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 so.. [Exeunt.

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;

CHORUS.

Newts, and blind-worms, do no wrong;
Come not near our fairy queen: :
Philomel, with melody,

Sing in our sweet lullaby;

Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby:

7 A kind of dance. 1 Efts.

8 Bats.

9 Sports.

2 Slow-worms.

Never harm, nor spell nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;

So, good night, with lullaby.

II

2 Fai. Weaving spiders, come not here;

CHORUS.

Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence:
Beetles black, approach not near;
Worm, nor snail, do no offence,

Philomel, with melody, &c.

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.

Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA.

[Exit.

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.

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. mean, that my heart unto yours is knit ;

I

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
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
Near 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.

Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running.

[Exit.

Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

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.

?

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.