Lys.
Now she holds me not;
Now follow, if thou dar'st, to try whose right,
Or thine or mine, is most in Helena.

Dem.
Follow? nay, I'll go with thee, cheek by jowl. [Exit Lysander and Demetrius.

Her.
You, mistress, all this coyl is 'long of you:
Nay, go not back.

Hel.
I will not trust you, I;
Nor longer stay in your curst company.
Your hands, than mine, are quicker for a fray;
My legs are longer though, to run away.

Her.
I am amaz'd, and know not what to say. 9Q0295 [Exeunt: Hermia pursuing Helena.

Ob.
This is thy negligence: still thou mistak'st,
Or else commit'st thy knaveries willingly^{5 note}.

Puck.
Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook.
Did not you tell me, I should know the man
By the Athenian garments he had on?
And so far blameless proves my enterprize,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes:
And so far am I glad it did so sort^{6 note}

Ob.
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 sometimes 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^{7 note},
To take from thence all error, with his might,
And make his eye-balls 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.
Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,
I'll to my queen, and beg her Indian boy;
And then I will her charmed eye release
From monster's view, and all things shall be peace.

Puck.
My fairy lord, this must be done with haste;
For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast,
And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger;
At whose approach, ghosts, wandering here and there,
Troop home to church-yards: damned spirits all^{8 note}


,
That in cross-ways and floods have burial,
Already to their wormy beds are gone;
For fear lest day should look their shames upon,
They wilfully themselves exile from light,
And must for aye consort with black-brow'd night.

Ob.
But we are spirits of another sort:

I with the morning's love have oft made sport^{9 note}

Puck.
Up and down, up and down;
I will lead them up and down:
I am fear'd in field and town;
Goblin, lead them up and down.
Here comes one. Enter Lysander.

Lys.
Where art thou, proud Demetrius? speak thou now.

Puck.
Here, villain; drawn and ready. Where art thou?

Lys.
I will be with thee straight.

Puck.
Follow me then
To plainer ground. [Lys. goes out, as following Dem.

Enter Demetrius.

Dem.
Lysander! speak again.
Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled?
Speak. In some bush? where dost thou hide thy head^{1 note}
?

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.

Dem.
Yea; art thou there?

Puck.
Follow my voice; we'll try no manhood here. [Exeunt Re-enter Lysander.

Lys.
He goes before me, and still dares me on;
When I come where he calls, then he is gone.
The villain is much lighter heel'd, than I:
I follow'd fast, but faster he did fly;
That fallen am I in dark uneven way,
And here will rest me. Come, thou gentle day! [Lies down.
For if but once thou shew me thy grey light,
I'll find Demetrius, and revenge this spight. Re-enter Puck and Demetrius.

Puck.
Ho, ho, ho! coward, why comest thou not?

Dem.
Abide me, if thou dar'st: for well I wot,
Thou runn'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.

Dem.
Nay, then thou mock'st me. Thou shalt buy this dear^{2 note},
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. Enter Helena.

Hel.
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 sometime shuts up sorrow's eye,
Steal me a while from mine own company. [Sleeps.

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.

Her.
Never so weary, never so in woe,
  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.
Here will I rest me, 'till the break of day.
Heavens shield Lysander, if they mean a fray! [Lies down.

Puck.
    On the ground
    Sleep sound:
    I'll apply
    To your eye,
  Gentle lover, remedy. [Squeezing the juice on Lysander's eye.

    When thou wak'st,
    Thou tak'st^{3 note}
    True delight
    In the sight
  Of thy former lady's eye:
  And the country proverb known,
  That every man should take his own,
  In your waking shall be shown:
    Jack shall have Jill^{4 note};
    Nought shall go ill;
The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well. [Exit Puck. [They sleep. 5 ^noteACT IV.

SCENE I. A Wood. Enter Queen of the Fairies, Bottom, Fairies attending, and the King behind them.

Queen.
Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy^{6 note}

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

Bot.

Where's Pease-blossom?

Pease.

Ready.

Bot.

Scratch my head, Pease-blossom.—Where's monsieur Cobweb?

Cob.

Ready.

Bot.

Monsieur Cobweb; good monsieur, get your weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hip'd humble bee on the top of a thistle; and, good monsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur; and, good monsieur have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loth to have you over-flown with a honey-bag 9Q0297, signior.— Where's monsieur Mustard-seed?

Must.

Ready.

Bot.

Give me your neif^{7 note}
, monsieur Mustard-seed. Pray you, leave your courtesy, good monsieur.

Must.

What's your will?

Bot.

Nothing, good monsieur, but to help cavalero Cobweb^{8 note} to scratch. I must to the barber's, monsieur; for, methinks, I am marvellous hairy about the face: and I am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me, I must scratch.

Queen.

What, wilt thou hear some musick, my sweet love?

Bot.

I have a reasonable good ear in musick: let us have the tongs^{9 note} and the bones.

Queen.

Or, say, sweet love, what thou desir'st to eat.

Bot.

Truly, a peck of provender; I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow.

Queen.
I have a venturous fairy that shall seek
The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee new nuts.

Bot.

I had rather have a handful, or two, of dried pease. But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me; I have an exposition of sleep come upon me.

Queen.
Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms.
Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away^{1 note}

Gently entwist,—the female ivy^{3 note}





so
Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.
O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!

Oberon advances. Enter Puck.

Ob.
Welcome, good Robin. Seest thou this sweet sight?
Her dotage now I do begin to pity.
For meeting her of late, behind the wood,
Seeking sweet savours^{5 note} for this hateful fool,
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 flouret's 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 strait 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
This hateful imperfection of her eyes.
And, gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp
From off the head of the Athenian swain;
That he awaking when the others 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;
  Be, as thou wast wont to be; [Touching her eyes with an herb.
  See, as thou wast wont to see:
  Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower^{6 note}
  Hath such force and blessed power.
Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen.

Queen.
My Oberon! what visions have I seen!
Methought, I was enamour'd of an ass.

Ob.
There lies your love.

Queen.
How came these things to pass?
Oh, how mine eye doth loath his visage now!

Ob.
Silence, a while.—Robin, take off this head.—
Titania, musick call; and strike more dead
Than common sleep, of all these five the sense^{7 note}
.

Queen.
Musick, ho! musick; such as charmeth sleep.

Puck.
When thou awak'st, with thine own fool's eyes peep.

Ob.

Sound, musick. [Still musick.] Come my queen, take hands with me,

And bless it to all fair^{8 note}

Puck.
Fairy king, attend, and mark;
I do hear the morning lark.

Ob.
Then my queen, in silence sad^{9 note}