For briers and thorns at their apparel snatch: Some, sleeves; some, hats: from yielders all things catch. I led them on in this distracted fear, And left sweet Pyramus translated there: Obe. This falls out better than I could devise. Puck. I took him sleeping,-that is finish'd too,— And the Athenian woman by his side; That, when he wak'd, of force she must be ey'd. Enter DEMETRIUS and HERMIA. Obe. Stand close; this is the same Athenian. Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man. Dem. O, why rebuke you him that loves you so? Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe. Her. Now, I but chide, but I should use thee worse; For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse. If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep, Being o'er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep, The sun was not so true unto the day, As he to me: Would he have stol'n away From sleeping Hermia? I'll believe as soon, This whole earth may be bor'd; and that the moon It cannot be, but thou hast murder'd him; Dem. So should the murder'd look; and so should I, Pierc'd through the heart with your stern cruelty: 1 latch'd] Or letch'd, lick'd over, lecher, to lick, Fr. In the North, it signifies to infect. Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, as clear, Her. What's this to my Lysander? where is he? Dem. I had rather give his carcase to my hounds. Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv'st me past the bounds Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him then? An adder did it; for with doubler tongue Dem. You spend your passion on a mispris'd mood*: I am not guilty of Lysander's blood; Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell. Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is well. Dem. An if I could, what should I get therefore? And from thy hated presence part I so; See me no more, whether he be dead or no. [Exit. Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vein : Here, therefore, for a while I will remain. So sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe; If for his tender here I make some stay. [Lies down. Hast thou kill'd him 2 Durst thou have look'd upon him, being awake, And hast thou kill'd him sleeping?] sleeping, whom, when awake, thou didst not dare to look upon? O brave touch!] Touch in Shakspeare's time was the same with our exploit, or rather stroke: but a touch anciently signified a trick. on a mispris'd mood:] Is put for "in a mispris'd mood;" i. e. "in a mistaken manner." VOL. II. Y Of thy misprision must perforce ensue Some true-love turn'd, and not a false turn'd true. Puck. Then fate o'er-rules; that, one man holding troth, A million fail, confounding oath on oath. Obe. About the wood go swifter than the wind, And Helena of Athens look thou find : All fancy-sick she is, and pale of cheer' With sighs of love, that cost the fresh blood dear: Puck. I go, I go; look how I go; Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow. 4 Hit with Cupid's archery, Sink in apple of his eye! Re-enter PUCK. Puck. Captain of our fairy band, Helena is here at hand, And the youth, mistook by me, Pleading for a lover's fee; Shall we their fond pageant see? Lord, what fools these mortals be! Obe. Stand aside: the noise they make Will cause Demetrius to awake. Puck. Then will two at once woo one; That must needs be sport alone; And those things do best please me, That befal preposterously. [Exit. pale of cheer -] Cheer, from the Italian cara, is fre quently used by the old English writers for countenance. Enter LYSANDER and HELENA. Lys. Why should you think, that I should woo in scorn? Scorn and derision never come in tears: Look, when I vow I weep; and vows so born, How can these things in me seem scorn to you, To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne? 5 Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true?] In allusion to the badges (i. e. family crests) anciently worn on the sleeves of servants and retainers. 6 Taurus' snow,] Taurus is the name of a range of mountains in Asia. But you must join, in souls', to mock me too? To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts, To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes, Lys. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so; Hel. Never did mockers waste more idle breath. My heart with her but, as guest-wise, sojourn'd; There to remain. Lys. Helen, it is not so. Dem. Disparage not the faith thou dost not know, Lest, to thy peril, thou aby it dear. Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear. Enter HERMIA. Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehension makes; Wherein it doth impair the secing sense, It pays the hearing double recompense.- 7 - join, in souls,] i. e. join heartily. |