Sever themselves, and madly sweep the fky;
So at his fight, away his fellows fly;

And, at our flamp, here o'er and o'er one falls;
He murder cries, and help from Athens calls.
Their fenfe thus weak, loft with their fears thus ftrong,
Made fenfelefs things begin to do them wrong.
For briars and thorns at their apparel fnatch,
Some, fleeves; fome, hats; from yielders all things
catch.

I led them on in this distracted fear,

And left fweet Pyramus tranflated there:
When in that moment (fo it came to pafs)
Titania wak'd, and ftraightway lov'd an afs.

Ob. This falls out better, than I could devife.
But haft thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?

Puck. I took him fleeping; that is finish'd too; And the Athenian woman by his fide,

That when he wakes, of force fhe must be ey'd.

Ob.

Enter Demetrius and Hermia.

TAND clofe, this is the fame Athenian.

STA

Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man. Dem. O, why rebuke you him that loves you fo? Lay breath fo bitter on your bitter foe.

Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee worse;
For thou, I fear, haft given me cause to curse:
If thou haft flain Lyfander in his fleep,

Being o'er fhoes in blood, plunge in the deep,
And kill me too.

The fun was not fo true unto the day,

As he to me.

Would he have ftoll'n away

From fleeping Hermia? I'll believe as foon,

This whole earth may be bor'd; and that the moon May through the center creep, and so displease

Her

* Her brother's noon-tide i'th' Antipodes.
It cannot be, but thou haft murther'd him;
So fhould a murtherer look, fo dread, fo grim.

Dem. So fhould the murther'd look; and fo fhould I,
Pierc'd through the heart with your ftern cruelty:
Yet you the murtherer look as bright, and clear,
As yonder Venus in her glimm'ring sphere.

Her. What's this to my Lyfander? where is he? Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me ?

Dem. l'ad rather give his carcafe to my hounds. Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv'ft me past the bounds

Of maiden's patience. Haft thou flain him then?
Henceforth be never number'd among men.
O! once tell true, and even for my fake,

Durft thou have look'd upon him, being awake?
And haft thou kill'd him sleeping? O brave touch!
Could not a worm, an adder do fo much?
An adder did it, for with doubler tongue
Than thine, thou ferpent, never adder ftung.

Dem. You spend your paffion on a mispris'd mood; I am not guilty of Lyfander's blood,

Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell.

Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.
Dem. And if I could, what should I get therefore?
Her. A privilege never to fee me more;

And from thy hated prefence part I so:
See me no more, whether he's dead or no.

[Exit.

Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vein,

Here, therefore, for a while I will remain:
So forrow's heavinefs doth heavier grow,
For debt, that bankrupt fleep doth forrow owe;

Her brother's noon-tide with th' Antipodes] This the old Reading. She fays, fhe would as foon believe, that the Moon, then fhining, could creep through the Centre, and meet the Sun's Light on the other Side the Globe. It is plain therefore we should read,

i'th' Antipodes, i. e. in the Antipodes where the Sun was then shining.

Which now in fome flight measure it will pay,
If for his Tender here I make fome ftay. [Lies down.
Ob. What hast thou done? thou haft mistaken quite,
And laid thy love-juice on fome true love's fight:
Of thy mifprifion must perforce enfue

Some true love turn'd, and not a false turn'd true. Puck. Then fate o'er rules, that, one man holding troth,

A million fail, confounding oath on oath.

Ob. About the wood go fwifter than the wind, And Helena of Athens, see, thou find.

All fancy-fick fhe is, and pale of cheer;

With fighs of love, that coft the fresh blood dear;
By fome illufion, fee, thou bring her here;
I'll charm his eyes, against she doth appear.
Puck. I go, I go; look, how I go;

Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.
Ob. Flower of this purple dye,

Hit with Cupid's archery,

Sink in apple of his eye!
When his love he doth efpy,
Let her shine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.

When thou wak'ft, if fhe be by,
Beg of her for remedy.

Enter Puck.

Puck. Captain of our fairy band, Helena is here at hand,

And the youth, miftook by me,

Pleading for a lover's fee.

Shall we their fond pageant see?

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

Ob. Stand afide: the noife, they make,

Will caufe Demetrius to awake.

Puck. Then will two at once woo one;

That muft needs be sport alone.

[Exit.

And

And those things do beft pleafe me,
That befal prepost'rously.

Enter Lyfander and Helena.

HY fhould you think, that I should woo

Lyf. W in fcom;

Scorn and derifion never come in tears.
Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows fo born,
In their nativity all truth appears:

How can these things in me seem scorn to you,
Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true?
Hel. You do advance your cunning more and more;
When truth kills truth, O devilish, holy, fray!
These vows are Hermia's: will you give her o'er?
Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh;
Your vows to her and me, put in two scales,
Will even weigh, and both as light as tales.
Lyf. I had no judgment when to her I fwore.
Her. Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er..
Lyf. Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
Dem. [awaking.] O Helen, goddefs, nymph, perfect,.
divine,

To what, my love, fhall I compare thine eyne?
Cryftal is muddy; O how ripe in show

Thy lips, thofe kiffing cherries, tempting grow!
That pure congealed white, high Taurus' fnow,
Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow
When thou hold'ft up thy hand. O let me kifs
This Pureness of pure white, this seal of bliss.
Hel. O fpight, O hell! I fee you all are bent
To fet againit me, for your merriment:
If you were civil, and knew courtefy,
You would not do me thus much injury.

Can

do,

*Can you not hate me, as I know you
But muft join infolents to mock me too?
If you are men, as men you are in show,
You would not use a gentle lady so:
To vow and fwear, and fuper-praise my parts;
When I am fure, you hate me with your
You both are rivals, and love Hermia,
And now both rivals to mock Helena.
A trim exploit, a manly enterprize,

hearts.

To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
With your derifion! none of nobler fort
Would fo offend a virgin, and extort
A poor foul's patience, all to make you sport.
Lyf. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not fo;
For you love Hermia; this, you know, I know.
And here with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,

Whom I do love, and will do to my death.

Hel. Never did mockers wafte more idle breath. Dem. Lyfander, keep thy Hermia, I will none; If e'er I lov'd her, all that love is gone. My heart to her but, as gueft-wife, fojourn'd; And now to Helen it is home return'd, There ever to remain.

Lyf. It is not fo.

Dem. Difparage not the faith, thou doft not know, Left to thy peril thou abide it dear.

Look, where thy love comes, yonder is thy dear.

*Can you not hate me, as I know you do,

But You must join in fouls to mock me too?] This is spoken to De

metrius.

The laft Line is nonfenfe.

They fhould be read thus,

Can you not hate me, as I know you do,

But muft join infolents to mock me too?

meaning Lyfander, who, as fhe thought, mocked her when he de

clared his Paffion for her,

SCENE