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Ob. Thou feeft, these lovers feek a place to fight:
Hie therefore, Robin, overcaft the night;
The starry welkin cover thou anon
With drooping fog, as black as Acheron;
And lead these tefty rivals fo aftray,
As one come not within another's way.
Like to Lyfander fometime frame thy tongue,
Then ftir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
And fometimes rail thou like Demetrius;
And from each other look thou lead them thus,
'Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep:
Then crush this herb into Lyfander's eye;
Whose liquor hath this 'virtuous property,
To take from thence all error, with his might,
And make his eye-balls roll with wonted fight.
When they next wake, all this 'derifion
Shall feem a dream, and fruitless vifion;

And back to Athens fhall the lovers 'wend,
With league, whofe date 'till death fhall 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 fhall be peace.
Puck. My fairy lord, this must be done with haste;
For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast,
And yonder fhines Aurora's harbinger;

At whofe approach, ghosts, wandering here and there,
Troop home to church-yards: damned spirits all,
That in cross-ways and floods have burial,

Already to their wormy beds are gone;

For fear left day should look their shames upon,

virtuous property,]-falutary effect,

derifion]-fcene of mockery.

E 2

wend,]-go.

They

They wilfully themselves exile from light,
And must for aye confort with black-brow'd night.
Ob. But we are spirits of another fort:

u

I with the morning's love have oft made sport;

And, like a forefter, the groves may tread,
Even till the eastern gate, all fiery-red,
Opening on Neptune with fair bleffed beams,
Turns into yellow gold his falt-green streams.
But, notwithstanding, hafte; make no delay :
We may effect this bufinefs yet ere day.

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.

Enter Lyfander.

[Exit Ob.

Lys. Where art thou, proud Demetrius? fpeak thou

now.

Puck. Here, villain; drawn and ready. Where art thou? Lys. I will be with thee ftraight.

Puck. Follow me then

To plainer ground.

[Lyf. goes out, as following Dem..

Enter Demetrius.

Dem. Lyfander! fpeak again.

Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled?
Speak-In fome bufh?-where doft thou hide thy head?
Puck. Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
Telling the bushes that thou look'ft for wars,

And wilt not come? Come, recreant; come, thou child;

the morning's love bave oft made fport ;]-have oft paid a sportsman's devoirs to the morning;-or the words may allude to the amours of Tithonus and Aurora-morning light.

"In fome busb?]-Art thou crept into fome bufb?

I'll whip thee with a rod: He is defil'd,

That draws a fword on thee.

Dem. Yea; art thou there?

Puck. Follow my voice; we'll try no manhood here.

Re-enter Lyfander.

Lyf. 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 fafter he did fly;

That fallen am I in dark uneven way,

[Exeunt.

And here will rest me. Come, thou gentle day! [Lies down.
For if but once thou fhew me thy grey light,
I'll find Demetrius, and revenge this fpight.

Re-enter Puck and Demetrius.

Puck. Ho, ho, ho! coward, why comeft thou not? Dem. Abide me, if thou dar'ft: for well I wot,

Thou runn'st before me, fhifting every place;

And dar'st not stand, nor look me in the face.
Where art thou?

Puck. Come hither; I am here.

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Dem. Nay, then thou mock'ft me. Thou shalt buy

this dear,

If ever I thy face by day-light fee:

Now

go thy way. Faintness constraineth me To measure out my length on this cold bed.By day's approach look to be vifited.

Enter Helena.

[Lies down.

Hel. O weary night, O long and tedious night,
Abate thy hours; fhine, comforts, from the east;

* Ho, bo, bo!-An exclamation peculiar to Puck, and the burden of his fong, wherein he recounts his frolicks.

buy this dear,]-pay dearly for it.

E 3

That

That I may back to Athens, by day-light,

From these that my poor company deteft :And, fleep, that fometime shuts up forrow's eye, Steal me a while from mine own company.

Puck. Yet but three? come one more;

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[Sleeps.

Her. Never fo weary, never fo 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 defires.

Here will I reft me, 'till the break of day.
Heavens shield Lyfander, if they mean a fray! [Lies down.
Puck. On the ground

a

* Sleep found:

I'll apply

[blocks in formation]

Gentle lover, remedy.

[Squeezing the juice on Lyfander's eye.

When thou wak'st,

ь

b Thou tak❜ft

True delight

In the fight

Of thy former lady's eye:

And the country proverb known,
That every man fhould take his own,
In your waking shall be shown:

curft,]-peevish, vexed.
See thou tak ft.

a Sleep thou found.

Jack

Jack fhall have Jill;
Nought fhall go ill;

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

[They fleep.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

A Wood.

Enter Queen of the Fairies, Bottom, Fairies attending, and the King behind them.

Queen. Come, fit thee down upon this flowery bed,
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,

And stick musk-roses in thy fleek smooth head,
And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.

Bot. Where's Pease-bloffom?

Pease. Ready.

Bot. Scratch my head, Pease bloffom.-Where's monfieur Cobweb?

Cob. Ready.

Bot. Monfieur Cobweb; good monfieur, get your weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hip'd humble bee on the top of a thistle; and, good monfieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monfieur; and, good monfieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loth to have you overflown with a honey-bag, fignior.-Where's monfieur Mus tard-feed?

Muft. Ready.

Bot. Give me your neif, monfieur Muftard-feed. Pray

coy,]-stroke.

d neif,]-fift.

E,4

you,

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