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

[Exeunt.

do so.

SCENE III.
Another part of the Wood.

Enter TITANIA, with her train. 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-mices for their leathern

wings, To make my small elves coats; and some; keep

back The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and

wonders At our quaint spirits :9 Sing me now asleep; Then to your offices, and let me rest.

SONG.
1 Fai. You spotted snakes, with double tongue,

Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen ;
Newts,' and blind-worms,2 do no wrong;

Come not near our fairy queen :
CHORUS. Philomel, with melody,

Sing in our sweet lullaby ;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby:

Never harn, nor spell nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So, good night, with lullaby.

II

2 Fai. Weaving spiders, come not here;

Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence:
Beetles black, approach not near ;

Worm, nor snail, do no offence,
CHORUS. Philomel, with melody, fc.
1 Fai. Hence, away; 'now all is well :
One, aloof, stand sentinel.

[Exeunt Fairies. TITANIA sleeps.

Enter OBERON.
Obe. What thou seest, when thou dost wake,

(Squeezes the flower on TITANIA's eye-lids.
Do it for thy true love take;
Love, and languish for his sake:
Be it ounces, or cat, or bear,
Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
In thy eye that shall appear
When thou wak'st, it is thy dear;
Wake, when some vile thing is near. [Erit.

Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA.
Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the

wood;
And to speak troth, I have forgot our way;
We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good,
And tarry for the comfort of the day.

3 The small tiger.

mean, that

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

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, If Hermia meant to say, Lysander lied. 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 !

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.

Enter Puck.

Puck. Through the forest have I gone,

But Athenian found I none,
On whose eyes I might approve

I
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 not lie
Wear this lack-love, kill-courtesy.
Churl, upon thy eyes I throw
All the
power

this charm doth owe : 4
When thou wak’st, let love forbid
Sleep his seat on thy eye-lid.
So awake, when I am gone;
For I must now to Oberon.

[Erit.

Enter DEMETRIUS and Helena, running. Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet De

metrius. Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt

me thus. Hel. O, wilt thou darkling 5 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.

a

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

though? 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? Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, In such disdainful manner me to woo.