Tita. Set your heart at rest, The fairy land buys not the child of me. To fetch me trifles, and return again, Obe. How long within this wood intend you stay? And see our moonlight revels, go with us; [Exeunt TITANIA, and her train. Obe. Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove, Till I torment thee for this injury.— My gentle Puck, come hither: Thou remember'st Since once I sat upon a promontory, And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin's back, men were a certain number of youths, the sons of gentlemen, who stood or walked near the person of the monarch on all public occasions. "Not for thy fairy kingdom." MALONE. Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath, Puck. I remember. Obe. That very time I saw, (but thou could'st not,) Flying between the cold moon and the earth, Cupid all arm'd: a certain aim he took At a fair vestal, throned by the west:7 And loos'd his love-shaft smartly from his bow, In maiden meditation, fancy-free: 8 Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell: It fell upon a little western flower, Before, milk-white; now purple with love's wound, — And maidens call it, love-in-idleness. Fetch me that flower; the herb I show'd thee once: The juice of it on sleeping eye-lids laid, Will make or man or woman madly dote Upon the next live creature that it sees. Fetch me this herb: and be thou here again, Puck. I'll put a girdle round about the earth Obe. And drop the liquor of it in her eyes; The next thing then she waking looks upon, [Exit PUCK. 7 At a fair vestal, throned by the west;] A compliment to Queen Elizabeth. 7 -fancy-free.] i. e. exempt from the power of love. And ere I take this charm off from her sight, I'll make her render up her page to me. And I will over-hear their conference. Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA following him. Dem. I love thee not, therefore pursue me not. 9 Thou told'st me, they were stol'n into this wood, Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more. Hel. You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant; Is true as steel; Leave you your power to draw, Dem. Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Tell you Hel. And even for that do I love you the more. The more you beat me, I will fawn on you: What worser place can I beg in your love, Dem. Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; For I am sick, when I do look on thee. Hel. And I am sick, when I look not on you. Dem. You do impeach your modesty1 too much, 9 and wood within this wood,] Wood, or mad, wild. +"do use" - MALONE. 1 impeach your modesty] i. e. bringing it into question. not; To leave the city, and commit yourself When all the world is here to look on me? Dem. I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts. Hel. The wildest hath not such a heart as you. Dem. I will not stay thy questions; let me go: But I shall do thee mischief in the wood. Hel. Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, † We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo. To die upon the hand3 I love so well. [Exeunt DEM. and HEL. Obe. Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave this grove, Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love. 2 -for that.] i. e. for leaving the city, &c. TYRWHITT. +" and field," - MALONE. To die upon the hand, &c.] To die upon, &c. in our author's language, perhaps means to die by the hand." Re-enter PUCK. Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer, Puck. Ay, there it is. Obe. 4 I pray thee, give it me. And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes, Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove; With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes; But do it, when the next thing he espies [Exeunt, Another part of the Wood. Enter TITANIA, with her train. Tita. Come, now a roundel 6, and a fairy song; +"where the, &c." MALONE. 4 Where ox-lips-] The ox-lip is the greater cowslip. 5 Quite over-canopied with lush woodbine,] All the old editions read - luscious woodbine; which Mr. Malone prefers, but both lush and luscious (says Mr. Henley) are words of the same origin. a roundel ;] Rounds, or roundels, were like the present country dances. |