Ly. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not fo;
For you love Hermia; this, you know, I know..
And here with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,

Whom I do love, and will do to my death.

3

Hel. Never did mockers wafte more idle breath.
Dem. Lyfander, keep thy Hermia, I will none:
If e'er I fov'd her, all that love is gone.
My heart to her but, as gueft-wife, fojourn'd;
And now to Helen it is home return'd,

There ever to remain.

Ly. It is not fo.

Dem. Difparage not the faith, thou doft not know Left to thy peril thou abide it dear.

Look, where thy love comes, yonder is thy dear.

alid an sud Enter Hermia.

Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehenfion makes: Wherein it doth impair the feeing fenfe,

It pays the hearing double recompence.
Thou art not by mine eye, Lyfander, found;!
Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy found.rand
But why unkindly didft thou leave me for

Lyf Why should he stay, whom love doth prefs to go
Her. What love could press Lyfander from my fide?
Lyf. Lyfander's love, that would not let him bide,
Fair Helena who more engilds the night,
Than all yon fiery O's and eyes of light.

Why feek'st thou me could not this make thee know,
The hate, I bear thee, made me leave thee fa?

Her. You fpeak not, as you think: it cannot be.
Hel. Lo, he is one of this confed'racy;

Now, I perceive, they have conjoin'd all three,
To fafhion this falfe fport in fpight of me.
Injurious Hermia, moft ungrateful maid,

Have you confpir'd, have you with thefe contriv'd
To bait me with this foul derifion?

Is all the counfel that we two have shar'd, yangñ

The

The fifter's vows, the hours that we have spent,
When we have chid the hafty-footed time
For parting us; O! and is all forgot?

All fchool-days friendship, childhood innocence
We, Hermia, like two artificial Gods,

aidT

Created with our needles both one Дower,
Hour dons dni W
Both on one fampler, fitting on one cufhion;
Both warbling of one fong, both in one key
As if our hands, our fides, voices, and minds
Had been incorp rate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, feeming parted,
But yet an union in partition;

a

Two lovely berries molded on one ftem, you svol M
So with two feeming bodies, but one heart;
Two of the firft, like coats in heraldry, (19)
Due but to one, and crowned with one creft,
And will you rend our ancient love afunder,
To join with men in-fcorning your poor friend ?:
It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly;
Our fex, as well as I, may chide you for it;
Though I alone do feel the injury..

Her. I am amazed at your paffionate words:
Ifcorn you not;, it feems, that you fcorn me.
Hel. Have you not fet Lyfander, as in fcorn,
To follow me, and praife my eyes and face?
And made your other love, Demetrius,
(Who, even but now, did fpurn me with his foot),
To call me goddefs, nymph, divine, and rare,
Precious, celeftial? wherefore speaks he this,
To her he hates? and wherefore doth Lyfander
Deny your love, fo rich within his foul,
And tender me, forfooth, affection;
But by your fetting on, by your confent?
What though I be not fo in grace as you,
So hung upon with love, fo fortunate;

(19) Two of the firft life, coats in heraldry,

C

Due but to one, and crowned with one creft.] The true correc tion of this paffage I owe to the friendship and communication of the ingenious Martin Folks, Efq; · Two of the firft, fecond, &c. are terms peculiar in heraldry to distinguish the different quarterings of

But

L

moft, to love unlov'd ? yoy This you fhould pity, rather than defpife.

But miferald

Her. I understand not what you mean by this.
Hel. Ay, do, perfevere, counterfeit fad looks,
Mel.
upon me, when I turn my back **
Wink each at other, hold the fweet jeft up:
This fport, well carried, fhall be chronicled.
If you have any pity, grace, or manners,
You would d not make me fuch an argument:
But fare ye well,
'tis partly mine own fault,
Which death or abfence foon fhall remedy."
Lyf. Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excufe;
My love, my life, my foul, fair Helena.
Hel. O excellent!

Her. Sweet, do not fcorn her foala 2w1
Dem. If he cannot intreat, I can compel

du Ly. Thou canft compel, no more than the intreat Thy threats have no more ftrength, than her weak prayers. (20)

Helen, I love thee; by my life, I do:

I swear, by which I will lofe for thee, 1
To prove him falfe, that fays, I love thee not.
Dem. I fay, I love thee more than he can do.
Ly. If thou fay fo, withdraw and prove it too.
Dem. Quick, come.

