The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

756 Have brought about their annual reckoning. If this austere insociable life

Let not the cloud of sorrow justle it
From what it purpos'd; since, to wail friends lost
Is not by much so wholesome-profitable
As to rejoice at friends but newly found.

Prin. I understand you not: my griefs are
double.

760 Ber. Honest plain words best pierce the ear of grief;

And by these badges understand the king.
For your fair sakes have we neglected time,
Play'd foul play with our oaths. Your beauty,

ladies,

768

764 Hath much deform'd us, fashioning our humours Even to the opposed end of our intents; And what in us hath seem'd ridiculous, As love is full of unbefitting strains; All wanton as a child, skipping and vain; Form'd by the eye, and, therefore, like the eye, Full of stray shapes, of habits and of forms, Varying in subjects, as the eye doth roll To every varied object in his glance: Which parti-coated presence of loose love Put on by us, if, in your heavenly eyes, Have misbecome our oaths and gravities, 776 Those heavenly eyes, that look into these faults, Suggested us to make. Therefore, ladies,

772

Change not your offer made in heat of blood; 808
If frosts and fasts, hard lodging and thin weeds,
Nip not the gaudy blossoms of your love,
But that it bear this trial and last love;
Then, at the expiration of the year,
Come challenge me, challenge me by these de-

serts,

812

816

And, by this virgin palm now kissing thine,
I will be thine; and, till that instant, shut
My woful self up in a mourning house,
Raining the tears of lamentation
For the remembrance of my father's death.
If this thou do deny, let our hands part;
Neither intitled in the other's heart.
King. If this, or more than this, I would deny,
To flatter up these powers of mine with rest,
The sudden hand of death close up mine eye!
Hence ever then my heart is in thy breast. 824
Ber. And what to me, my love? and what to
me?

820

Ros. You must be purged too, your sins are rack'd:

You are attaint with faults and perjury; Therefore, if you my favour mean to get, 828 A twelvemonth shall you spend, and never rest, But seek the weary beds of people sick.

Dum. But what to me, my love? but what to

me?

Our love being yours, the error that love makes Is likewise yours: we to ourselves prove false, By being once false for ever to be true

781

To those that make us both, -fair ladies, you: And even that falsehood, in itself a sin,

Thus purifies itself and turns to grace.

784

Prin. We have receiv'd your letters full of

love;

Your favours, the embassadors of love;

With three-fold love I wish you all these three. Dum. O! shall I say, I thank you, gentle wife? Kath. Not so, my lord. A twelvemonth and a day

792

And, in our maiden council, rated them

At courtship, pleasant jest, and courtesy, 788 I'll mark no words that smooth-fac'd wooers

Have we not been; and therefore met your loves In their own fashion, like a merriment.

say:

Dum. Our letters, madam, show'd much

Come when the king doth to my lady come; 837 Then, if I have much love, I'll give you some. Dum. I'll serve thee true and faithfully till then.

more than jest.

Long. So did our looks. Ros.

We did not quote them so. King. Now, at the latest minute of the hour, Grant us your loves. Prin. A time, methinks, too short To make a world-without-end bargain in. 797 No, no, my lord, your Grace is perjur'd much, Full of dear guiltiness; and therefore this: If for my love, as there is no such cause, - 800 You will do aught, this shall you do for me: Your oath I will not trust; but go with speed To some forlorn and naked hermitage, Remote from all the pleasures of the world; 804 There stay, until the twelve celestial signs

THESEUS, Duke of Athens.
EGEUS, Father to Hermia.

LYSANDER,

DEMETRIUS,

in love with Hermia.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

HERMIA, Daughter to Egeus, in love with
Lysander.

HELENA, in love with Demetrius.

PHILOSTRATE, Master of the Revels to Theseus. OBERON, King of the Fairies.

QUINCE, a Carpenter.

SNUG, a Joiner.

TITANIA, Queen of the Fairies.

PUCK, or Robin Goodfellow.

PEASE-BLOSSOM,
COBWEB,

Мотн,

MUSTARD-SEED,

Fairies.

HIPPOLYTA, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed Other Fairies attending their King and Queen.

to Theseus.

