Obe. Silence, a while.-Robin, take off this head.Titania, musick call; and strike more dead Than common sleep, of all these five the sense. Tita. Musick, ho! musick; such as charmeth sleep. eyes peep. Obe. Sound, music. [Music still.] Come, my queen, take And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be. And will, to-morrow midnight, solemnly, There shall the pairs of faithful lovers be Puck. Fairy king, attend, and mark; Obe. Then, my queen, in silence sad, Tita. Come, my lord; and in our flight, That I sleeping here was found With these mortals, on the ground. [Exeunt. [Horns sound within. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train. The. Go, one of you, find out the forester; For now our observation is perform'd ;f e -fair posterity:] The first quarto reads prosperity. The second quarto and the folio read posterity, as in the text, which is most probably correct; as the concluding song of Oberon promises that the descendants of Theseus and Hippolyta shall be free from all the blots of nature. our observation is perform'd ;] The honours due to the morning of May. I know not why Shakspeare calls this play A Midsummer Night's Dream, when he so carefully informs us that it happened on the night preceding May day." Such is the remark of Dr. Johnson; to which Dr. Farmer has added" The title of this play seems no more intended to denote the precise time of action, than that of the Winter's Tale, which we find was at the season of sheep-shearing." I presume that to this play the name was given, from its light and fantastic events, being such as might be supposed to float on the imagination during the visions of a summer night. With regard to the Winter's Tale, the propriety of its title is shewn in the passage from Mr. Schlegel, which I have given in the introductory remarks to that beautiful and romantic comedy. And since we have the vaward' of the day, Of hounds and echo in conjunction. Hip. I was with Hercules, and Cadmus, once, The. My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind, Was never holla'd too, nor cheer'd with horn, In Crete, in Sparta, nor in Thessaly: Judge, when you hear.-But soft; what nymphs are these? This Helena, old Nedar's Helena: I wonder of their being here together. The. No doubt, they rose up early, to observe The rite of May; and, hearing our intent, Came here in grace of our solemnity. f vaward]-for vanward, the first line of an army, and used metaphorically for the first part of any thing else. g h chiding ;]-in this instance means only sound. flews are the large chaps of a deep-mouthed hound.-Sanded is being of the sandy colour, which marks a true blood-hound.-HANMER and STEEVENS. i rite of May;] The custom of going out into the fields early on Mayday, to celebrate the return of Spring, was observed by all ranks of people. Stowe says, "Edward Hall hath noted that K. Henry the Eighth, in the 7th of his raigne, on May-day, in the morning, with Queene Katherin, his wife, rode a Maying from Greenwitch to the high ground of Shooter's Hill."-Survey of London, p. 72. The custom was of most classical origin, being derived from the Florelia, a festival in honour of Flora, held by our Roman conquerors. At Hilston, in Cornwall, the annual holiday is still called Furry, evidently a corruption from Floralia. But, speak, Egeus; is not this the day That Hermia should give answer of her choice? The. Go, bid the huntsmen wake them with their horns. Horns, and shout within. DEMETRIUS, LYSANDER, 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. [He and the rest kneel to THESEUS. I pray you all, stand up. I know, you are two rival enemies; How comes this gentle concord in the world, To sleep by hate, and fear no enmity? Lys. My lord, I shall reply amazedly, Half 'sleep, half waking: But as yet, I swear, I came with Hermia hither: our intent Was to be gone from Athens, where we might be Ege. Enough, enough, my lord; you have enough: They would have stol'n away, they would, Demetrius, You, of your wife; and me, of my consent; Dem.. My lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth, Fair Helena in fancy' following me. But, my good lord, I wot not by what power, (But by some power it is,) my love to Hermia, Melted as doth the snow, seems to me now k Saint Valentine is past;] Alluding to the old saying, that birds begin to couple on St. Valentine's day.-STEEVENS. 1 -fancy-] Love. As the remembrance of an idle gawd," Was I betroth'd ere I saw Hermia: But, like in sickness, did I loath this food: The. Fair lovers, you are fortunately met: For in the temple, by and by with us, Come, Hippolyta. [Exeunt THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train. Dem. These things seem small, and undistinguishable, Like far-off mountains turned into clouds. Her. Methinks, I see these things with parted eye, When every thing else seems double. Hel. So methinks: And I have found Demetrius like a jewel, Mine own, and not mine own." It seems to me, Dem. m Her. Yea, and my father. Hel. And Hippolyta. Lys. And he did bid us follow to the temple. gawd,] i. e. Toy. n Mine own and not mine own.] Helena considers her property in Demetrius as insecure as that which a person has in a jewel that he has found by accident; and which may properly enough be called his own and not his own.MALONE. Dem. Why then, we are awake: let's follow him: And, by the way, let us recount our dreams. (As they go out, BOTTOм awakes.) [Exeunt. Bot. When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer : -my next is, Most fair Pyramus-Hey, ho!-Peter Quince! Flute, the bellows-mender! Snout, the tinker! Starveling! God's my life! stolen hence, and left me asleep! I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, -past the wit of man to say what dream it was: Man is but an ass, if he go about to expound this dream. Methought I was there is no man can tell what. Methought I was, and methought I had,—But man is but a patched fool, if he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen; man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of this dream it shall be called Bottom's Dream, because it hath no bottom; and I will sing it in the latter end of a play, before the duke: Peradventure, to make it the more gracious, I shall sing it at her death." [Exit. SCENE II. Athens. A Room in Quince's House. Enter QUINCE, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING. Quin. Have you sent to Bottom's house? is he come home yet? Star. He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt, he is transported. Flu. If he come not, then the play is marred; It goes not forward, doth it? Quin. It is not possible: you have not a man in all Athens, able to discharge Pyramus, but he. Flu. No; he hath simply the best wit of any handycraft man in Athens. patched fool,] That is, a fool in a particolour'd coat. Pat her death.] At the death of Thisbe. |