Re-enter PUCK.

Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer.
Puck. Ay, there it is.

Obe.
I pray thee, give it me.
I know a bank whereon† the wild thyme blows,
Where ox-lips' and the nodding violet grows;
Quite over-canopied with lush woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania, some time of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in :

And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes,
And make her full of hateful fantasies.

Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove:
A sweet Athenian lady is in love

With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes;
But do it, when the next thing he espies
May be the lady: Thou shalt know the man
By the Athenian garments he hath on.
Effect it with some care; that he may prove
More fond on her, than she upon her love:
And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow.
Puck. Fear not, my lord, your servant shall do so.
[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Another Part of the Wood.

Enter TITANIA, with her train.

Tita. Come, now a roundel, and a fairy song;

"where the," &c. MALONE.

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.

6

VOL. II.

X

Then, for the third part of a minute, hence;

Some, to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds ;
Some, war with rear-mice' for their leathern wings,
To make my small elves coats; and some, keep back
The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders
At our quaint spirits: Sing me now asleep;
Then to your offices, and let me rest.

SONG.

1 Fai. You spotted snakes, with "double tongue",
Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen;

Newts, and blind-worms, do no wrong;
Come not near our fairy queen :

CHORUS.

Philomel, with melody,

Sing in our sweet lullaby;

Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby;
Never harm, nor spell nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;

So, good night, with lullaby.

II.

2 Fai. Weaving spiders, come not here :

Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence :
Beetles black, approach not near;
Worm, nor snail, do no offence.

7

CHORUS.

Philomel, with melody, &c.

with rear-mice -] A rere-mouse is a bat, a mouse that

rears itself from the ground by the aid of wings.

8 with double tongue,] 9 Newts, and blind-worms,] worm is the Cæcilia or slow-worm.

Our author means-forked.

The newt is the eft, the blind

2 Fai. Hence, away; now all is well:

One, aloof, stand sentinel.

[Exeunt Fairies. TITANIA sleeps.

Enter OBERON.

Obe. What thou seest, when thou dost wake,

[Squeezes the flower on TITANIA's eye-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.

[Exit.

Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood;
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. Be it so, Lysander, find you out a bed,
For I upon this bank will rest my head.

Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both;
One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.
Her. Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear,
Lie further off yet, do not lie so near.

Lys. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence ';
Love 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 interchained 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.

1 Be it ounce,] The ounce is a small tiger, or tiger cat.

O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence;] Understand the

meaning of my innocence, or my innocent meaning.

Her. Lysander riddles very prettily:

3

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 [They sleep.

press'd.

Enter PUCK.

Puck. Through the forest have I gone,
But Athenian found I none,
On whose eyes I might approve
This flower's force in stirring love.
Night and silence! who is here ?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
This is he, my master said,

Despised the Athenian maid;

And here the maiden, sleeping sound,
On the dank and dirty ground.

Pretty soul! she durst not lie

Near this lack-love, kill courtesy †.

Churl, upon thy eyes I throw

All the power this charm doth owe*:
When thou wak'st, let love forbid.
Sleep his seat on thy eye-lid.

Now much beshrew, &c.] This word, of which the etymology is not exactly known, implies a sinister wish, and means the same as if she had said, "now ill befall my manners," &c.

+ "this kill-courtesy." MALONE.

All the power this charm doth owe:] i. e. all the power it

sesses.

pos

So awake, when I am gone;

For I must now to Oberon.

Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running.

[Exit.

Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius. Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.

Hel. O, wilt thou darkling' leave me? do not so.
Dem. Stay, on thy peril: I alone will go.

[Exit DEMETRIUS.
Hel. O, I am out of breath in this fond chase!
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.
Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies;
For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.

How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears:
If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear;

For beasts that meet me, run away for fear:
Therefore, no marvel, though Demetrius
Do, as a monster, fly my presence thus.
What wicked and dissembling glass of mine.
Made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyne?--
But who is here ?-Lysander! on the ground:
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound :-
Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake.

Lys. And run through fire I will, for thy sweet sake.
[Waking.
Transparent Helena! Nature here shows art †,
That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart.
Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word

Is that vile name, to perish on my sword!

Hel. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so:

What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though? Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content.

5 wilt thou darkling-] i. e. in the dark.

6 my grace.] My acceptableness, the favour that I can gain.

"Nature shows her art,"-MALONE.