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This palpable grofs Play hath well beguil'd
The heavy gait of night.-Sweet friends to bed.
A fortnight hold we this folemnity,
In nightly revels and new jollity,

SCENE III.

Enter Puck.

Puck. Now the hungry lion roars, And the wolf behowls the moon: Whilst the heavy ploughman fnores, All with weary tafk fore-done. Now the wafted brands do glow,

Whilft the fcritch-owl, schrieking loud, Puts the wretch, that lies in woe,

In remembrance of a fhroud.
Now it is the time of night,

That the graves, all gaping wide,
Every one lets forth his fpright,
In the church-way paths to glide
And we Fairies, that do run
By the triple Hecat's team,
From the presence of the fun,
Following darkness like a dream,
Now are frolick; not a moufe,
Shall disturb this hallow'd house:

2 In the old copies: And the Wolf beholds the moon :] As 'tis the Defign of thefe Lines so characterize the Animals, as they prefent themselves at the Hour of Midnight; and as the Wolf is not justly characteriz'd by faying he beholds the Moon; which all other Beatts of Prey, then awake, do and as the Sounds thefe Animals make at

[Exeunt.

that Seafon, feem also intended to be reprefented; I make no Quellion but the Poet wrote;

And the Wolf behowls the Moon. For fo the Wolf is exactly characteriz'd, it being his peculiar Property to. bowl at the Moon. (Beborul, as bemoan, bejeem, and an hundred others.)

WARBURTON.
I am

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Enter King and Queen of Fairies, with their train:

Ob. Through this house give glimmering light,
By the dead and drowsy fire,

Every elf, and every spright,

Hop as light as bird from brier;

And this ditty after me

Sing, and dance it trippingly.

Queen. First rehearse this song by rote,
To each word a warbling note.
Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we fing and bless this place.
Ob. Now until the break of day, 5
Through this houfe each Fairy ftray.

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4

To .

idle

Of little frifling Elves and
Apes.

To earth do make their wanton

Scapes,

As hope of paftime baftes
them.

I think it should be read,

Through this House in glimmering
Light.

5 This fpeech, which both the old quartos give to Oberon, is in the Edition of 1623, and in all the following, printed as the fong. I have reftored it to Oberon, as it apparently contains not the bleffing which he intends to bestow on the bed, but his declaration that he will blefs it, and his or

ders

To the best bride-bed will we,

Which by us fhall bleffed be:
And the iffue, there create,
Ever fhall be fortunate;
So fhall all the couples three
Ever true in loving be:

And the blots of nature's hand
Shall not in their iffue ftand;
Never mole, hare lip, nor scar,
Nor mark prodigious, fuch as are
Defpifed in nativity,

Shall upon their children be.
With this field dew confecrate,
Every Fairy take his gait,
And each feveral chamber bless,
Through this palace, with fweet peace.
Ever fhall it fafely rest,

And the owner of it bleft.

Trip away,

Make no stay;

Meet me all by break of day.

Puck. If we fhadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended;
That you have but flumber'd here,
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theam
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend;
If you pardon, we will mend.

ders to the Fairies now to perform the neceffary rites. But where then is the fong -I am afraid it is gone after many other things of greater value. The truth is that two fongs are loft. The feries of the fcene is this; after the fpeech of Puck, Obe. ron enters, and calls his Fairies to a fong, which fong is apparently wanting in all the copies. Next

Titania leads another fong which is indeed loft like the former, though the Editors have endeavoured to find it. Then Oberon difmiffes his Fairies to the difpatch of the ceremonies.

The fongs, I fuppofe, were loft, becaufe they were not inferted in the players parts, from which the drama was printed.

And

And as I am honeft Puck,

If we have unearned luck

Now to 'scape the ferpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long:
Elfe the Puck a liar call:

So, good night unto you

all.

Give me your hands, if we be friends; ▾ And Robin fhall restore amends.

6 Now to 'Scape the ferpent's tongue.]

That is, If we be dismiss'd with out hiffes.

7 Give me your hands.] That is, Clap your hands. Give us your applause.

Of this play there are two editions in quarto, one printed for Thomas Fifer, the other for James Roberts, both in 1600.

[Exeunt omnes.

I have used the copy of Roberts, very carefully collated, as it feems, with that of Fisher. Neither of the editions approach to exactnefs. Fiber is fometimes preferable, but Roberts was followed, though not without fome variations, by Hemings and Condel, and they by all the folios that fucceeded them.

THE

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