'labour' should mean 'busy yourselves actively' (and maliciously) at the quern.' As, however, 'grinding at the mill' is, in Ben Jonson's ballad, one of Robin's more amiable feats, done to help those whom he favours, we must conclude that either it slipped in here unawares, or that Shakspere did not accurately distinguish 'quern' and 'churn' (philologists find it hard even now to do so with perfect clearness), and that the "labour in the quern" is the malignant exertion which hinders the butter from coming (as the next line says).

38 To bear no barm. 'Make the wort refuse to ferment.' 44 Hobgoblin. 'Hob' is for 'Robin;' 'goblin,' if akin to 'kobel' or 'kobold,' may mean, as Grimm suggests, "housegod,' so as to be really complimentary. Grimm also says, "Our German fables give the house-kobold the affectionate names of 'Gutgesell,' 'Nachbar,' 'lieber Nachbar,' 'gutes Kind.""

47 A gossip's bowl, filled with the genial 'lambswool,' of which roasted apples were an ingredient.

The

55 Tailor cries. Johnson 'thinks he remembers' hearing people thus crying out when such a misfortune occurs. cry means, he says, 'A tailor's posture for me,' or the like. 56 Waxen. Farmer conjectured 'yexen;' that is, 'hiccup.' Neeze. To sneeze' ('niesen').

60 Titania. One of the classical names for Diana. The reason for its being transferred to the fairy queen is most clearly given by Mr. Hunter (Illustrations, p. 285), who quotes no less a person than King James I. "That fourth kind of sprites, qwhilk be the gentiles was called Diana and the wandering court, and among us called the Phaeries.' The fairy queen," says Mr. Hunter, I was therefore the same as Diana, whom Ovid often calls Titania." Thus fairies, heathen gods, and demons are viewed as, in fact, the same beings.

66

64 Must be thy lady.

you shall be my one lord.'

'When you make me your one lady,

69 The farthest steppe. So QI; Q2 Ff read 'steepe.'

82 Middle summer's spring.

midsummer.'

84 Paved fountain.

The first and freshest part of

Pebbly fountain.'

91 Pelting river. 'Paltry river.' Cp. Measure for Measure, ii. 2, 112

"Every pelting petty officer."

The reference here is probably to the stormy and rain-vexed summer of 1594, as described in Forman's Diary, and elsewhere. See the passages quoted in the Introduction.

92 Their continents. Their containing banks.' The murrion flock. Some editors read 'murrain' for 'murrained. 'Murrion,' which is a second spelling of 'morion' (a helmet), may have been put for this by mistake.

F

98 The nine men's morris. "A game," says Douce, " called also the nine men's merrils,' from merelles' or 'mereaux,' the 'jettons' or counters with which it was played." These were placed one by one at the corners and bisection points of three concentric squares, the object being to get three men in a row, and each player trying to baffle his adversary, as in the present game of 'gobang.'

99 In the wanton green. grass.'

'Once made in the fresh green

IOI Want their winter here. This and the following line must be either spurious or transposed from their proper place. Shakspere would not have so clumsily anticipated the point of the season's confusion, which is presently to begin as a new subject with line 107; not to mention that the words 'here' and 'now' suggest that the action of the play is supposed to be in winter (whereas, as we presently see, violets and wild roses are out), and that the punctuation as it stands connects the 'therefore' of line 104 with what immediately precedes, instead of with Oberon and Titania's quarrels. Johnson suggested a thorough rearrangement of the lines in the following orderIOI, 107, 114, 102, 104, 106, 105. Without going so far as this, we might suppose 'the human mortals blest,' to follow line 114, which would obviate some of the difficulties just noticed. But it is highly probable also that the two lines may have been introduced before 1600 by actors unloving of Puritanism, and well knowing such lines as those which Steevens quotes from Nash (Summer's Last Will and Testament, also printed in 1600)—

Christmas, how chance thou com'st not as the rest,
Accompanied with music or some song?

A merry carrol would have graced thee well;

Thy ancestors have used it heretofore,'

It is worth noticing that the confusion of seasons described in this scene is also touched upon in i. 1, 10 of Love's Labour's Lost (printed 1598)—

"Why should I joy in any abortive birth?

At Christmas I no more desire a rose

Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled shows."

109 Thin and icy crown. Qq Ff read 'chin and icy crown.' The correction is Halliwell's.

112 The childing autumn.

"Autumn producing fruits as if

they were children," says Dr. Abbott.

114 By their increase. 'By what each produces.'

120 Changeling. Two syllables here; three in line 23 of this

scene.

