Ere I will yield my virgin patent up Unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke The. Take time to pause; and, by the next new moon (The sealing-day betwixt my love and me, For everlasting bond of fellowship,) For aye, austerity and single life. Dem. Relent, sweet Hermia; — And, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right. Lys. You have her father's love, Demetrius; Ege. Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my love, Lys. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he, If not with vantage, as Demetrius'; And, which is more than all these boasts can be, Why should not I then prosecute my right? Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena, Upon this spotted and inconstant man. The. I must confess, that I have heard so much, And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof; But, being over-full of self-affairs, My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, come; 5 · spotted] As spotless is innocent, so spotted is wicked. And come, Egeus; you shall go with me, I must employ you in some business [Exeunt THES. HIP. EGE. DEM. and train. Lys. How now, my love? Why is your cheek so pale? How chance the roses there do fade so fast? Her. Belike, for want of rain: which I could well Beteem them from the tempest of mine eyes. Lys. Ah me! for aught that ever I could read, The course of true love never did run smooth: Her. O cross! too high to be enthrall'd to low! Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; Brief as the lightning in the collied night, That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth, 6 Beteem them] Give them, pour out upon momentany as a sound,] i. e. momentary. them. 7 8 the collied night,] Collied, i. e. black, smutted with coal. And ere a man hath power to say, The jaws of darkness do devour it up: Behold! So quick bright things come to confusion. Her. If then true lovers have been ever cross'd, It stands as an edict in destiny: Then let us teach our trial patience, Because it is a customary cross; As due to love, as thoughts, and dreams, and sighs, Lys. A good persuasion; therefore, hear me, Hermia. I have a widow aunt, a dowager Of great revenue, and she hath no child; From Athens is her house remote seven leagues; There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee; Her. My good Lysander ! I swear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow; By his best arrow with the golden head; By the simplicity of Venus' doves; By that which knitted souls, and prospers loves; By all the vows that ever men have broke, 9 1 Lys. Keep promise, love: Look, here comes Helena. fancy's followers.] Fancy is love. by that fire which burn'd the Carthage queen,] Shakspeare had forgot that Theseus performed his exploits before the Trojan war, and consequently long before the death of Dido. Enter HELENA. Her. God speed fair Helena! Whither away? Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair 2: O happy fair! Your eyes are lode-stars"; and your tongue's sweet air More tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear, When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. Sickness is catching; O, were favour so! * Your's would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go; 4 My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye, Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me still. Her. I give him curses, yet he gives me love. Hel. O, that my prayers could such affection move! Hel. None, but your beauty; 'Would that fault were mine! Her. Take comfort; he no more shall see my Lysander and myself will fly this place. face; 2 Demetrius loves your fair :] Fair is used as a substantive. 3 Your eyes are lode-stars ;] This was a compliment not unfrequent among the old poets. The lode-star is the leading or guiding star, that is, the pole-star. 4 5 O, were favour so!] Favour is feature, countenance. to be to you translated.] To translate, says Mr. Steevens, in our author, sometimes signifies to change, to transform; but here it obviously means transferred. C. Before the time I did Lysander see, 6 Lys. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold: Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass, [Exit HERM. Lys. I will, my Hermia. Helena adieu: As you on him, Demetrius dote on you! 6 Take comfort; he no more shall see my face; Lysander and myself will fly this place.— [Exit Lys. Before the time I did Lysander see,] Perhaps every reader may not discover the propriety of these lines. Hermia is willing to comfort Helena, and to avoid all appearance of triumph over her. She therefore bids her not to consider the power of pleasing, as an advantage to be much envied or much desired, since Hermia, whom she considers as possessing it in the supreme degree, has found no other effect of it than the loss of happiness. JOHNSON. deep midnight.] Shakspeare has a little forgotten himself. It appears from p. 283, that to-morrow night would be within three nights of the new moon, when there is no moon-shine at all, much less at deep midnight. The same oversight occurs in Act III. sc. i. BLACKSTONE. |