Dem. Relent, fweet Hermia; and, Lyfander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right.

Lyf. You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's; do you marry him.

Ege. Scornful Lyfander! true, he hath my love;
And what is mine, my love fhall render him.
And she is mine, and all my right of her
I do eftate unto Demetrius.

Ly. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well poffeft: my love is more than his :
My fortune's every way as fairly rank'd,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius's:

And, which is more than all thefe boasts can be,
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia.

Why should I not then profecute my right?
Demetrius (I'll avouch it to his head)
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena;
And won her foul; and fhe, fweet lady, doats,
Devoutly doats, doats in Idolatry,

Upon this spotted and inconftant man.

The. I must confess, that I have heard fo much,
And with Demetrius thought t'have spoke thereof;
But, being over full of self-affairs,

My mind did lofe it. But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you fhall go with me;
I have some private fchooling for you both.
For you, fair Hermia, look, you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or elfe the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of fingle life..

Come, my Hippolita; what cheer, my love?
-Demetrius, and Egeus, go along;

I must employ you in fome business
Againft our nuptials, and confer with you
Of fome hing nearly that concerns yourselves.

Ege. With duty and defire we follow you. [Exeunt.

Manent

Manent Lyfander and Hermia.

Ly. How now, my love? why is your cheek fo pale?

How chance, the roses there to fade fo faft?

Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well 4 Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.

Lyf. Ah me, for aught that ever I could read,
Could ever hear by tale or hiftory,

The course of true love never did run fmooth;
But, either it was different in blood-

Her. O cross-too high to be enthrall'd to low!Lyf. Or elfe mifgraffed, in refpect of yearsHer. O fpight! too old, to be engag'd to young Lyf. Or elfe it flood upon the choice of friends— Her. O hell! to chufe love by another's eye! Lyf. Or if there were a fympathy in choice, War, death, or ficknefs did lay fiege to it; Making it † momentary as a found, Swift as a fhadow; fhort as any dream,

Brief as the lightning in the collied night, "
That (in a spleen) unfolds both heav'n and earth,
And ere a man hath power to fay, Behold!
The jaws of darkness to devour it up;
So quick bright things come to confufion.

Her. If then true lovers have been ever croft,
It stands as an edict in destiny:

Then, let us try our tryal patience :

Because it is a customary cross,

As due to love, as thoughts and dreams and fighs,
Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers!

Lyf. A good perfuafion-therefore hear me, Hermia. I have a widow-aunt, a dowager

Of great revenue, and fhe hath no child;
From Athens is her house remov'd seven leagues,?
And the respects me as her only fon.
There gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;

6 Brief as the lightning in the
collied Night,
That, in a Spleen, unfolds both

Heaven and Earth,
And ere a man hath power to fay,

Behold!

The jaws of darknefs do devour it up] Tho' the word Spleen be here employed odly enough, yet I believe it right. Shakespear always hurried on by the grandeur and multitude of his Ideas affumes, every now and then, an uncommon licence in the ufe of his words. Particularly in complex moral modes it is ufual with him to employ one, only to exprefs a very few ideas of that number of which it is compofed. Thus wanting here to exprefs the ideas—of a sudden, or- -in a trice, he uses the word Spleen; which, partially confidered, fig-ifying a hafty fudden fit, is enough for him, and

And to that place the fharp Athenian law
Cannot pursue us. If thou lov'ft me then,
Steal forth thy father's houfe to morrow night;
And in the wood, a league without the town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena
To do observance to the morn of May,
There will I stay for thee,

Her. My good Lyfander,

I fwear to thee by Cupid's ftrongest bow,
By his best arrow with the golden head,
By the Simplicity of Venus' doves,

By that, which knitteth fouls, and profpers loves

then

8 Lyf. if thou lov'ft me, -if thou lov'ft me, Steal forth thy father's houfe, &c. Her. My good Lysander, I fwear to thee by Cupid's Strongest bow, By, &c. &c.

In that fame place thou hast appointed me

To morrow truly will I meet with thee.] Lyfander does but juft propofe her running away from her Father at midnight, and straight fhe is at her oaths that fhe will meet him at the place of Rendezvous. Not one doubt or hefitation, not one condition of affurance for Lyfander's constancy. Either fhe was naufeously comming; or fhe had before jilted him; and he could not believe her without a thoufand Oaths. But Shakespear obferved nature at another rate. The fpeeches are divided wrong, and must be thus rectified; when Lysander had propofed her running away with him, the replies,

Her. Ny good Lyfander and is going on, to ask fecurity

And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage Queen,
When the false Trojan under fail was feen;
By all the vows that ever men have broke,
In number more than ever women fpoke;
In that fame place thou haft appointed me,
To-morrow truly will I meet with thee.

Lyf. Keep promife, love. Look, here comes Helena.

Her. God fpeed, fair Helena! whether away ? Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unsay; Demetrius loves you, fair; O happy fair!

*

Your eyes are lode ftars, and your tongue's fweet air
More tuneable than lark to fhepherd's ear,
When wheat is green, when haw-thorn buds appear.
Sickness is catching: O! were favour fo!
Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go; '
My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye;
My tongue fhould catch your tongue's fweet melody,
Were the world mine, Demetrius being 'bated,
The reft I'll give to be to you tranflated.

O teach me, how you look; and with what art
You fway the motion of Demetrius' heart.

Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me still.
Hel. Oh, that your frowns would teach my fmiles