TITANIA. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again;
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
On the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee.

Bottom wishes to leave the wood, but Titania earnestly begs him to remain.

TITANIA. Out of this wood do not desire to go;

Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.

I am a spirit of no common rate;

The summer still doth tend upon my state,
And I love thee: therefore, go with me;

I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;

And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep:

And sing, while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep :

And I will purge thy mortal grossness so
That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.-

Peas-blossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustard-seed!

With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries;
The honey bags steal from the humblebees,
And, for night tapers, crop their waxen thighs,
And light them at the fiery glowworm's eyes,
To have my love to bed, and to arise;
And pluck the wings from painted butterflies,
To fan the inoonbeams from his sleeping eyes;
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies."

The subject of the fourth design is, when, at her ries to Titania's bower, where she again playfully command, Bottom is conveyed by the attending faiaddresses him, in the following manner.

TITANIA. Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,

And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head,
And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.

I did upbraid her, and fall out with her:
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
And that same dew, which sometime on the buds
Was wont to swell, like round and orient pearls,
Stood now within the pretty flourets' eyes,
Like tears, that did their own disgrace bewail.
When I had, at my pleasure, taunted her,
And she, in mild terms, begg'd my patience,
I then did ask of her her changeling child;
Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent
To bear him to my bower in fairy land.
And now I have the boy, I will undo
The hateful imperfection of her eyes.
And, gentle Puck, take this tranformed scalp
From off the head of this Athenian swain;
That he awaking when the other do,
May all to Athens back again repair;
And think no more of this night's accidents,
But as the fierce vexation of a dream.

But first I will release the fairy queen.

The faithless Lysander, not only endeavours to avoid Hermia, but treats her most insultingly, whilst Helena thinking herself the mere butt of his scorn and derision reproaches him bitterly for now feigning to pursue her. Demetrius and Lysander are also

most violently exasperated against each other; so that they seek to fight together: but Oberon, who, unseen, witnesses the result of Puck's mistake, rebukes him severely for it, and gives him the following commands to prevent farther mischief arising.

Thou seest, these lovers seek a place to fight:
Hie, therefore, Robin, overcast the night;
The starry welkin cover thou anon
With drooping fog, as black as Acheron;
And lead these testy rivals so astray,
As one come not within another's way,
Like to Lysander sometime frame thy tongue,
Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
And sometime rail thou like Demetrius :
And from each other look thou lead them thus,
Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep:
Then crush this herb into Lysander's eye:
Whose liquor hath this virtuous property,
To take from thence all error with his might,
And make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight.
When they next wake, all this derision
Shall seem a dream, and fruitless vision;
And back to Athens shall the lovers wend
With league whose date till death shall never end.

Lysander! speak again. Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled? Speak. In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head? Puck. Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,

Telling the bushes that thou look'st for wars,

And wilt not come? Come, recreant; come, thou child, I'll whip thee with a rod : He is defil'd, That draws a sword on thee. DEMETRIUS. PUCK. Follow my voice; we'll try no manhood here. (Exeunt.)

Yea; art thou there?

Re-enter Puck, and DEMETRIUS.

Puck. Ho, ho! ho, ho! Coward, why com'st thou not?
DEMETRIUS. Abide me, if thou dar'st; for well I wot,
Thou run'st before me shifting every place;
And dar'st not stand, nor look me in the face.
Where art thou?

PUCK.

Come hither; I am here.

DEMETRIUS. Nay, then thou mock'st me. Thou shalt buy this dear.

If ever I thy face by day-light see :

Now, go thy way. Faintness constraineth me
To measure out my length on this cold bed. —
By day's approach look to be visited.

(Lies down and sleeps.)

Enter HELENA.

HELENA. O weary night, O long and tedious night,
Abate thy hours: shine comforts from the east;
That I may back to Athens by day-light,
From these that my poor company detest: -
And, sleep, that sometimes shuts
sorrow's eye,
up
Steal me awhile from mine own company.

PUCK. Yet but three? Come one more;
Two of both kinds makes up four.
Here she comes, curst, and sad:
Cupid is a knavish lad,

Thus to make poor females mad.

Enter HERMIA.

HERMIA. Never so weary, never so in woe,

(Sleeps.)

Bedabbled with the dew, and torn with briers;

I can no further crawl, no further go;

My legs can keep no pace with

my desires.