you, leave your courtefy, good monfieur. Muft. What's your will?

Bot. Nothing, good monfieur, but to help cavalero Pease-bloffom to fcratch. I must to the barber's, monfieur; for, methinks, I am marvellous hairy about the face: and I am fuch a tender afs, if my hair do but tickle me, I must scratch.

Queen. What, wilt thou hear fome mufick, my fweet love?

Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in mufick: let us have the tongs and the bones.

Queen. Or, fay, sweet love, what thou defir'st to eat. Bot. Truly, a peck of provender; I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks I have a great defire to a bottle of hay good hay, fweet hay, hath no fellow.

Queen. I have a venturous fairy that shall feek

The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee thence new nuts.

Bot. I had rather have a handful, or two, of dried pease. But, I pray you, let none of your people ftir me; I have an expofition of fleep come upon me.

Queen. Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms, Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away.

f

So doth the woodbine, the fweet honey-fuckle,
Gently entwift,-the ' female ivy fo

Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.

O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!

Oberon advances. Enter Puck.

Ob. Welcome, good Robin. Seeft thou this sweet sight? Her dotage now I do begin to pity.

e Cobweb.

be all ways away.]-difperfe upon your different employments. woodbine,]-the plant. hboney-fuckle,]-the flower. i female ivy]-wanting the fupport of the elm, which is therefore called its husband.

For

For meeting her of late, behind the wood,
Seeking sweet * favours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her, and fall out with her :
For the his hairy temples then had 'rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
And that fame dew, which fometime on the buds
Was wont to fwell, like round and orient pearls,
Stood now within the pretty flourets' eyes,
Like tears, that did their own disgrace bewail.
When I had, at my pleasure, taunted her,
And the, in mild terms, begg'd my patience,
I then did afk of her her changeling child;
Which strait she gave me, and her fairy sent
To bear him to my bower in fairy land.
And, now I have the boy, I will undo
This hateful imperfection of her eyes.
And gentle Puck, take this transformed fcalp
From off the head of the Athenian fwain;
That he awaking when the others do,
May all to Athens back again repair;
And think no more of this night's accidents,
But as the " fierce vexation of a dream.
But first I will release the fairy queen;

Be, as thou waft wont to be;

[Touching her eyes with an herb.

See, as thou waft wont to fee:

Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower

Hath fuch force and bleffed power.

Now, my Titania; wake you, my fweet queen.
Queen. My Oberon! what vifions have I feen!
Methought, I was enamour'd of an afs.

* favours]-garlands-favours.

1 rounded]-furrounded.

fierce vexation]-lively impreffion, strong illusion.

Ob.

Ob. There lies your love.

Queen. How came these things to pafs?

Oh, how mine eye doth loath his visage now!
Ob. Silence, a while.-Robin, take off this head.-
Titania, mufick call: and strike more dead
Than common fleep, of all these five the fenfe.

Queen. Mufick, ho! mufick; fuch as charmeth fleep.
Puck. When thou awak'st, with thine own fool's eyes

peep.

Ob. Sound, mufick. [Still mufick.] Come my queen, take hands with me,

And rock the ground whereon these fleepers be.
Now thou and I are new in amity;

And will, to-morrow midnight, folemnly,
Dance in duke Thefeus' houfe triumphantly,
And bless it to all " fair pofterity:
There fhall thefe pairs of faithful lovers be
Wedded, with Thefeus, all in jollity.

Puck. Fairy king, attend, and mark;

I do hear the morning lark.

Ob. Then my queen, in filence fad,
Trip we after the night's fhade:

We the globe can compass foon,

Swifter than the wand'ring moon.

Queen, Come, my lord: and in our flight,

Tell me how it came this night,

That I fleeping here was found,

With these mortals, on the ground.

[Exeunt.

[Wind borns within.

"fair pofterity:]-with a numerous and fair pofterity-far pofterityto the remotest-fair profperity-to the enjoyment of it, that all things may profper in it.

fad,]-deep, ftill.

P Trip we after the night's fhade:-
"Following darkness as a dream."

A& V, S. 2. Puck.

Enter

Enter Thefeus, Egeus, Hippolita, and train.

The. Go, one of you, find out the forefter; For now our obfervation is perform'd:

9

And fince we have the ' vaward of the day,
My love shall hear the mufick of my hounds.-
'Uncouple in the western valley; go:-
Dispatch, I fay, and find the forefter.-
We will, fair queen, up to the mountain's top,
And mark the mufical confufion

Of hounds and echo in conjunction.

Hip. I was with Hercules, and Cadmus, once, When in a wood of Crete they bay'd the bear With hounds of Sparta: never did I hear

Such gallant chiding; for, befides the groves,
The skies, the fountains, every region near

W

Seem'd all one mutual cry: I never heard
So mufical a difcord, fuch fweet thunder.

The. My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind,
So flew'd, fo fanded, and their heads are hung

With ears that sweep away the morning dew;

Crook-knee'd, and dew-lap'd like Theffalian bulls;
Slow in purfuit, but match'd in mouth like bells,
Each under each. A cry more tuncable

Was never halloo'd to, nor cheer'd with horn,

In Crete, in Sparta, nor in Theffaly :

Judge, when you hear.-But, soft; what nymphs are these?
Ege. My lord, this is my daughter here asleep;
And this, Lyfander; this Demetrius is;

9 our obfervation is perform'd:]-obfervance of the time fixed for the nuptials; or the rites of May Day's morning.

i vaward]-the fore part; the day is yet but young. Uncoupl'd-let them go.

bay'd the bear]-chas'd the boar.

"gallant chiding ;]-melodious notes.

w mountains.

K fler'd, fo fanded, ]-deep-mouth'd; of a fandy colour.

This

This Helena, old Nedar's Helena :

I wonder at their being here together.

The. No doubt, they rofe up early, to obferve
The rite of May; and, hearing our intent,
Came here in grace of our folemnity.-
But, fpeak, Egeus; is not this the day

That Hermia fhould give answer of her choice?

Ege. It is, my lord.

The. Go, bid the huntfmen wake them with their horns.

Horns, and fhout within; Demetrius, Lyfander, Hermia, and Helena, wake and start up.

The. Good-morrow, friends. Saint Valentine is past; Begin these wood-birds but to couple now?

Lys. Pardon, my lord.

The. I pray you all, stand up.

[They all kneel to Thefeus.

I know, you two are rival enemies;

How comes this gentle concord in the world,
That hatred is fo far from jealousy,

To fleep by hate, and fear no enmity?

Lyf. My lord, I fhall reply amazedly,

Half 'fleep, half waking: But as yet, I fwear,
I cannot truly fay how I came here;

But, as I think, (for truly would I speak,-
And now I do bethink me, fo it is ;)

I came with Hermia hither: our intent

Was to be gone from Athens, where we might be

a

* Without the peril of the Athenian law.

Ege. Enough, enough, my lord; you have enough;

I beg the law, the law, upon his head,

They would have ftol'n away, they would, Demetrius,

* Saint Valentine]-the feafon for pairing.
by hate,]-the perfon hated.
Without the peril]-Beyond the reach.

Thereby