So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart;
Two of the first, like coats in heraldry,
Due but to one, and crown'd with one crest.
And will you rent our ancient love asunder,
To join with men in scorning your poor friend!
It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly.
(6) Circles. (7) Ingenious.
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