And make his eye-balls roll with wonted sight,
When they next wake, all this derision
Shall seem a dream, and fruitless vision ;
And back to Athens shall the lovers wend,

589
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 monster's view, and all things shall be peace.

Puck. My fairy lord, this must be done with haste; For night's swift dragons cut the clouds ful? fast, And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger; At whose approach, ghosts, wandering here and there, Troop home to church-yards : damned spirits all, That in cross-ways and floods have burial,

600
Already to their wormy beds are gone ;
For fear lest day should look their shames upon,
They wilfully themselves exile from light,
And must for aye consort with black-brow'd night.

0b. But we are spirits of another sort:
Į with the morning's love have oft made sport;
And, like a foreșter, the groves may tread,
Even 'till the eastern gate, all fiery-red,
Opening on Neptune with fair blessed beams,
Turns into yellow gold his salt-green streams.

610 But, notwithstanding, haste; 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;
Goblin, lead them up and down,
Here comes one,

!

1

Enter LYSANDER.
Lys. Where art thoji, proud Demetrius ? speak

thou now.
Puck. Here, villain; drawn and ready: Where

art thou ?
Lys. I will be with thee straight.

620
Puck. Follow me then
To plainer ground,

{LY5. goes out, as following Pem.

Enter DemeTRIUS,
Dem. Lysander! speak again.
Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled ?
Speak. In some bush? where dost thou hide thy

head ?
Puck. Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
Telling the bushes that thou look'st for wars,
And wilt not come? Come, recreant ; comę, thou

child;
I'll whip thee with a rod: He is defild,
That draws a sword on thee.

Dem. Yea; art thou there?
Puck. Follow my voice; we'll try no inanhovd

here.

630

[Excunt

Re-enter

Re-enter LYSANDER.
Lys. He goes before me, and still dares me on ;
When I come where he calls, then he is gone.
The villain is much lighter heel'd than I:
I follow'd fast, but faster he did fly;
That fallen am I in dark uneven way,
And here will rest me. Come, thou gentle day!

[Lies down. For if but once thou shew me thy grey light, I'll find Demetrius, and revenge this spight. 640

Re-enter Puck, and DemetriuS. Puck. Ho, ho, ho! coward, why comest thou not?

Dem. Abide me, if thou dar'st: for well I wot,
Thou runn'st before me, shifting every place;
And dar’st not stand, nor look me in the face.
Where art thou ?

Puck. Come hither; I am here.
Dem. Nay, then thou mock'st me. Thou shalt buy

this dear,
If ever I thy face by day-light see :
Now, go thy way. Faintness constraineth me
To measure out my.length on this cold bed. 650
By day's approach look to be visited. [Lies, down.

Enter HELENA.

Hel. O weary night, O long and tedious night,

Abate thy hours; shine, comforts, from the east; That I may back to Athens, by day-light, From these that my poor company detest :

And,

And, sleep, that sometime shuts

up

sorrow's eye, Steal me a while from mine own company. [Sleeps.

Puck. Yet but three? come one more;
Two of both kinds makes

up

four. Here she comes, curst, and sad:

660 Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor females mad.

Enter HERMIA.

Her. Never so weary, never so in woe,

Bedabbled with the dew, and torn with briers; I can no further crawl, no further go;

My legs can keep no pace with my desires. Here will I rest me, 'till the break of day. Heavens shield Lysander, if they mean a fray!

[Lies down. Puck, On the ground Sleep sound :

670 I'll apply

To your eye,
Gentle lover, remedy.
(Squeezing the Juice on LYSANDER's Eye.

When thou wak'st,
Thou tak'st
True delight

In the sight
Of thy former lady's eye:
And the country proverb known,
That every man should take his own,
In your waking shall be shown : 681

Jack

Jack shall have Jill;

Nought shall go ill; The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well, [Exit Puck.

[They sleep.

A Wood. Enter Queen of the Fairies, BOTTOM, Fairies
attending, and the King behind them.

Queen.
COME, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,

While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,
And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head,

And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.
Bot. Where's Pease-blossom?
Pease. Ready.

Bot. Scratch my head, Pease-blossom.-Where's
monsieur Cobweb ?
Cob. Ready.

9 Bot. Monsieur Cobweb; good monsieur, get your weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hip'd humble bee on the top of a thistle; and, good monsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur; and, good monsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loth to have you over-flown with a honey-bag, signior.Where's monsieur Mustard-seed ? Must. Ready.

Bot.