Pyr. If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine. Quin. O monftrous! O ftrange! we are haunted; pray, mafters: fly, mafters; help! [The Clowns exeunt. Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round. Through bog, through bufh, through brake, through brier;

Sometimes a horfe I'll be, fometimes a hound,

A hog, a headlefs bear, fometimes a fire,
And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.

[Exit. Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to make me afeard.

Enter Snowt.

Snowt. O Bottom, thou art chang'd; what do I fee on thee?

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

Enter Quince.

Quin. Blefs thee, Bottom, bless thee; thou art tranflated.

Bot. I fee their knavery; this is to make an ass 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.. [Sings.

The oufel cock, fo black of hue,

With orange-tawny bill;

The throftle with his note fo true,

The wren with little quill.

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, though he cry cuckow never fo?

Queen. I pray thee, gentle mortal, fing again;

Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,

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 fay the truth, reafon and love keep little company together now-a-days. The 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 ftill 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 so,

That thou shalt like an airy fpirit go.

Peafebloom! Cobweb! Moth! and Muftardseed!

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!

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.

Peaf. Peafebloom.

Bot. I pray you, commend me to Mistress Squash your mother, and to Mafter Peafecod your father. Good Mafter Peafebloffom, I fhall defire of you more acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, Sir. Muf. Muftardfeed.

Bot, Good Mafter Muftardfeed, I know your parentage well that fame cowardly giant-like ox-beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your houfe. I promise you your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now. I defire more of your acquaintance, good Mafter Muftardfeed.

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.

SCENE

IV.

Enter King of Fairies.

Ob. I wonder if Titania be awak'd:

Then what it was that next came in her eye,
Which the muft 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 monster is in love.

Near to her clofe and confecrated bower,
While fhe was in her dull and sleeping hour,
A crew of patches, rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play,
Intended for great Thefeus' nuptial day.

The fhallow'ft thick-fkin of that barren fort,
Who Pyramus presented, in their sport
Forfook his scene, 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 Thisbe must be answered,

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 fly;
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 fenfelefs things begin to do them wrong.
For briars and thorns at their apparel fnatch,

Some, fleeves; fome, hats; from yielders all things
I led them on in this distracted fear,

And left sweet Pyramus translated there :
When in that moment (fo it came to pafs)
Titania wak'd, and ftraitway lov❜d an ass,

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?

[catch.

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

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

SCENE V. Enter Demetrius and Hermia.

Ob. 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 fo?

Lay breath fo bitter on your bitter foe.

Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee worfe; For thou, I fear, haft given me cause to curfe :

If thou haft flain Lyfander in his sleep,

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 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 centre creep, and fo displease
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 so should 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. I'ad rather give his carcafe to my hounds. Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv'ft me paft the bounds

Of maiden's patience. Haft thou slain 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 fleeping? 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 fpend your paffion on a mifpris'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 heavinefs 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 ftay.

Lies down.

Ob. What haft 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 falfe turn'd true,