Tita.
Come, now a roundel and a fairy song;
Then, for ^note the third part of a minute ^note, hence;
Some to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds;
Some war with rere-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 ^note. Sing me now asleep;
Then to your offices, and let me rest.

Song. Fir. Fairy. ^note
You spotted snakes with double tongue.
  Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,
  Come not near our fairy queen. CHORUS. ^note
  Philomel, with melody
  Sing in our ^note sweet lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby:
    Never harm,
    Nor spell, nor charm,
  Come our lovely lady nigh;
  So, good night, with lullaby. Fir. Fairy. ^note
Weaving spiders, come not here;
  Hence, you long-legg'd spinners ^note, hence!
Beetles black, approach not near;
  Worm nor snail, do no offence. CHORUS. ^note
  Philomel, with melody, &c.

Sec. Fairy. ^note
Hence, away! now all is well:
  One aloof stand sentinel. [Exeunt Fairies. ^note Titania sleeps. ^note Enter Oberon, and squeezes the flower on Titania's eyelids. ^note

Obe.
What thou seest when thou dost wake,
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 ^note shall appear
When thou wakest, it is thy dear:
Wake when some vile thing is near. [Exit. ^{note note}Enter Lysander and Hermia.

Lys.
Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood ^note;
  And to speak troth, I have forgot our way:
We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good,
  And tarry for the comfort ^note of the day.

Her.
Be it ^note 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 ^note the meaning in love's conference ^{note note}.
I mean, that my heart unto yours is ^note knit,
So that but one heart we can ^note make of it:

Two bosoms interchained ^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 my manners and my pride,
If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied.
But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy
Lie further off; in human ^note 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 press'd! [They sleep. ^note Enter Puck.

Puck.
Through the forest have I gone,
But Athenian found ^note 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, this kill-courtesy ^note.

Churl, upon thy eyes I throw
All the power this charm doth owe.
When thou wakest, let love forbid
Sleep his seat on thy eyelid:
So awake when I am gone;
For I must now to Oberon. [Exit. ^noteEnter Demetrius and Helena, running.

Hel.
Stay ^note, 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. ^note

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 ^note 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! ^note on the ground!
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound.
Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake.

Lys. [Awaking]
And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake.
Transparent Helena ^note! Nature shows ^note art,
That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart ^note.

Where is ^note 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.

Lys.
Content with Hermia! No; I do repent
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia but Helena I love ^note:
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 ^note to reason;
And touching now the point of human ^note skill,
Reason becomes the marshal to my will,
And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook
Love's stories ^note, 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' ^note 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.
O, that a lady, of one man refused,
Should of another therefore be abused! [Exit.

Lys.
She sees not Hermia. Hermia, sleep thou there:
And never mayst thou come Lysander near!
For as a surfeit of the sweetest things
The deepest loathing to the stomach ^note brings,

Or as the heresies that men do leave
Are hated most of those they ^note did deceive,
So thou, my surfeit and my heresy,
Of all be hated, but the most of me!
And, all my powers, address your ^note love and might
To honour Helen and to be her knight! [Exit.

Her. [Awaking]
Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
Ay me ^note, for pity! what a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear:
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
And you ^note sat smiling at his cruel prey.
Lysander! what, removed? Lysander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Alack, where are you? speak, an if you hear;
Speak, of all loves! I swoon ^note almost with fear.
No? then I well perceive you are not nigh:
Either ^note death or you I'll find immediately. [Exit.

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