Were met together to rehearse a play,
Intended for great Thefeus' nuptial day..
The fhallow'ft thick-skin of that barren fort;.
Who Pyramus prefented, in their sport
Forfook his fcene, and enter'd in a brake;.
When I did him at this advantage take,
An afs's nole I fixed on his head:
Anon, his Thiby must be anfwer'd,
And forth my minnock comes: when they him fpy,.
As wild geefe, that the creeping fowler eye,.
Or ruffet-pated choughs, many in fort,
Rifing and cawing at the gun's report,
Sever themselves, and madly. fweep the sky;:
So, at his fight, away his fellows Ay;
And, at our ftamp, here o'er and o'er one falls ;:
He murder cries, and help from Athens calls.
Their fenfe thus weak, loft with their fears thus ftrong,,
Made fenfeless things begin to do them wrong.
For briars and thorns at their apparel fnatch,
Some fleeves, fome hats; from yielders all things catch.
I led them on in this diftracted fear,
And left fweet Pyramus tranflated there:
When in that moment (fo it came to pafs)
Titania wak'd, and straitway lov'd an ass.
Ob. This falls out better, than I could devife.
But haft thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?
Puck. I took him fleeping; that is finish'd too; And the Athenian woman by his fide,.
That, when he wakes, of force fhe must be ey'd..
Enter Demetrius and Hermia..
Ob. Stand clofe, this is the fame Athenian.
Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man.
Dem. O, why rebuke you him that loves you fo?
Lay breath fo bitter on your bitter foe.
Her. Now I but chide, but I fhould ufe thee worke;
For thou, I fear, haft giv'n me cause to curfe:
If thou haft flain Lyfander in his fleep,
Being o'er fhoes in blood, plunge in the deep,
The fun was not fo true unto the day,
As he to me. Would he have ftol'n away
From fleeping Hermia? I'll believe as foon,
This whole earth may be bor'd, and that the moon
May through the center creep, and fo displease
Her brother's noon-tide with th' Antipodes.
It cannot be, but thou hast murder'd him;
So fhould a murderer look, fo dread, fo grim.
Dem. So fhould the murder'd look; and fo fhould I
Pierc'd through the heart with your ftern cruelty:
Yet you the murderer look as bright, and clear,
As yonder Venus in her glimm'ring sphere..
Her. What's this to my Lyfander? where is he?: Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?
Dem. l'ad rather give his carcass to my hounds. Her. Out,dog! out, cur! thou driv'ft me paft the bounds> Of maiden's patience. Haft thou flain him then? Henceforth be never number'd among men.. O! once tell true, and even for my fake, Durft thou have look'd upon him, being awake? And haft thou kill'd him fleeping? O brave touch! Could not a worm, an adder do fo much? An adder did it, for with doubler tongue Than thine, thou ferpent, never adder ftung.
Dem. You spend your paffion on a mifpris'd mood; I am not guilty of Lyfander's blood,
Nor is he dead, for ought that I can tell.
Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.
Dem. And if I could, what fhould I get therefore?.
Her. A privilege never to fee me more;
And from thy hated prefence part I fo
See me no more, whether he's dead or no.
Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vein,.
Here, therefore, for a while I will remain:
So forrow's heavinefs doth heavier grow,
For debt, that bankrupt fleep doth forrow owe;-
Which now in fome flight measure it will
If for his tender here I make fome stay. [Lies down.
Ob. What haft thou done? thou haft miftaken quite,
And laid thy love-juice on fome true love's fight:
Of thy mifprifion must perforce enfue
Some true love turn'd, and not a falfe turn'd true.
Ruck. Then fate o'er-rules, that one man holding troth
A million fail, confounding oath on oath.
Ob. About the wood go fwifter than the wind,
And Helena of Athens, fee, thou find.
All fancy-fick fhe is, and pale of cheer;
With fighs of love, that costs the fresh blood dear;
By fome illufion, fee, thou bring her here;
I'll charm his eyes, against the doth appear..
