Queen.
Come, now a roundel, and a fairy song^{6 note}

Some, to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds;
Some, war with rear-mice^{8 note}

First Fairy.
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 your sweet lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby:
  Never harm, nor spell nor charm,
  Come our lovely lady nigh;
  So, good night, with lullaby. Second Fairy.
Weaving spiders, come not here;
  Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence:
Beetles black, approach not near;
  Worm, nor snail, do no offence. Chorus.
  Philomel, with melody, &c. First Fairy.
  Hence, away; now all is well^{1 note}:
  One, aloof, stand sentinel. [Exeunt Fairies. The Queen sleeps. Enter Oberon.

Ob.
What thou seest, when thou dost wake, [Squeezes the flower on her eye-lids.
Do it for thy true love take;
Love, and languish for his sake:
Be it^{2 note} 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. [Exit Oberon. Enter Lysander and Hermia.

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,
Lye further off yet, do not lye so near.

Lys.
O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence^{3 note}

I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit;
So that but one heart we can^{4 note} make of it:
Two bosoms interchained^{5 note} 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.

Her.
Lysander, riddles very prettily:—
Now much beshrew^{6 note}

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 press'd! [They sleep.

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 lye
Near to this lack-love, this kill-courtesy^{7 note}.
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.
So awake, when I am gone;
For I must now to Oberon. [Exit. Enter Demetrius and Helena running.

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^{8 note}? do not so.

Dem.
Stay on thy peril; I alone will go. [Exit Demetrius.

Hel.
O, I am out of breath, in this fond chace!
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace^{9 note}.

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 oftner 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 shews art, 9Q0282
That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart.
Where is Demetrius? Oh, 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.

Lys.
Content with Hermia? No: I do repent
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia, but Helena I love: 9Q0283
Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reason sway'd;
And reason says, you are the worthier maid.
Things growing are not ripe until their season:
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason;
And touching now the point of human skill^{1 note}

And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook
Love's stories, written in love's richest book.

Hel.
Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?
When, at your hands, did I deserve this scorn?
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can,
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my insufficiency?
Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do,
In such disdainful manner me to woo.
But fare you well: perforce I must confess,
I thought you lord of more true gentleness^{3 note}.
Oh, that a lady, of one man refus'd,
Should, of another, therefore be abus'd! [Exit.

Lys.
She sees not Hermia:—Hermia, sleep thou there;
And never may'st thou come Lysander near!
For, as a surfeit of the sweetest things,
The deepest loathing to the stomach brings;
Or, as the heresies, that men do leave,
Are hated most of those they did deceive^{4 note};
So thou, my surfeit, and my heresy,
Of all be hated; but the most, of me!
And all my powers, address your love and might,
To honour Helen, and to be her knight! Exit.

Her. [starting from sleep.]
Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best,
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
Ay me, for pity!—what a dream was here?
Lysander, look, how I do quake with fear:

Methought, a serpent eat my heart away,
And you^{5 note} sat smiling at his cruel prey:—
Lysander! what, remov'd? Lysander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Alack, where are you? speak, an if you hear;
Speak, of all loves^{6 note}