Bot. What do you fee? you see an afs-head of your own, do you?

Enter Quince.

Quin. Blefs thee, Bottom, blefs thee; thou art tranflated. [Exit. Bot. I fee their knavery, this is to make an afs of me, to fright me if they could; but I will not stir from this place, do what they can; I will walk up and down here, and I will fing, that they fhall hear I am not afraid.

The oufel cock, fo black of hue,

With orange-tawny bill,

The throftle with his note fo true,

The wren with little quill.

[Sings.

Queen. What angel wakes me from my flow'ry bed?

[waking. Bot. The finch, the fparrow, and the lark, [Sings. The plain-fong cuckow gray,

Whofe note full many a man doth mark,

And dares not answer, nay.

For, indeed, who would fet his wit to fo foolish a bird ? who would give a bird the lye, tho' he cry cuckow never fo?

Queen. I pray thee, gentle mortal, fing again;
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note, (16)
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;

And thy fair virtue's force (perforce) doth move me,
On the first view to fay, to fwear, I love thee.

Bot. Methinks, Mistress, you should have little reafon for that: and yet, to say the truth, reafon and love keep little company together now-a-days. The

(16) Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,

On the firft view to fay, to fwear, I love thee;

So is mine eye enthralled to thy fhape,

And thy fair virtue's force (perforce) doth move me.] Thus the generality of the impreffions have fhuffled, and confused thefe verfes, to the utmoft degree of obscurity and nonsense: but I have from one of the old Quarto's reduced 'em to clearness and order: and as, without knowing fuch an authority for it, Dr. Thirlby ingeniously hinted to me, they fhould be placed.

2.

more

more the pity, that fome honeft neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occafion. Queen. Thou art as wife, as thou art beautiful.

Bot. Not fo neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to ferve mine own turn. Queen. Out of this wood do not defire to go, Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. I am a fpirit of no common rate;

The fummer still doth tend upon my state,

And I do love thee; therefore, go with me,
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;

And they fhall fetch thee jewels from the deep,
And fing, while thou on preffed flowers doft fleep:
And I will purge thy mortal groffness fo,
That thou fhall like an airy fpirit go.

Peafebloffem! Cobweb! Meth! and Mustardfeed! (17)
Enter four Fairies.

1 Fair. Ready, 2 Fair. And I.

3 Fair. And I.

4 Fair. And I, where fhall we go?

Queen. Be kind, and courteous to this gentleman;
Hop in his walks, and gambole in his eyes;
Feed him with apricocks and dewberries,
With purple grapes, green figs and mulberries,
The honey-bags fteal from the humble bees,
And for night tapers crop their waxen thighs,
And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes,
To have my love to bed, and to arife:

And pluck the wings from painted butterflies,
To fan the moon beams from his fleeping eyes;
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtefies.

1 Fair. Hail, mortal, hail!

(17) Enter Peafebloffom, Cobweb, Moth, Muftardfeed, and four Fairies.] Here the common editions have been fo extravagant as to fplit four Fairies into eight: but the old Quarto impreffions both come in to my affiftance to reduce 'em to their right number. The Queen calls them by their respective names, and immediately the four Fairies enter upon call.

2 Fair.

2 Fair. Hail!

3 Fair. Hail!

Bot I cry your worship's mercy heartily; I befeech, your worship's name

Cob. Cobweb.

Bot. I fhall defire of you more acquaintance, good mafter Cobweb; if I cut my finger, I fhall make bold with you. Your name, honeft gentleman ?

Peafe. Peafebloon.

Bot. I pray you, commend me to miftrefs Squash your mother, and to mafter Peafcod your father. Good mafter Peafebloom, I fhall defire of you more acquaintance. too. Your name, I befeech you, Sir?

Muf. Muftardfeed.

Bot. Good mafter Muftardfeed, I know your patience well that fame cowardly giant-like ox-beef hath devour'd many a gentleman of your houfe. I promife you, your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now. I defire more of your acquaintance, good master Mustardfeed

Queen. Come, wait upon him, lead him to my bower. The moon, methinks, looks with a watry eye, And when the weeps, weep ev'ry little flower, Lamenting fome enforced chastity!

Tie up my love's tongue, bring him filently. [Exeunt.

Enter King of Fairies.

Ob. I wonder, if Titania be awak'd: Then what it was that next came in her eye, Which the must doat on in extremity.

Enter Puck.

?

Here comes my meffenger! how now, mad fprite,
What night-rule now about this haunted grove
Puck. My miftrefs with a monfter is in love.
Near to her clofe and confecrated bower,
While fhe was in her dull and fleeping hour,
A crew of patches, rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,

Were

Were met together to rehearse a play,
Intended for great Thefeus' nuptial day.
The shallow't thick-kin of that barren fort,
Who Pyramus prefented, in their fp rt.
Forfook his fcene, and enter'd in a brake;
When I did him at this advantage take,
An afs's nole I fixed on his head:
Anon, his Thiby must be anfwer'd.

And forth my minnock comes: when they him spy,
As wild geefe, that the creeping fowler eye,
Or ruffet-pated choughs, many in fort,
Rifing and cawing at the gun's report,
Sever themselves, and madly fweep the sky;
So, at his fight, away his fellows fly;

And, at our ftamp, 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 fenfeless 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 sweet Pyramus tranflated there :
When in that moment (fo it came to pass)
Titania wak'd, and straitway lov'd an afs.

Ob. This falls out better, than I could devise.
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 she must be ey'd.
Enter Demetrius and Hermia.

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

Her. Now I but chide, but I fhould use thee worse :
For thou, I fear,, haft giv'n me cause to curfe:
If thou haft flain Lyfander in his fleep,

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

The

1

The fun was not fo true unto the day,

As he to me. Would he have ftol'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 brother's noon-tide with th' Antipodes.
It cannot be, but thou haft murder'd him;
So fhould a murderer look, fo dread, fo grim.
Dem. So fhould the murder'd look; and fo fhould I,
Pierc'd through the heart with your ftern cruelty:
Yet you the murderer 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. I'ad rather give his carcafs to my hounds.
Her. Out, dog! out cur! thou driv'ft me paft 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 so much?
An adder did it, for with doubler tongue
Than thine, thou ferpent, never adder ftung.

Dem. You fpend 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 fo:

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 heaviness doth heavier grow,

For debt, that bankrupt sleep doth forrow owe;
Which now in fome flight measure it will pay,

If for his tender here I make fome stay. [Lies down.
Ob. What haft thou done? thou haft miftaken quite,
And laid thy love-juice on fome true love's fight:

Of