And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,
And fing, while thou on preffed flowers doft fleep;
And I will purge thy mortal grofsnefs fo,
That thou fhalt like an airy fpirit go.

Peafebloffom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardfeed!

S CE NE

Enter four Fairies.

1 Fair. Ready.

2 Fair. And I.

III.

營

3

Fair. And I.

4 Fair. And I: where fhall we go?

Queen, Be kind, and courteous to this gentleman;
Hop in his walks, and gambole 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 Fair. Hail, mortal, hail!

2. Fair, Hail!

3 Fair. Hail!

Bot. I cry your worship's mercy heartily; I be feech 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, honeft gentleman. Peafe. Peafebloffom.

Bot. I pray you, commend me to mistress Squash your mother, and to mafter Peafecod your father.

Good

Good master Peafebloffom, I fhall defire of you more acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, Sir. Muf. Muftardfeed.

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

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

Tie up my love's tongue, bring him filently. [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 sprite,
What night-rule now about this haunted grove?
Puck. My mistress with a monster is in love,

Near to her close and confecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping 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 it thick-skin of that barren fort,
Who Pyramus prefented, in their fport

[(a) parentage. Oxford Edit. Vulg patience well.]

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,

eye,

And forth my minnock comes: when they him spy.
As wild geefe, that the creeping fowler
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 fenfe 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 fweet Pyramus tranflated there:
When in that moment (fo it came to pass)
Titania wak'd, and ftraitway lov'd an ass.

Ob. This falls out better, than I could devife.
But haft thou yet latch'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 fhe must be ey❜d.

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 fhould use thee worse; For thou, I fear, haft given me cause to curse;

If

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 so true unto the day,

As he to me.

Would he have stoll'n away

From fleeping Hermia? I'll believe as foon,

This whole earth may be bor'd; and that the moon May through the center creep, and so displease

Her brother's noon-tide i'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 fo fhould I,
Pierc'd through the heart with your stern cruelty:
Yet you the murtherer look as bright, and clear,
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,

Durft 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 ftung.
Dem. You fpend your paffion on a mifpris'd mood;
I am not guilty of Lyfander's blood,

Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell.

Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.

2 Her brother's noon tide WITH th' Antipodes.] She fays, fhe would as foon believe, that the moon, then fhining, could creep through the centre, and meet the fun's light on the other fide the Globe. It is plain therefore we should read

I'TH' Antipodes, i. e. in the Antipodes where the fun was then fhining.

Dem. And if I could, what fhould 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.

[Exit.

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 sleep doth forrow owe; Which now in fome flight measure it will pay, If for his Tender here I make fome ftay. [Lies down. Ob. What haft thou done? thou haft miftaken quite, And laid thy love-juice on fome true love's fight: Of thy mifprifion must perforce enfue

Some true love turn'd, and not a falfe turn'd true. Puck. Then fate o'er-rules, that, one man holding troth,

A million fail, confounding oath on oath.

Ob. About the wood go fwifter than the wind, And Helena of Athens, fee, 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 fhe doth appear.
Puck. I go, I go; look, how I go;

Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.
Ob. Flower of this purple dye,

[Exit.

Hit with Cupid's archery,

Sink in apple of his eye!
When his love he doth efpy,
Let her fhine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.
When thou wak'ft, if the be by,
Beg of her for remedy.

Enter Puck.

Puck. Captain of our fairy band,

Helena is here at hand,

And