Tit.
Come, a fairy song; sing me now asleep;
Then to your offices, and let me rest.

SONG AND CHORUS. 1st Fai.
  You spotted snakes, with double tongue,^{17 note}
    Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen;
  Newts,^{18 note} and blind-worms, do no wrong;
    Come not near our fairy queen. CHORUS.
  Philomel, with melody,
  Sing in our sweet lullably;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby:
  Never harm, nor spell nor charm,
  Come our lovely lady nigh;
  So good night, with lullaby. 1st Fai.
  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. 1st Fai.
  Hence, away; now all is well:
  One, aloof, stand sentinel. [Exeunt Fairies. Titania sleeps.

Enter Oberon. Music. INCANTATION.

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,^{19 note} 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. [Music. Exit. Enter Lysander and Hermia.

Lys.
Fair Love, you faint with wandering in the wood:
  And to speak truth, 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.
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 eye be press'd! [They sleep. Enter Puck. Music.

Puck.
  Through the forest have I gone,
  But Athenian found I none,
  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.

  Churl, upon thine eyes I throw
  All the power this charm doth owe:^{20 note}
  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. [Music. Exit. Enter Demetrius and Helena, hastily.

Hel.
Stay, tho' thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

Dem.
I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.

Hel.
O, wilt thou darkling^{21 note} 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^{22 note}
Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies;
For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.
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? Yet, 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 now I love:
Who will not change a raven for a dove?

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.^{23 note}
O, 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!
And all my powers, address your love and might,
To honour Helen, and to be her knight! [Exit.

Her. (starting.)
Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best,
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
Ah 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 sat smiling at his cruel prey:—
Lysander! what, remov'd? Lysander, dear!
Alack, where are you? speak, an if you hear;
No?—then I well perceive you are not nigh:
Either death, or you, I'll find immediately. [Exit. Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling.(F)8Q0200

Bot.

Are we all met?

Qui.

Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal: This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our tyring-house; and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the Prince.

Bot.

Peter Quince—

Qui.

What say'st thou, bully Bottom?

Bot.

There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that will never please. First Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?

Sno.

By'rlakin, a parlous fear.^{24 note}

Sta.

I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.

Sno.

Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?

Sta.

I fear it, I promise you.

Bot.

Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to bring in a lion among ladies, is a most dreadful thing: for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion, living; and we ought to look to it.

Sno.

Another prologue must tell he is not a lion.

Bot.

Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect.—Ladies, or fair ladies, I would wish you not to fear, not to tremble. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life: No, I am no such thing; I am a man as other men are —and there, indeed, let him name his name: and tell them plainly, he is Snug, the joiner.(G)8Q0201

Qui.

Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things; that is, to bring the moon-light into a chamber; for you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moon-light.

Bot.

One must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and say, he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of moon-shine.

Qui.

There is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby, says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall.

Snug.

You never can bring in a wall.—What say you, Bottom?

Bot.

Some man or other must present wall: and let him have some plaster, or some lime, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper.

Qui.

If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake;^{25 note} and so every one according to his cue.

Qui.

Speak, Pyramus:—Thisby, stand forth.