Enter PUCK behind.

Puck. What hempen home-fpuns have we swaggering

here,

So near the cradle of the fairy queen?

What, a play toward? I'll be an auditor;

An actor too, perhaps, if I fee caufe.

Quin. Speak, Pyramus; Thifby, ftand forth.
Pyr. Thify, the flower of odious favours feet.
Quin. Odours, odours.

Pyr. -odours favours fweet.

So doth thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear: But, bark a voice! Stay thou but here a whit; And, by and by, I will to thee appear. [Exit PYR. Puck. A ftranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here ! [Afide and exit.

This. Muft I speak now?

Quin. Ay, marry, muft you: for you muft underftand, he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.

This. Moft radiant Pyramus, moft lily-white of hue, Of colour like the red rofe on triumphant brier, Moft brifky juvenal, and eke most lovely few,

As true as trueft barfe, that yet would never tire, I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb.

Quin. Ninus' tomb, man: Why you must not speak that yet; that you anfwer to Pyramus: you fpeak all your part at once, cues and all.-Pyramus enter; your cue is past ; it is, never tire.

Re-enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with an afs's head.

This. O, as true as trueft horse, that get would nevér

tire.

Pyr. If I were, fair Thifty, I were only thine :Quin. O monftrous! O ftrange!-we are haunted. Pray, mafters! fly, mafters! help! [Exe. Clowns. Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bufh, through brake, through brier;

Sometime a horfe I'll be, fometime a hound,

A hog, a headlefs bear, fometime a fire:

And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn. [Exit. Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to make me afeard.

Re-enter SNOUT.

Snout. O Bottom! thou art chang'd! what do I fee on thee?

Bot. What do you fee? you fee an ass head of your own ; Do you?

Re-enter QUINCE.

Quin. Blefs thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated. [Exit. Bot. I fee their knavery: this is to make an afs of me; to fright me, if they could. But I will not ftir from this place, do what they can: I will walk up and down here, and I wiil fing, that they shall hear I am not afraid. [Sings. The oufel-cock,[8] fo black of bue, With orange-tawny bill,

The throfle with his note fo true,
The wren with little quill:

Queen. What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?

Bottom fings.

The finch, the fparrow, and the lark,

The plain-fong cuckow gray,

[Waking

Whofe note full many a man doth mark,

And dares not answer nay :

for, indeed, who would set his wit to fo foolish a bird ? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry, cuckoo,, never fo.

Queen. I pray thee, gentle mortal, fing again: Mine ear is much enamour'd. of thy note,

So is mine eye enthralled to thy fhape;

And thy fair virtue's force (perforce) doth move me On the first view, to fay, to fwear, I love thee.

Bot. Methinks, miftrefs, you should have little reafon for that: And yet to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days: The more the pity, that some honeft neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek,[9] upon occafion.

Queen. Thou art as wife as thou art beautiful.

Bot. Not fo, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn.

[8] i. e. The cock blackbird, STEEV.

[9] Joke or fcoff. POPE..

Queen. Out of this wood do not defire to go;
Thou shalt remain here whether thou wilt or no.
I am a fpirit of no common rate;

The fummer ftill doth tend upon my state,
And I do love thee: therefore, go with me;
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;
And they fhall fetch thee jewels from the deep,
And fing, while thou on preffed flowers doft sleep :
And I will purge thy mortal groffnefs fo,
That thou shalt like an airy fpirit go.

-Peafebloffom! Cobweb! Moth! and Muftardfeed! Enter four Fairies.

1 Fai.

Ready.

2 Fai. And I.

3 Fai. And I.

4 Fai. And I

where fhall we go?

Queen. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;
Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes;
Feed him with apricots, 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,[1]
To have my love to bed, and to arife;
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 Fai. Hail, mortal, hail!

2 Fai. Hail!

3 Fai. Hail !

Bot. I cry your worship's mercy heartily.-I beseech 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 miftrefs Squafh, your mother, and to master Peafcod, your father. Good mafter Peafebloffom, I fhall defire of you more acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, fir.

[1] I know not how Shakespeare, who commonly derived his knowledge of nature from his own obfervation, happened to place the glow-worm's light in his eyes, which is only in his tail."

JOHNS.

Muf. Muftardfeed.

Bot. Good mafter Muftardfeed, I know your patience well :[2] that same cowardly, giant-like ox beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your houfe: I promise you your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now. I defire you more acquaintance, good master Mustardfeed. Queen. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower. The moon, methinks, looks with a watry eye; And when the weeps, weeps every little flower, Lamenting fome enforced chastity!

Tie up my love's tongue, bring him filently. [Exe.

SCENE II.

Enter OBERON.

Ob. I wonder if Titania be awak'd ;
Then, what it was that next came in her eye,
Which she must doat on in extremity.

Enter PUCK.

Here comes my meffenger.-How now, mad spirit ?
What night-rule now about this haunted grove?
Puck. My miftress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and confecrated bower,
While fhe was in her dull and fleeping hour,
A crew of patches,[3] rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian ftalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play,
Intended for great Thefeus' nuptial day.
The fhalloweft thick-fkin of that barren fort,
Who Pyramus presented, in their sport
Forfook his fcene, and enter'd in a brake:
When I did him at this advantage take,
An afs's now I fixed on his head;
Anon, his Thisby must be answered,

And forth my minnock comes: When they him spy,
As wild-geefe, that the creeping fowler eye,
Or ruffet pated choughs, many in fort,
Rifing and cawing at the gun's report,

Sever themselves, and madly fweep the fky;

[2] The Oxford edition reads. I know your parentage well. I believe the correction is right. JOHNS.

[3] Patch' was in old language used as a term of opprobry; perhaps with much the fame import as we ufc Raggamuffin, or Tatterdemalion. JOHN.

So, at his fight, away his fellows fly:

And, at our stamp, 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 fenfelefs things begin to do them wrong:
For briers and thorns at their apparel fnatch;
Some, fleeves; fome, hats: from yielders all things catch.
I led them on in this diftracted fear,

And left sweet Pyramus tranflated there.
When in that moment (fo it came to pass)
Titania wak'd, and ftraightway lov'd an ass.

Ob. This falls out better than I could devife.
But haft thou yet latch'd[4] the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?

Puck. I took him fleeping ;-that is finifh'd too ;And the Athenian woman by his fide;

That when he wakes, of force she must be ey❜d.

Enter DEMETRIUS and HERMIA.

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 should use thee worse :
For thou, I fear, haft given me caufe to curse.
If thou haft flain Lyfander in his sleep,

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 ftol'n away
From fleeping Hermia? I'll believe as foon,

This whole earth may be bor'd; and that the moon
May through the centre creep, and fo displease
Her brother's noon-tide with the antipodes.
It cannot be, but thou haft murder'd him;
So fhould a murderer look: fo dead, fo grim.
Dem. So fhould the murder'd look; and fo fhould I,
Pierc'd through the heart with your ftern cruelty:
Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, and clear,
As yonder Venus in her glimmering fphere.

Her. What's this to my Lyfander? where is he? Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?

[4] 'Latch'd,' or letch'd, lick'd over; lecher, to lick, French. HANMER,