Bot. The finch, the sparrow, and the lark, The plain-song cuckoo' gray, And dares not answer, nay ; for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a Tita. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again; Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays: The more the pity, that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek up on occasion. Tita. Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful. Bot. Not so, neither; but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn. Tita. Out of this wood do not desire to go; The summer still doth tend upon my state, 1 Fai. Ready. 2 Fai. 3 Fai. 4 Fai. And I. And I. And I. All. Where shall we go? 1 The cuckoo, having no variety of note, sings in plain song (plano cantu), by which expression the uniform modulation or simplicity of the chaunt was anciently distinguished in opposition to prick-song, or variated music sung by note. 2 i. e. jest or scoff. Tita. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman; 2 Fai. Hail! 3 Fai, Hail! 4 Fai. Hail! Bot. I cry your worship's mercy, heartily.-I beseech, your worship's name? Cob. Cobweb. 4 Bot. I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good master Cobweb: If I cut my finger, I shall make bold with you.-Your name, honest gentleman? Here comes my messenger.-How now, mad spirit? And forth my mimic comes: When they him spy, 8 A patch sometimes means a fool, or simpleton; but it was a common contemptuous term, and may be either a corruption of the Italian pazzo, or derived from the patch'd clothes sometimes worn by persons of low con 3 The fruit of a bramble called Rubus cæsius: some-dition. Tooke gives a different origin from the Saxon I led them on in this distracted fear, Obe. This falls out better than I could devise. Puck. I took him sleeping,-that is finish'd too,And the Athenian woman by his side; That, when he wak'd, of force she must be ey'd. Enter DEMETRIUS and HERMIA. Obe. Stand close; this is the same Athenian. Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man. Dem. O, why rebuke you him that loves you so? Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe. Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee worse; Being o'er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep, The sun was not so true unto the day, Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him then? mood: I am not guilty of Lysander's blood; Her. I pray thec, tell me then that he is well. [Lies down. 1 Latch'd or letch'd, licked or smeared over. 2 A touch anciently signified a trick. Ascham has the shrewd touches of many curst boys.' And in the ་ Obe. What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight: ing troth, A million fail, confounding oath on oath. Obe. About the wood go swifter than the wind, All fancy-sick she is, and pale of cheers Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow. [Exit Re-enter PUCK. Puck. Captain of our fairy band, Shall we their fond pageant see? Obe. Stand aside: the noise they make, Puck. Then will two at once woo one; Enter LYSANDER and HELENA. Lys. Why should you think, that I should woo in scorn? Scorn and derision never come in tears: Hel. You do advance your cunning more and more. Lys. I had no judgment when to her I swore. To set against me, for your merriment, signifying the face, visage, sight, or countenance, look or cheere of a man or woman.' The old French chere had the same meaning. 6 So in K. Henry VI. we have blood-consuming, blood-drinking,' and 'blood-sucking sighs. All allud. old story of Howleglas, for at all times he did some mading to the ancient supposition, that every sigh was indultouch. ged at the expense of a drop of blood. 7 So in Antony and Cleopatra: My playfellow, your hand; this kingly seal, And plighter of high hearts." 9 i. e. join heartily, unite in the same mind, You would not use a gentle lady so; To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts, A trim exploit, a manly enterprise, To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes, Hel. Never did mockers waste more idle breath. Helen, it is not so. Lys. Dem. Disparage not the faith thou dost not know, Lest, to thy peril, thou abide it dear.2Look where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear. Enter HERMIA. Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehension makes; Her. What love could press Lysander from my side? Lys. Lysander's love, that would not let him bide. Fair Helena, who more engilds the night Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light. Why seek'st thou me? could not this make thee know, The hate I bare thee made me leave thee so. Her. You speak not as you think; it cannot be. Hel. Lo, she is one of this confederacy! Now I perceive they have conjoin'd all three, To fashion this false sport in spite of me. Injurious Hermia! most ungrateful maid! Have you conspir'd, have you with these contriv'd Is all the counsel that we two have shar'd,4 Have with our neelds created both one flower, Two lovely berries moulded on one stem: 1 Degree, or quality. 2 Pay dearly for it, rue it. 3 i. e. circles. 4 Is all the counsel that we two have shared,' &c. 'Gregory of Nazianzen's poem on his own life contains some beautiful lines (resembling these) which burst from the heart and speak the pangs of injured and lost friendship. Shakspeare had never read the poems of Gregory; he was ignorant of the Greek language; but his mother tongue, the language of nature, is the same in Cappadocia as in Britain.'-Gibbon's Hist. vol v p. 17, 8vo. ed. 5 i. e. ingenious, artful. Artificiose, Lat 6 i. e. needles Two of the first," like coats in heraldry, 25 Her. I am amazed at your passionate words: I scorn you not; it seems that you scorn me. Hel. Have you not set Lysander, as in scorn, To follow me, and praise my eyes and face? And made your other love, Demetrius, (Who even but now did spurn me with his foot,) To call me goddess, nymph, divine, and rare, Precious, celestial? Wherefore speaks he this To her he hates? and wherefore doth Lysander Deny your love, so rich within his soul, And tender me, forsooth, affection; But by your setting on, by consent? your What though I be not so in grace as you So hung upon with love, so fortunate; But miserable most, to love unlov'd? This you should pity, rather than despise. Her. I understand not what you mean by this. Hel. Ay, do, persever, counterfeit sad looks, Make mows upon me when I turn my back ; Wink at each other; hold the sweet jest up: This sport, well carried, shall be chronicled. If you have any pity, grace, or manners, You would not make me such an argument." But, fare ye well: 'tis partly mine own fault; Which death, or absence, soon shall remedy. Lys. Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excuse; My love, my life, my soul, fair Helena! Hel O excellent! Her. Sweet, do not scorn her so. Dem. If she cannot entreat, I can compel. Lys. Thou canst compel no more than she entreat; Thy threats have no more strength, than her weak prayers. Helen I love thee; by my life I do : I swear by that which I will lose for thee, Dem. I say I love thee more than he can do. Her. Lysander, whereto tends all this? Lys. Away, you Ethiop! Dem. No, no, he'll-Sir, 10 Seem to break loose; take on as you would follow; But yet come not: You are a tame man, go! Lys. Hang off, thou cat, thou burr: vile thing let loose; Her. What, can you do me greater harm than Hate me! wherefore? O me! what news, my love? Since night you lov'd me; yet since night you left me: Why, then you left me,-0, the gods forbid!- Lys. Her. O me, you juggler! you canker-blossom! Fine, i'faith! Dem. You are too officious, In her behalf that scorns your services: Now she holds me not; Dem. Follow? nay, I'll go with thee cheek by Nor longer stay in your curst company. Puck. Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook. Her. Puppet! why so? Ay, that way goes the Did not you tell me, I should know the man game. Now I perceive that she hath made compare That I can match her. Hel. Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me. Did ever keep your counsels, never wrong'd you; I told him of your stealth unto this wood: Her. Why, get you gone: Who is't that hinders Hel. A foolish heart that I leave here behind. Hel. With Demetrius. By the Athenian garments he had on? As this their jangling I esteem a sport. Obe. Thou seest, these lovers seek a place to fight: Shall seem a dream, and fruitless vision; Puck. My fairy lord, this must be done with haste; At whose approach, ghosts, wandering here and there, Troop home to church-yards: damned spirits all, Lys. Be not afraid: she shall not harm thee, He-That in cross-ways and floods have burial,' lena. Already to their wormy beds are gone; For fear lest day should look their shames upon, They wilfully themselves exile from light, And must for aye consort with black-brow'd night. Obe. But we are spirits of another sort: Dem. No, sir; she shall not, though you take her part. Hel. O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd: I with the Morning's love1 have oft made sport Her. Little again? nothing but low and little ?- And, like a forester, the groves may tread, 1 A worm that preys on the leaves or buds of flowers, always beginning in the middle. 2 i e. froward, cross, ill-conditioned, or ill-spoken. .3 Foolish. 4 Anciently knot-grass was believed to prevent the growth of children. 5 Pretend. Even till the eastern gate, all fiery red, [Exit OBERON. 10 The ghosts of self-murderers, who are buried in cross-roads; and of those who being drowned were condemned (according to the opinion of the ancients) to wander for a hundred years, as the rites of sepulchre had never been regularly bestowed on their bodies, 11 Or that thy beauties lie in wormy bed.'-Milto's Ode on the Death of a fair Infant. 12 Cephalus, the mighty hunter, and paramour of Aurora, was here probably meant. 13 Oberon here boasts that he was not compelled, like meaner spirits, to vanish at the first dawn Hel. O weary night, O long and tedious night, From these that my poor company detest :- Thus to make poor females inad. Enter HERMIA. Her. Never so weary, never so in woe, Cob. Ready. weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hipped Bot. Monsieur Cobweb; good monsieur, get your humble-bee on the top of a thistle; and, good mon sieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur; and, good mon- Bot. Give me your neif, monsieur Mustard-seed. Bot. Nothing, good monsieur, but to help cavalero Cobweb to scratch. I must to the barber's, monsieur; for, methinks, I am marvellous hairy about the face and I am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me, I must scratch. Tita. What, wilt thou hear some music, my sweet love? Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in music: let us have the tongs and the bones. Tita. Or say, sweet love, what thou desir'st to eat. Bot. Truly, a peck of provender; I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks, I have a great desire to a bottle of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow. Tita. I have a venturous fairy that shall seek The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee new nuts. Bot. I had rather have a handful, or two, of driel peas. But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me; I have an exposition of sleep come upon me. Tita. Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms. Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away. Gently entwist,-the female ivy so So doth the woodbine, the sweet honeysuckle, Stee wood's Epigrams, or Three Hundred Proverbs. 1 This exclamation would have been uttered with more propriety by Puck, if he were not now playing an assumed character, which he seems to forget. In the old song printed by Percy, in which all his gambols are related, he concludes every stanza with ho! ho! ho! 4 To coy, is to stroke or soothe with the hand. The It was also the established dramatic exclamation given behaviour of Titania on this occasion seems copied from to the devil whenever he appeared on the stage, and at-that of the lady in Apuleius, lib. viii. tributed to him whenever he appeared in reality. 5 That is fist. So in K. Henry IV. Part II. Pistol says: Sweet knight, I kiss thy neif. 2 Johnson says, the poet perhaps wrote, thou shalt by this dear; as in another place, thou shalt aby it.' 6 The old rough rustic music of the tongs. The folio 3 These three last lines are to be found in Hay-has this stage direction: 'Musicke Tongs, Rural' ^^ |