from this place, do what they can: I will walk up and down here, and I will fing, that they fhall hear I am not afraid.

The oufel-cock, fo black of bue,

With orange-tawny bill,

The throftle with his note fo true,

The wren with little quill.

[Sings.

Queen. What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?

Bottom fings.

The finch, the fparrow, and the lark,
The plain fong cuckow gray,

Whofe note full many a man doth mark,

And dares not answer nay:

[Waking.

for, indeed, who would fet his wit to fo foolish a bird? who would give a bird the lye, tho' he cry cuckoo never fo.

Queen. I pray thee, gentle mortal, fing again:

3 Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,

So is mine eye enthralled to thy fhape;

And thy fair virtue's force (perforce) doth move me, On the first view to fay, to fwear I love thee.

Bot.

The ouzel cock,] i. e. The cock blackbird. Ben Jonfon ufes the word in The Devil is an Afs, Com.

stay till cold weather come,

"I'll help thee to an ouzel and a fieldfare." STEEVENS,

3 Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,

So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape ;

And thy fair virtue's force (perforce) doth move me,
On the firft view to fay, to fwear, I love thee.]

Thefe lines are in one quarto of 1600, the first folio of 1623, the fecond of 1632, and the third of 1664, &c. ranged in the following order:

Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,

On the firft view to fay, to jawear, I love thee;
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape,

And thy fair virtue's force (perforce) doth move me.

E 3

This

Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reafon for that: And yet, to fay the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days. The more the pity, that fome honeft neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can ✦ gleek, upon occafion.

Queen. Thou art as wife, as thou art beautiful.

Bot. Not fo neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to ferve mine

own turn.

Queen. Out of this wood do not defire to go;
Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.
I am a fpirit, of no common rate;

The fummer ftill doth tend upon my state,
And I do love thee: therefore go with nie;
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;

And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,
And fing, while thou on preffed flowers doft fleep:
And I will purge thy mortal groffness fo,
That thou shalt like an airy fpirit go.-
Peafebloffom! Cobweb! Moth! and Muftardfeed!
Enter four Fairies.

1 Fair. Ready.

2 Fair. And I.

3

Fair. And I.

4 Fair. And I: Where fhall we go?5

Queen. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman Hop in his waiks, and gambol in his eyes; Feed him with apricots, and dewberries,

This reading I have inferted, not that it can fuggeft any thing bet ter than the order to which the lines have been reftored by Mr. Theobald from another quarto, but to fhew that fome liberty of conjecture must be allowed in the revifal of works fo inaccurately printed, and fo long neglected. JOHNSON.

4-glek;] Joke or fcoff. POPE.

Where hall we go?] Perhaps this question fhould be propofed by the four fairies together. STEEVENS.

With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries;
The honey-bags fteal from the humble-bees,
And, for night-tapers, crop their waxen thighs,
And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes,
To have my love to bed, and to arife:

And pluck the wings from painted butterflies,
To fan the moon-beams from his fleeping eyes;
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtefies.

1 Fair. Hail, mortal, hail!7

2 Fair. Hail!

3 Fair. Hail!—

Bot. I cry your worship's mercy heartily. I befeech, your worship's name.

Cob. Cobweb.

Bot. I fhall defire of you more acquaintance, good master Cobweb: If I cut my finger, I fhall make bold with you -Your name, honeft gentleman ? Peafe. Peafebloffom.

Bot. I pray you, commend me to mistress Squafh your mother, and to mafter Peafcod your father. Good mafter Peafebloffom, I fhall defire of you more acquaintance too.-Your name, I beseech you, fir. Muf. Mustardfeed.

8

Bot. Good mafter Mustardfeed, I know your patience well that fame cowardly, giant like, ox-beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your house. I promife you, your kindred hath made my eyes water

6

-the fiery glow-worm's eyes,] I know not how Shake. fpeare, who commonly derived his knowledge of nature from his own obfervation, happened to place the glow-worm's light in his eyes, which is only in his tail. JOHNSON.

7

-bail ! Out of the four fairies, only three addrefs themselves to Bottom. If this falutation be given to the second fairy, the repetition of the fame word will ferve for the other two.

STEEVENS.

-patience] The Oxford edition reads, I know your parentage well, I believe the correction is right, JOHNSON.

ere now. I defire you more acquaintance, good mafter Muftardfeed.

Queen. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower. The moon, methinks, looks with a watry eye; And when the weeps, weeps every little flower, Lamenting fome enforced chastity!

Tie up my love's tongue, bring him filently.

SCENE II.

Enter Oberon.

[Exeunt.

Ob. I wonder, if Titania be awak'd;
Then, what it was that next came in her eye,
Which the muft doat on in extremity,

Enter Puck,

Here comes my meffenger. How now, mad fpirit?
What night-rule now about this haunted grove?
Puck. My mistress with a monster is in love.

Near to her clofe and confecrated bower,
While fhe was in her dull and fleeping hour,
A crew of patches,' rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play,
Intended for great Thefeus' nuptial day.
The fhallow'ft thick-fkin of that barren fort,
Who Pyramus prefented, in their sport
Forfook his fcene, and enter'd in a brake:
When I did him at this advantage take,
An afs's nowl I fixed on his head;
Anon, his Thisby must be answered,

my

And

STEEVENS.

love's tongue-] The old copies read,
my lover's tongue-

-patches, Patch was in old language ufed as a

term of opprobry; perhaps with much the fame import as we use raggamuffin, or tatter demalion. JOHNSON.

nol A head. Saxon. JOHNSON.

And forth my 3 minnock comes: When they him

spy,

As wild geefe, that the creeping fowler eye,
Or ruffet-pated choughs, many in fort,
Rifing and cawing at the gun's report,
Sever themselves, and madly fweep the sky;
So, at his fight, away his fellows fly:

And, at our ftamp, here o'er and o'er one falls
He murder cries, and help from Athens calls.
Their sense thus weak, loft with their fears thus ftrong,
Made fenfeless things begin to do them wrong:

So Chaucer, The Hiftory of Beryn, 2524,

"No fothly, quoth the steward, it lieth all in thy noll, "Both wit and wisdom."

STEEVENS.

-minnock-] This is the reading of the old quarto, and I believe right. Minnekin, now minx, is a nice trifling girl. Minnock is apparently a word of contempt. JOHNSON.

-fort,] Company. So above,

and in Waller,

-that barren fort;

A fort of lufty shepherds firive.

JOHNSON.

And at our flamp,-] This feems to be a vicious reading. Fairies are never reprefented ftamping, or of a fize that should give force to a ftamp, nor could they have diftinguished the stamps of Puck from thofe of their own companions. I read,

And at a stump bere o'er and o'er one falls.

So Drayton,

A pain be in his bead-piece feels,
Against a ftubbed tree he reels,
And up went poor bobgoblin's heels;
Alas, his brain was dizzy.-
At length upon bis feet be gets,
Hobgoblin fumes, Hobgoblin frets,
And as again be forward fets,

And through the bufbes fcrambles,
A ftump doth trip him in bis pace,
Down fill por Hob upon his face,
And lamentably tore his cafe,

Among the briers and brambles.

JOHNSON.

For