Her. Lyjander, whereto tends all this w
Lyf. Away, you Ethiope!

Dem. No, no, he'll feem

To break away; take on as he would follow,

But yet come not; you are a tame man, go.

Lys.Hang off, thou cat, thou burr; vile thing, let loofe; Or I will shake thee from me, like a ferpent.be

00

(20) Thy threats have no more strength than her weak, praife. This fine is certainly but an enlargement upon, or rather a variation in terms of the fenfe of the preceding line. But, in that, there is a defign'd Antithefis betwixt.compel and intreat: this contract of terms is wanting, in threats and praife: wherefore we need make no difficulty of fubftituting prayers. Indeed, my fufpicion is, the Poet might have coin'd a fubftantive plural, (from the verb, to pray) prays; i. e. prayings, entreaties, befeechings; and the identity of found might give birth to the corruption of it into praife. But I have hofen the known and familiar word.

Her.

Her. Why are you grown fo rude? what change is this? fweet love?

Lyf. Thy love? out, tawny Tartar, out; Out, loathed medicine: hated poifon, hence. Her. Do you not jest?

Hel. Yes, footh, and fo do you.

ཏི ཨེཙྪ། ཚ ཝཱ ཝཱ

Lyf. Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee. i Dem. I would, I had your bond; for, I perceive, A weak bond holds you; I'll not trust your word. Lyf. What, fhould I hurt her, ftrike her, kill her dead? Although I hate her, I'll not harm her fo.

Her. What, can you do me greater harm, than hate? Hate me! wherefore? O me! what news, my love? Am not I Hermia ? are not you Lysander?

I am as fair now, as I was ere-while.

Since night, you lov'd me; yet, fince night, you left me;
Why then you left me-(0 the Gods forbid !)
In earnest, fhall I fay?

Lyf. Ay, by my life;

And never did defire to see thee more.

Therefore be out of hope, of question, doubts
Be certain, nothing truer; 'tis no jeft;
That I do hate thee, and love Helena.

Her. O me, you jugler; oh, you canker-bloffom, You thief of love; what, have you come by night, And ftoll'n my love's heart from him?

Hel. Fine, i' faith!

Have you no modesty, no maiden fhame,

No touch of bashfulness ? what, will you tear A
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue.?

Fy, fy, you counterfeit; you puppet, you.

Her. Puppet! why, fo: ay, that way goes the game.
Now, I perceive, that he hath made compare
Between our ftatures; the hath urg'd her height;
And with her perfonage, her tall perfonage,
Her height, forfooth, fhe hath prevail'd with him.
And are you grown fo high in his esteem,
Because I am fo dwarfish and fo low?

How low am I, thou painted maypole? fpeak,
How low am I? I am not yet fo low,
But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.

Hel

Hel. I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen, Let her not hurt me: I was never curft;"

I have no gift at all in fhrewishnefs;

I am a right maid, for my cowardice:

Let her not strike me. You, perhaps, may think,
Because the's fomething lower than myself,
That I can match her q

Her Lower! hark, again.

Hel Good Hermia, do not be fo bitter with me; Levermora did love you, Hermia,

never wrong'd you;

LE

Did ever keep your counfels
Save that, in love unto Demetrius,
I told him of your ftealth unto this wood ::
He follow'd you, for love I follow'd him, 11
But he hath chid me hence, and threaten'd men
To ftrike me, fpurn me, nay to kill me too; o
And now, fo you will let me quiet go,
To Athens will I bear my folly back,

And follow you no further. Let me go. A
You fee, how fimple and how fond I am.

Hen. Why, get you gone? who is't, that hinders you ?
Hel. A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.
Her. What, with Lyfander?

Lyf. Be not afraid, she shall not harm thee, Helena. Dem. No, Sir, the fhall not, though you take her part. Hel. O, when she's angry, fhe is keen and fhrewd, She was a vixen, when the went to school;roy oval! And though the be but little, fhe is fierce.uosovi Her. Little, again? nothing but low, and little? Why will you fuffer her to flout me thus ?Ì ‚VI Let me come to her

Lyf Get you gone, you dwarf, 1974 I WJ You Minimus, of hind'ring knot-grafs made, (21) You beady you acorn. 1

(21) You Minimus,

and I can scarce be w

Demo

This is no term of art, that I can find;

mafculine of an adturane was not fo deficient in

grammar. I have not

disturb the text; but the Author,

perhaps, might have wrote go on me

You, Minim, you,