Attendants on Theseus and Hippolyta.

SCENE.-Athens, and a Wood near it.

ACT I.

SCENE I.-Athens. The Palace of THESEUS.
Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE,

and Attendants.

The. Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace: four happy days bring in Another moon; but O! methinks how slow

This old moon wanes; she lingers my desires, 4 With feigning voice, verses of feigning love;

Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments; 12 Consent to marry with Demetrius,

Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;

Turn melancholy forth to funerals;

The pale companion is not for our pomp.

Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword,
And won thy love doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,

With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.

Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and
DEMETRIUS.

Ege. Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke!
The. Thanks, good Egeus: what's the nows
with thee?

The. What say you, Hermia? be advis'd, fair maid.

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.

Her. I do entreat 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 befall 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,
Whe'r, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun,

But, being over-full of self-affairs,
My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you shall go with me,

120

64 I have some private schooling for you both, 116
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will,
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 Hippolyta: what cheer, my love?
Demetrius and Egeus, go along:
I 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.

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, whose unwished yoke

My soul consents not to give sovereignty.

124

[Exeunt THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, DEMETRIUS, and Train.

Lys. How now, my love! Why is your cheek

128

so pale? How chance the roses there do fade so fast? Her. Belike for want of rain, which I could well

The. Take time to pause; and, by the next Beteem them from the tempest of mine eyes.

new moon,

Lys. Ay me! for aught that ever I could

Or on Diana's altar to protest

Her. O cross! too high to be enthrall'd to low.

136

For aye austerity and single life.

Dem. Relent, sweet Hermia; and, Lysander,

yield

Thy crazed title to my certain right.

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

Lys. Or else misgraffed in respect of years, —
Her. O spite! too old to be engag'd to young.
Lys. Or else it stood upon the choice of

Her. O hell! to choose love by another's

Ege. Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my

Lys. Or, if there were a sympathy in choice,

love,

And what is mine my love shall render him; 96
And she is mine, and all my right of her
I do estate unto Demetrius.

War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it,
Making it momentany as a sound,

Lys. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he, As well possess'd; my love is more than his; 100 And ere a man hath power to say, 'Behold!'

Swift as a shadow, short as any dream,
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,
That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,

144

160

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, 165
Where I did meet thee once with Helena,
To do observance to a morn of May,
There will I stay for thee.
Her.

Lys. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold.
To-morrow night, when Phœbe doth behold 209
Her silver visage in the wat'ry glass,
Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass, -
A time that lovers' flights doth still conceal, -
Through Athens' gates have we devis'd to steal.
Her. And in the wood, where often you and I

My good Lysander! 168 Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie,

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,
173
When the false Troyan under sail was seen,
By all the vows that ever men have broke, -
In number more than ever women spoke, - 176
In that same place thou hast appointed me,
To-morrow truly will I meet with thee.

Lys. Keep promise, love. Look, here comes
Helena.

move.

197

Emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet, 216
There my Lysander and myself shall meet;
And thence from Athens turn away our eyes,
To seek new friends and stranger companies.
Farewell, sweet playfellow: pray thou for us;
And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius! 221
Keep word, Lysander: we must starve our sight
From lovers' food till morrow deep midnight.
Lys. I will, my Hermia. - [Exit HERMIA.]
Helena, adieu:

224

As you on him, Demetrius dote on you! [Exit.

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; 229
And as he errs, doting on Hermia's eyes,
So I, admiring of his qualities.

237

241

Things base and vile, holding no quantity, 232
Love can transpose to form and dignity.
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is wing wing'd Cupid painted painted blind.
Nor hath Love's mind of any judgment taste;
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste:
And therefore is Love said to be a child,
Because in choice he is so oft beguil'd.
As waggish boys in game themselves forswear,
So the boy Love is perjur'd every where;
For ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne,
He hail'd down oaths that he was only mine;
And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt,
So he dissolv'd, and showers of oaths did melt.
I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight:
Then to the wood will he to-morrow night
Pursue her; and for this intelligence
If I have thanks, it is a dear expense:
But herein mean I to enrich my pain,
To have his sight thither and back again. [Exit.

246

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