Of thy mifprifion must perforce enfue
Some true love turn'd, and not a falfe 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, fee, thou find.
All fancy fick fhe is, and pale of cheer;
With fighs of love, that costs the fresh blood dear;
By fome illufion, fee, thcu bring her here:
'I'il charm his eyes, against the 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 fhine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.
When thou wak❜ft, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy.
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 fee?
Lord, what fools thefe mortals be?
Ob. Stand afide: the noife, they make,
Will caufe Demetrias to awake.
Puck. Then will two at once woo one;
That must needs be fport alone.
And those things do beft please me,
That befal prepoft'rously.
Enter Lyfander and Helena.
Ly. Why fhould you think, that I fhould woo in fcorn? 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 feem fcorn 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.
Hel. Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er.
Lyf. Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
Dem. [awak.]O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine,
To what, my love, fhall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal 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 eaftern wind, turns to a crow
When thou hold'ft up thy hand. O let me kifs
This Princefs of pure white, this feal of blifs.
Hel. O fpight, O hell! I fee, you all are bent
To fet against me, for your merriment:
If you were civil, and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury,
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you muft join in fouls to mock me too?
If you are men, as men you are in show,
You would not ufe a gentle Lady fo:
To vow and fwear, and fuper-praise my parts;
When, I am fure, you hate me with
You both are rivals and love Hermia,
And now both rivals to mock Helena.
A trim exploit, a manly enterprize. (18)
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
With your derifion! none of noble fort
Would fo offend a virgin, and extort
A poor foul's patience, all to make you sport.
(18) A trim exploit, a manly enterprize,] This reproach, in the form of it, feems extremely to have the caft of that, in the it neid;
Egregiam vero laudem, & fpolia ampla refertis,
Una delo, Divum, &c.
Lyf. You are unkind, Demetrius ; be not so ;
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-wise, fojourn'd;
And now to Helen it is home return'd.
There ever to remain.
Lys. It is not so.
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.
Enter Hermia.
Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehenfion makes : Wherein it doth impair the feeing fenfe, It pays the hearing double recompence. Thou art not by mine eye, Lyfander, found; Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy found. But why unkindly didft thou leave me lo ?
Ly. Why fhould he ftay, whom love doth prefs to go? Her. What love could prefs Lyfander from my fide?. Lyf. Lyfander's love, that would not let him bide, Fair Helena; who more engilds the night, Than all yon fiery O's and eyes of light.
Why feek'ft thou me? could not this make thee know,
The hate, I bear thee, made me leave thee fo?
Her. You speak not, as you think: it cannot be.
Hel. Lo, the is one of this confed'racy;
Now, I perceive, they have conjoin'd all three,
To fashion this falfe fport in fpight of me.
Injurious Hermia, most ungrateful maid,
Have you confpir'd, have you with these contriv'd
To bait me with this foul derifion?
Is all the counsel that we two have shar'd,
'The fifter's vows, the hours that we have spent,
When we have chid the hafty-footed time
For parting us; O! and is all forgot?
All fchool-days friendship, childhood innocence ?
We, Hermia, like two artificial Gods,
Created with our needles both one flower,
Both on one fampler, fitting on one cushion;
Both warbling of one fong, both in one key;
As if our hands, our fides, voices, and minds
Had heen incorp'rate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, feeming parted,
But yet an union in partition;
Two lovely berries molded on one stem,
So with two feeming bodies, but one heart;
Two of the firft, like coats in heraldry, (19)
Due but to one, and crowned with one creft,
And will you rend our ancient love asunder,
To join with men in fcorning your poor friend?
It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly;
Our fex, as well as I, may chide you for it;
Though I alone do feel the injury.
Her. I am amazed at your paflionate words:
I fcorn you not; it seems, that you scorn me.
Hel. Have you not fet Lyfander, as in fcorn,
To follow me, and praise my eyes and face?
And made your other love, Demetrius,
(Who, even but now, did fpurn' me with his foot).
To call me goddefs, nymph, divine, and rare,
Precious, celeftial? wherefore fpeaks he this,
To her he hates? and wherefore doth Lyfander
Deny your love, fo rich within his foul,
And tender me, forfooth, affection;
But by your fetting on, by your confent?
What though I be not fo in grace as you,
So hung upon with love, fo fortunate;
(19) Two of the firft life, coats in heraldry,
Due but to one, and crotoned with one creft.] The true correction of this paffage I owe to the friendship and Communication of the ingenious Martin Folks, Efq;-Two of the first, second, &c. are terms peculiar in heraldry to distinguish the different quarterings of
But miferable moft, to love unlov'd?
This you should pity, rather than despise.
Her. I understand not what you mean by this.
Hel. Ay, do, perfevere, counterfeit fad looks,
Make mouths upon me, when I turn my back;
Wink each at other, hold the fweet jeft up:
This fport, well carried, fhall be chronicled.
If you have any pity, grace, or manners,
You would not make me fuch an argument:
But fare ye well, 'tis partly mine own fault,
Which death or absence soon shall remedy.
Lyf. Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excufe ;
My love, my life, my foul, fair Helena.
Hel. O excellent!
Her. Sweet, do not scorn her fo.
Dem. If the cannot intreat, I can compel. Lyf. Thou canst compel, no more than she intreat: Thy threats have no more ftrength, than her weak prayers. (20)
Helen, I love thee; by my life, I do:
I fwear, by that which I will lose for thee,
Το prove him falfe, that fays, I love thee not.
Dem. I fay, I love thee more than he can do.
Lyf. If thou fay fo, withdraw and prove it too.
Dem. Quick, come..
Her. Lyfander, whereto tends all this?
Lyf. Away, you Ethiope!
Dem. No, no, he'll seem
To break away; take on as he would follow,
But yet come not; you are a tame man, go.
Lyf. Hang off, thou cat, thou burr; vile thing, let loofe; Or I will shake thee from me, like a ferpent.
(20) Thy threats have no more strength than her weak praife.] This line is certainly but an enlargement upon, or rather a variation in terms of the fenfe of the preceeding line. But, in that, there is a defign'd Antithefis betwixt compel and intreat: this contract of terms is wanting, in threats and praife: wherefore we need make no difficulty of fubftituting prayers. Indeed, my fufpicion is, the Poet might have coin'd a fubftantive plural, (from the verb, to pray) prays; i. e. prayings, entreaties, befeechings; and the identity of found might give birth to the corruption of it into praife. But I have
chofen the known and familiar word.
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