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Midfommer Nights Dreame.

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Enter Thefeus, Hippolita, with others.

Thefeus.

OW faire Hippelita, our nuptiall houre Drawes on apace: foure happy daies bring in Another moone: but oh, me-thinks, how flow This old moone wanes: fhe lingers my defires Like to a step-dam, or a dowager,

Long withering out a young mans reuenew.

Hip. Foure daies will quickly fteepe themfelues in nights Foure daies will quickly dreame away the time:

And then the moone, like to a filuer bow,

Now bent in heauen, fhall behold the night
Of our folemnities.

The. Goe Philoftrate,

Stirre vp the Athenian youth to merriments,
Awake the peart and nimble spirit of mirth,
Turne melancholy foorth to funerals :
The pale companion is not for our pompe.
Hippolita, I woo'd thee with my fword,
And wonne thy loue, doing thee iniuries:
But I will wed thee in another key,

With pompe, with triumph, and with reuelling.

Enter Egeus and his daughter Hermia, and Lyfander,
Helena, and Demetrius.

Ege. Happy be Thefeus, our renowned duke.

The. Thanks good Egeus. What's the newes with thee? Ege. Full of vexation, come I, with complaint

Against my childe, my daughter Hermia.

My noble lord,

Stand fourth Demetrius.

This man hath my confent to marry her.

And my gracious duke,

Stand foorth Lyfander.

my childe:

This man hath bewitcht the bosome of
Thou, thou Lysander, thou haft giuen her rimes,
And interchang'd loue tokens with my childe:
Thou hast by moone-light at her window fung,
With faining voice, verfes of faining loue,
And stolne the impreffion of her fantasie,
With bracelets of thy haire, rings, gawdes, conceits,
Knacks, trifles, nofegaies, sweet meates (messengers
Of strong preuailement in vnhardened youth)
With cunning haft thou filcht my daughters heart,
Turnd her obedience (which is due to me)
To stubborne harshneffe. And my gracious duke,
Be it fo fhe will not here before your grace,
Confent to marry with Demetrius,

I beg the ancient priuiledge of Athens;
As fhe is mine, I may difpofe of her;
Which fhall be either to this gentleman,
Or to her death, according to our law,
Immediatly prouided in that cafe.

The. What fay you Hermia? be aduis'd, faire maid,
To you your father shoud be as a God:

One that compos'd your beauties; yea and one,

To whom you are but as a forme in wax

By him imprinted, and within his power,

Το

To leaue the figure, or disfigure it:
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
Her. So is Lyfander.

The. In himfelfe he is.

But in this kinde, wanting your fathers voyce,

The other must be held the worthier.

Her. I would my father lookt but with my eyes.
The. Rather your eyes must with his iudgement looke,
Her. I do intreate your grace to pardon me.

I know not by what power I am made bold,
Nor how it may concerne my modefty,

In fuch a prefence, here to plead my thoughts;
But I beseech your grace, that I may know
The worst that may befall me in this cafe,
If I refufe to wed Demetrius.

The. Either to die the death, or to abiure

For euer the fociety of men.

Therefore faire Hermia, queftion your defires,
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether (if you yeeld not to your fathers choyce)
You can endure the liuery of a nunne,

For aye to be in fhady cloifter mew'd.

To liue a barren fifter all your life,

Chanting faint hymnes to the colde fruitleffe moone..
Thrice blessed they that master so their blood,
To vndergo fuch maiden pilgrimage,

But earthlier happy is the rose distild,

Than that which withering on the virgin thorne,
Growes, liues, and dies, in fingle bleffedneffe.
Her. So will I grow, fo liue, fo dye my lord,

Ere I will yeeld my virgin patent vp

Vnto his lordship, whofe vnwifhed yoake

My foule confents not to giue fouerainty.

The. Take time to pause, and by the next new moone, The fealing day betwixt my loue and me,

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For

For everlasting bond of fellowship:
Vpon that day either prepare to dye,
For disobedience to your fathers will,.
Or else to wed Demetrius, as he wold,
Or on Dianaes altar to proteft,

For aye, aufterity, and fingle life.

Dem. Relent fweete Hermia, and Lyfander, yeeld Thy crazed title to my certaine right.

Lyf. You haue her fathers loue, Demetrius: Let me haue Hermias do you marry him.

Egeus. Scornfull Lyfander, true, he hath my loue; And what is mine, my loue shall render him. And she is mine, and all my right of her I do eftate vnto Demetrius.

Lys. I am my lord, as well deriu'd as hee, As well poffeft: my loue is more than his : My fortunes euery way as fairely ranckt

(If not with vantage) as Demetrius :

And (which is more than all these boasts can be)

I

am belou'd of beautious Hermia.

Why should not I then profecute my right?

Demetrius, Ile auouch it to his head,

Made loue to Nedars daughter, Helena,

And won her foule: and fhe (fweete lady) dotes,
Deuoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry,

Vpon this fpotted and inconftant man.

The. I must confesse, that I haue heard fo much, And with Demetrius, thought to haue fpoke thereof; But being ouer full of felfe-affaires,

My minde did lose it. But Demetrius come,

And come Egeus, you fhall go with me,

I haue fome priuate schooling for you both.

For you faire Hermia, looke you are your felfe,

*Loose it.

To fit your fancies to your fathers will;
Or elfe the law of Athens yeelds you vp
(Which by no meanes we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of fingle life.
Come my Hippolita; what cheare my loue?
Demetrius and Egeus goe along:

I must imploy you in fome bufineffe
Against our nuptiall, and conferre with you

Of fomething, neerely that concernes your felues.
Ege. With duty and defire, we follow you.

Exeunt Lyf. How now my loue? Why is your cheeké fo pale? How chance the rofes there do fade fo faft?

Her. Belike for want of raine; which I could well Beteeme them, from the tempeft of my eyes. A

Lys. Eigh me; for ought that I could euer reade,
Could euer heare by tale or hiftory,

The course of true loue neuer did runne smoothe,
But either it was different in bloud;"

Her. O croffe! too high to be inthrald to loue."
Lyf. Or elfe mifgraffed, in refpect of yeares;
Her. O fpight! too olde, to be ingag'd to yong.
Lyf. Or else it stood vpon the choife of friends;
Her. O hell, to choose loue by anothers eyes.
Lyf. Or, if there were a fimpathy in choise,
Warre, death, or fickneffe, did lay fiedge to it;
Making it momentany, as a found;

Swift as a fhadow; fhort as any dreame;

Briefe as the lightening in the collied night,

That (in a spleene) vnfolds both heauen and earth ...
And ere a man hath power to fay, behold,

The iawes of darknesse do deuoure it vp:
So quicke bright things come to confufion.

Her. If then true louers haue bin euer croft,

It stands as an edict in destiny:

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Then