Puck. I go, I go; look, how I go;
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.
Ob. Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid's archery,
Sink in apple of his eye!
When his love he doth efpy,
Let her fhine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.
When thou wak'ft, if she be by
Beg of her for remedy.
Puck. Captain of our fairy band, Helena is here at hand,
And the youth, miftook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee.
Shall we their fond pageant fee?
Lord, what fools thefe mortals be?
Ob. Stand afide: the noife, they make
Will caufe Demetrius to awake.
Puck. Then will two at once woo one;
That muft needs be fport alone.
And thofe things do beft pleafe me,
That befal prepoft'rously.
Enter Lyfander and Helena.
Lyf Why fhould you think, that I fhould woo in fcorn?
Scorn and derifion never come in tears.
Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born,
In their nativity all truth appears
How can these things in me feem fcorn to you,
Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true }
Hel. You do advance your cunning more and more;
When truth kills truth, O devilish, holy, fray!
Thefe vows are Hermia's: will you give her o'er?
Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh;
Your vows to her and me, put in two scales,
Will even weigh, and both as light as tales.
Lyf. I had no judgment, when to her I swore.
Hel. Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er.
Lyf. Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
Dem.[awak.]O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine,
To what, my love, fhall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal is muddy; O how ripe in show
Thy lips, thofe kiffing cherries, tempting grow!
That pure congealed white, high Taurus' fnow,
Fann'd with the eaftern wind, turns to a crow
When thou hold'ft up thy hand. O let me kifs
This Princess of pure white, this feal of blifs.
Hel. O fpight, O hell! I fee, you all are bent
To fet against me, for your merriment :
If you were civil, and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you muft join in fouls to mock me too?
If
you are men, as men you are in fhow,
You would not ufe a gentle Lady fo:
To vow and fwear, and fuper-praise my parts;
When, I am fure, you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia,
And now both rivals to mock Helena.
A trim exploit, a manly enterprize, (18).
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
With your derifion! none of noble fort
Would fo offend a virgin, and extort
A poor foul's patience, all to make you sport.
(18) A trim exploit, a manly enterprize,] This reproach, in the form of it, feems extremely to have the caft of that, in the Ift neid;
Egregiam vero laudem, & fpolia ampla refertis,
Una delo, Divum,,&c.
Lyf. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not fo;
love Hermia; this, you know, I know.
And here with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;.
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Whom I do love, and will do to my death.
Hel. Never did mockers wafte more idle breath.
Dem. Lyfander, keep thy Hermia, I will none:
If e'er I lov'd her, all that love is gone.
My heart to her but, as gueft-wife, fojourn'd;
And now to Helen it is home return'd,
There ever to remain..
Lyf. It is not fo.
Dem. Difparage not the faith, thou doft not know, Left to thy peril thou abide it dear.
Look, where thy love comes, yonder is thy dear.
Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehenfion makes: Wherein it doth impair the feeing fenfe, It pays the hearing double recompence. Thou art not by mine eye, Lyfander, found;
ear, I thank it, brought me to thy found. But why unkindly didft thou leave me fo?
Ly Why fhould he ftay, whom love doth prefs to go?
Her. What love could prefs Lyfander from my fide?
Lyf. Lyfander's love, that would not let him bide,
Fair Helena; who more engilds the night,
Than all yon fiery O's and eyes of light.
Why feek'st thou me? could not this make thee know,
The hate, I bear thee, made me leave thee so?
Her. You fpeak not, as you think: it cannot be..
Hel. Lo, he is one of this confed'racy;
Now, I perceive, they have conjoin'd all three,
To fashion this falfe fport in fpight of me.
Injurious Hermia, moft ungrateful maid,
Have you confpir'd, have you with thefe contriv’d.
To bait me with this foul derifion?
Is all the counfel that we two have fhar'd,,
|