Would imitate, and sail upon the land, thee. Till I torment thee for this injury.- Obe. That very time I saw (but thou couldst not), Flying between the cold moon and the earth, And maidens call it, love-in-idleness. [once: Obe. Puck. I'll put a girdle round about the earth In forty minutes. [Exit. Having once this juice, I'll watch Titania when she is asleep, And drop the liquor of it in her eyes; The next thing then she waking looks upon, (Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, On meddling monkey, or on busy ape,) She shall pursue it with the soul of love: And ere I take this charm off from her sight, (As I can take it with another herb) I'll make her render up her page to me. But who comes here? I am invisible: And I will over-hear their conference. Enter Demetrius, Helena following him. Dem. I love thee not, therefore pursue me Where is Lysander, and fair Hermia? [not. The one I'll slay, the other slayeth me. Thou told'st me they were stol'n into this wood; more. And here am I, and wood within this wood, [more. Hel. And even for that do I love you the I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you: Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave, Dem. Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit ; For I am sick when I do look on you. Hel. And I am sick when I look not on thee. Dem. You do impeach your modesty too To leave the city, and commit yourself [much, Into the hands of one that loves you not; To trust the opportunity of night, And the ill counsel of a desert place, With the rich worth of your virginity. Hel. Your virtue is my privilege for that. It is not night when I do see your face, Therefore I think I am not in the night: Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company, For you, in my respect, are all the world: Then how can it be said I am alone, When all the world is here to look on me? Dem. I'll run from thee and hide me in the I'll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell, Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wan- A sweet Athenian lady is in love With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes; SCENE III.-Another part of the Wood. Enter Titania, with her train. Tita, Come, now a roundel, and a fairy Chorus. 1 Fai. Beetles black, approach not near; [Exeunt Fairies. Titania sleeps. Obe. [Squeezes the flower on Titania's eyeWhat thou seest when thou dost wake, [lids.] Do it for thy true love take; Love, and languish for his sake: Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, Pard, or boar with bristled hair, In thy eye that shall appear When thou wak'st, it is thy dear. Wake when some vile thing is near. Enter Lysander and Hermia. Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood; [Exit. And to speak troth, I have forgot our way: We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, And tarry for the comfort of the day. Her. Beit so, Lysander: find you out a bed; For I upon this bank will rest my head. [both; Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth. [my dear, Her. Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, Lie farther off yet; do not lie so near. [cence! Lys. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innoLove takes the meaning in love's conference. I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit, So that but one heart we can make of it: Two bosoms interchainèd with an oath ; So then, two bosoms, and a single troth. Then, by your side no bed-room me deny ; For, lying so, Hermia, I do not lie. Her. Lysander riddles very prettily:Now much beshrew my manners and my pride, If Hermia meant to say, Lysander lied. But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy Lie further off; in human modesty, Such separation as may well be said Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid: So far be distant; and, good night, sweet friend : Thy love ne'er alter till thy sweet life end! Lys. Amen, amen, to that fair prayer, say I; And then end life, when I end loyalty! Here is my bed: sleep give thee all his rest! Her. With half that wish the wisher's eyes be press'd! [They sleep. Enter Puck. On whose eyes I might approve tears: If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers. But who is here? Lysander! on the ground! Lys. [Awaking.] And run through fire I will, for thy sweet sake. Transparent Helena! Nature here shows art, That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content. Who will not change a raven for a dove? When, at your hands, did I deserve this scorn? Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, In such disdainful manner me to woo. And never mayst thou come Lysander near! me! do thy best To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast! ACT III. [Exit. Bot. Peter Quince,— Quin. What sayst thou, bully Bottom? Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby" that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? Snout. By'rlakin, a parlous fear. Star. I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done. Bot. Not a whit: I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more better assurlance, that I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Snout. Will not the ladies be afeard of the Bot. Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to bring in,-God shield us!—a lion among ladies, is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion, living; and we ought to look to it. Snout. Therefore, another prologue must tell he is not a lion. Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect," Ladies, -or, fair ladies,-I would wish you,-or, I would request you,-or, I would entreat you, --not to fear, not to tremble: my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life: no, I am no such thing; I am a man as other men are :"-and there, indeed, let him name his name, and tell them plainly, he is Snug, the joiner. So near the cradle of the fairy queen? " " [Exit. [Exit. Puck. [Aside.] A stranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here! This. Must I speak now? Quin. Ay, marry, must you; for you must understand, he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again. This. " Most radiant Pyramus, most lilywhite of hue, [brier, Of colour like the red rose on triumphant Most brisky juvenal, and eke most lovely Jew, As true as truest horse, 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 answer to Pyramus: you speak all your part at once, cues and all,-Pyramus, enter; your cue is Quin. Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things,—that is, to bring the moon-past; it is, "never tire." light into a chamber; for, you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moon-light. Snug. Doth the moon shine that night we play our play? Bot. A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanack; find out moonshine, find out moonshine. Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night. Bot. Why, then may you leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open; and the moon may shine in at the casement. Quin. Ay, or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and say he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of moonshine. Then, there is another thing;| we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby, says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall. Snug. You can never bring in a wall.What say you, Bottom? Bot. Some man or other must present wall: and let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper. Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin. When you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake; and so every one according to his cue. Enter Puck, behind. Puck. What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here, This. O,-" As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire." [head. Re-enter Puck, and Bottom with an ass's Pyr. "If I were, fair Thisby, I were only thine: [haunted. Quin. O monstrous! O strange! we are Pray, masters! fly, masters!-Help! [Exit, with Snug, Flute, Snout, and Starveling. Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier! Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound, A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire; neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, And turn. [Exil. Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them, to make me afeard. Re-enter Snout. Snout. O Bottom! thou art changed! what do I see on thee? Bot. What do you see? you see an ass's head of your own, do you? [Exit Snout. Re-enter Quince. Quin. Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated. [Exit. Bot. I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me, to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir from this place, do what they can: I will walk up and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid. [Sings. The ousel-cock, so black of hue, With orange-tawny bill, The throstle with his note so true, Tita. [Waking.] What angel wakes me The finch, the sparrow, and the lark, The plain-song cuckoo gray, Whose note full many a man doth mark, for indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish Tita. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note; So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape; [me, And thy fair virtue's force, perforce doth move On the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee. Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days;--the more the pity, that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon 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: ance, good master Cobweb: if I cut my finger, I shall make bold with you.-Your name, Peas. Peas-blossom. [honest gentleman? Bot. I pray you, commend me to mistress Squash, your mother, and to master Peascod, your father. Good master Peas-blossom, I shall desire you of more acquaintance.--Your name, I beseech you, sir? Mus. Mustard-seed. Bot. Good master Mustard-seed, I know Obe. I wonder if Titania be awak'd; And I will purge thy mortal grossness so, Peas. Ready. Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes? Moth. Hail! Mus. Hail! Who Pyramus presented, in their sport strong, Made senseless things begin to do them wrong; I led them on in this distracted fear, Bet. I cry your worships mercy, heartily, When in that moment (so it came to pass,) -I beseech your worship's name. Cob. Cobweb. Titania wak'd, and straightway lov'd an ass. Bot. I shall desire you of more acquaint-But hast thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes |