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MIDSUMMER NIGHT's

DRE A M.

ACT I. SCENE I.

The Duke's palace in Athens.

Enter Thefeus, Hippolita, Philoftrate, with attendants.

THESE U s.

NOW, fair Hippolita, our nuptial hour

Draws on apace; four happy days bring in Another moon: but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! fhe lingers my defires, Like to a step-dame, or a dowager,

Long withering out a young man's revenue.

HIP. Four days will quickly steep themselves in night;

Four nights will quickly dream away the time:

And then the moon like to a filver bow,

New bent in heaven, shall behold the night
Of our folemnities.

THE. Go, Philoftrate,

Stir up th' Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth:
Turn melancholy forth to funerals,
The pale companion is not for our pomp.
Hippolita, I woo'd thee with my fword;

[Exit. Phi.

And won thy love, doing thee injuries :

But I will wed thee in another key,

With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.

Enter Egeus, Hermia, Lyfander and Demetrius. EGE. Happy be Thefeus, our renowned duke: THE. Thanks, good Egeus; what's the news with thee? EGE. Full of vexation, come I with complaint

Against my child, my daughter Hermia. "Stand forth," Demetrius.

-My noble lord,

This man hath my consent to marry her. "Stand forth," Lyfander.

And, my gracious duke,

This man hath witch'd the bofom of my child;
Thou, thou, Lyfander, thou haft giv'n her rhimes,
And interchang'd love tokens with my child :
Thou hast by moon-light at her window sung,
With feigning voice, verses of feigning love;
And ftol'n th' impreffion of her fantasie,
With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,
Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweet-meats, messengers
Of ftrong prevailment in unharden'd youth:
With cunning haft thou filch'd my daughter's heart,
Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
To ftubborn harfhness: And, my gracious duke,
Be't fo, fhe will not here before your grace
Confent to marry with Demetrius;..
I beg the antient privilege of Athens,
As fhe is mine, I may difpofe of her:
Which fhall be either to this gentleman,
Or to her death, according to our law,
Immediately provided in that cafe.

THE. What fay you, Hermia? be advis'd, fair maid,

To you your father fhould be as a god,

One, that compos'd your beauties; yea, and one,

To whom you are but as a form in wax

By him imprinted; and within his pow'r
To leave the figure, or disfigure it.
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
HER. So is Lyfander.

THE. In himself he is;

But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
The other must be held the worthier.

HER. I would, my father look'd but with my eyes.
THE. Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.
HER. I do intreat your grace to pardon me :
I know not, by what pow'r I am made bold;
Nor how it may concern my modesty,

In fuch a prefence here, to plead my thoughts:
But, I beseech your grace, that I may know
The worst that may befal me in this cafe,
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

THE. Either to die the death, or to abjure
For ever the fociety of men.

Therefore, fair, Hermia, question your defires:
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun;

For

aye

to be in fhady cloister mew'd, To live a barren fifter all your life,

Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitless moon?
Thrice blessed they, that master fo their blood,
To undergo fuch maiden pilgrimage!

But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd,

Than that, which withering on the virgin thorn,

Grows, lives and dies, in single blessedness.

HER. So will I grow, fo live, fo die, my lord, Ere I will yield my virgin patent up

Unto his lordship, to whofe unwish'd yoak

My foul consents not to give sovʼreignty.

THE. Take time to pause: and by the next new moon
The fealing day betwixt my love and me,
For everlasting bond of fellowship,

Upon that day either prepare to die,
For difobedience to your father's will;
Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would;
Or on Diana's alter to proteft,

For aye, aufterity and fingle life.

DEM. Relent, fweet Hermia; and, Lyfander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right.

Lys. You have her father's love, Demetrius;
Let me have Hermia's; do you marry him.

EGE. Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my love;
And what is mine, my love fhall render him.
And she is mine, and all my right of her
I do eftate unto Demetrius.

Lys. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well poffeft: my love is more than his :
My fortune's every way as fairly rank'd,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius's:

And, which is more than all these boasts can be,
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia...

Why should not I then prosecute my right?
Demetrius (I'll avouch it to his head)

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Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena;
And won her foul; and fhe, fweet lady, doats,
Devoutly doats, doats in idolatry,

Upon this fpotted and inconftant man.

THE. I must confefs, that I have heard so much,
And with Demetrius thought t'have spoke thereof;
But, being over-full of felf-affairs,

My mind did lofe it. But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you fhall go with me;
I have fome private schooling for you both.
For you, fair Hermia, look, you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or else the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of fingle life.-

-Come, my Hippolita; what chear, my love ?
-Demetrius, and Egeus, go along;

I must employ you in fome business
Against our nuptials, and confer with you
Of fomething nearly that concerns yourselves.
EGE. With duty and defire we follow you.

SCENE II.

Manent Lyfander and Hermia.

[Exeunt.

Lys. How now, my love? why is your cheek fo pale? How chance the roses there do fade so fast?

HER. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well

Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.

Lys. Ah me, for aught that ever I could read,

Could ever hear by tale or hiftory,

The course of true love never did run smooth;

But, either it was different in blood

HER. O cross!-too high to be enthrall'd to low-
Lys. Or elfe mifgraffed, in refpect of years

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