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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 still doth tend upon my state,
And I do love thee; therefore, go with me,
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 sleep:
And I will purge thy mortal groffness so,
That thou shalt like an airy fpirit go.
Peafeblossom! Cobweb! Moth and Mustardseed!

1 Fai. Ready. 2 Fai. And I.

3 Fai. And I.

SCENE III.

Enter four fairies.

4 Fai. And I, where fhall we go?

Queen. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman.
Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes;
Feed him with apricocks, and dewberries,
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 arise;
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 Fai. Hail, mortal, hail!

2 Fai. Hail!

3 Fai. Hail!

VOL. I.

Bot.

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 mafter Cobweb; if I cut my finger, I fhall make bold with you. Your name, honest gentleman?

Peafe. Peafebloom.

Bot. I pray you, commend me to miftrefs Squash your mother, and to mafter Peafecod your father. Good mafter Peafebloffom, I shall defire of you more acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, fir?

Muf. Mustardfeed.

Bot. Good mafter Mustardfeed, I know your parentage well: that fame cowardly, giant-like, ox-beef hath devour'd many a gentleman of your house. I promise you, your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now. I defire more of your acquaintance, good master Mustardfeed.

Queen. Come, wait upon him, lead him to my bower.
The moon, methinks, looks with a watry eye,

And when she weeps, weeps ev'ry little flower

Lamenting fome enforced chastity.

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

[Exeunt.

Ob.

I

SCENE IV.

Enter king of fairies folus.

Wonder if Titania be awak'd:

Then, what it was that next came in her eye,

Which the muft dote on in extremity.

Enter Puck.

Here comes my meffenger: how now, mad sprite!
What night-rule now about this haunted grove?

Puck.

Puck. My mistress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and confecrated bower,
While she 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-fkull of that barren fort,
Who Pyramus presented, in their sport
Forfook his scene, and enter'd in a brake;
When I did him at this advantage take,
An afs's nole I fixed on his head;
Anon, his Thisby must be answered,

And forth my mimick comes: when they him spy,
As wild geese 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 stamp here o'er and o'er one falls;
He murder cries, and help from Athens calls.

Their fense thus weak, loft with their fears thus ftrong,
Made fenfeless things begin to do them wrong.
For briars and thorns at their apparel fnatch,

Some fleeves, fome hats; from yielders all things catch.
I led them on in this distracted fear,

And left sweet Pyramus tranflated there:
When in that moment (fo it came pass)
Titania wak'd, and ftraightway lov'd an afs.
Ob. This falls out better than I could devife.
But hast thou yet lech'd the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?
Puck. I took him fleeping; that is finish'd too;
And the Athenian woman by his fide;

That, when he wakes, of force she must be ey’d.

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Enter Demetrius and Hermia.

Ob. Stand clofe; this is the fame Athenian.
Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man.
Dem. O, why rebuke you him that loves you fo?
Lay breath fo bitter on your bitter foe.

Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee worse;
For thou, I fear, haft giv'n me cause to curse:
If thou haft flain Lyfander in his fleep,

Being o'er fhoes in blood, plunge in the deep,
And kill me too.

The fun was not fo true unto the day,

As he to me. Would he have ftol'n away
From fleeping Hermia? I'll believe as soon,
This whole earth may be bor'd, and that the moon
May through the center creep, and so disease
Her brother's noon-tide with th' Antipodes.
It cannot be, but thou haft murther'd him;
So fhould a murtherer look, fo dread, fo grim.

Dem. So fhould the murther'd look, and so should I,
Pierc'd through the heart with your ftern cruelty :
you the murtherer look as bright, and clear,

Yet

As yonder Venus in her glimm'ring fphere.

Her. What's this to my Lyfander? where is he? Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?

Dem. I'ad rather give his carcafs to my hounds.

Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv'ft me past the bounds
Of maiden's patience. Haft thou flain him then?
Henceforth be never number'd among men !

O, once tell true, and even for my fake;
Durst thou have look'd upon him, being awake?
And haft thou kill'd him sleeping? o brave touch!
Could not a worm, an adder do fo much?
An adder did it, for with doubler tongue
Than thine, thou ferpent, never adder stung.

Dem.

Dem. You spend your paffion on a mispris'd mood; I am not guilty of Lyfander's blood,

Nor is he dead for ought that I can tell.

Her. I pray thee, tell me then, that he is well.
Dem. And if I could, what should I get therefore?
Her. A privilege, never to fee me more;

And from thy hated prefence part I fo:

See me no more, whether he's dead or no.

Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vein; Here therefore for a while I will remain :

So forrow's heavinefs doth heavier grow

For debt, that bankrupt fleep doth sorrow owe,
Which now in fome flight measure it will pay,
If for his tender here I make some stay.

SCENE VI.

[Exit.

[Lyes down.

Ob. What haft thou done? thou haft mistaken quite, And lay'd thy love-juice on fome true love's fight:

Of thy mifprifion muft, perforce, enfue

Some true love turn'd falfe, not a falfe turn'd true.

Puck. Then fate o'er-rules; for one man holding troth

A million fail, confounding oath on oath.

Ob. About the wood go fwifter than the wind,

And Helena of Athens see thou find.

All fancy-fick fhe is, and pale of cheer,

With fighs of love that coft the fresh blood dear;
By fome illufion fee thou bring her here;
I'll charm his eyes against she doth appear.
Puck. I go, I go; look, master, how I go;
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.
Ob. Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid's archery,
Sink in apple of his eye!
When his love he doth espy,
Let her fhine as gloriously

[Exit. [Anoints Demetrius's eyes.

As

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