Henchman. 'Page of honour' (also 'hench-boy').

127 Embarked traders on the flood. Like Henry VIII., iii. I, 134

"Bring me a constant woman to her husband ;” i.e. a woman constant,' &c.

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150 A mermaid. "All agree," says Mr. Hunter, "that Queen Elizabeth is figured by the 'fair vestal throned by the west;' indeed on this there can be no dispute. Seeing the large space that the mermaid' occupies in the passage, it can hardly be that, if there is an allegory at all, she does not bear a part in it; and seeing how everything said of the mermaid has its counterpart in the Queen of Scots, it can hardly be that the mermaid was not intended to represent her. The agreeableness of Mary's conversation fascinated all who approached her, and subdued even harsh and uncivil minds. She had not been long in England when the Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland broke out into open rebellion. Leonard Dacre, a member of another noble house, ventured all for her; and finally the Duke of Norfolk forgot his allegiance, and tried to marry her. Here at least it must be admitted that we have what answers very well to the stars which

"Shot madly from their spheres

To list the sea-maid's music !'"

Now proceed to the other half of the allegory—

"That very time I saw (but thou couldst not)."

At the very time when the Duke of Norfolk was aspiring to the hand of Mary, Elizabeth herself was strongly solicited to marry the Duke of Anjou. The identity of time happens to be very distinctly shown in Camden's Annals: "Non majorem operam ad has nuptias conficiendas adhibuerant Galli, quam Angli nonnulli ad alias accelerandas inter Scotorum reginam et Norfolchium." Thus far this excellent writer traces the allegory; rightly protesting against such extravagancies as making Cupid represent Leicester, and the "little western flower," Lady Essex, or some other flame of the favourite Earl.

168 Love-in-idleness.

leviathan 'the whale.'

182 The soul of love.

Said to be the 'Viola Tricolor ;'

'A deep-seated love,' as Henry V. (iv. I, 4) speaks of “a soul of goodness in things evil.”

186 I am invisible. Theobald remarks that in subsequent scenes Oberon and Puck frequently speak when there is no mention of their entering, and are therefore supposed to be invisibly on the stage. Mr. Staunton says, that "a robe for to go invisible" was one of the recognized stage 'properties' at the time.

193 Wode. 'Mad,' 'frantic.' The word is best known from the Scottish song in which a Whig complains that "the women are a' gane wud" for the Pretender.

196 You draw not iron. Steevens quotes as follows from Fenton's Secrete Wonders of Nature: "There is a kind of adamant which draweth unto it fleshe, and hath power to knit and tie together two mouths of contrarie persons, and drawe the heart of a man out of his body without offendyng any parte of him." By the next words Helena therefore means, 'It is my heart which acts as steel would-faithfully to the magnet.'

214 Impeach your modesty. 'Empêcher' is properly to clog an animal; the meaning is therefore, 'You cast a scandal on your modesty.'

231 Daphne, who was changed into a laurel while trying to escape the pursuit of Apollo. 244 To die. 'By dying.'

251 Lush woodbine. Qq 'lushious;' Ff 'luscious.' But surely Theobald's correction to 'lush' deserves acceptance. Cp. Tempest, ii. 1, 52: the lush and lusty grass." The word means 'loose-growing,' 'free-growing,' 'luxuriant,' being ultimately from the same root as 'loose.' As to what plant Shakspere meant by the 'woodbine,' see the note on iv. I, 39 below. 'Eglantine' is certainly the sweetbriar (in French 'aíglantier,' from 'aculentus,' 'thorny').

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254 With dances and delight. By the delight of her own dances.' For 'flowers' in this line Grant White proposed 'bowers'—not improbably; for the fairy queen is not of a size to creep into flowers, as the next two lines show.

I Roundel.

SCENE 2.

A kind of dance in which Sir John Davies (as

quoted by Reed) says that the couples move

"As the two bears whom the first mover flings
With a short turn about heaven's axletree,
In a round dance for ever whirling be."

2 The third part of a minute.

No change in the reading is needed; the allowance of time is ample for fairies.

4 Rere-mice. Bats, which are like winged mice. A poet of 1640, quoted by Steevens, speaks of

"dull

Half-spirited souls, who strive on rere-mice wings."

7 At our quaint spirits seems to mean 'our quaint spiritings;' so that there was no need for Warburton to write 'sports' instead of it.

II Newts. 'Efts' ('an eft' having become 'a newt' by transference of the final letter). So 'a natter' is often said to become an adder;' but the double German form 'Otter' and 'Natter' is against this. 'Alligator' is, however, certainly ‘el

lagarto' ('lacerta,' the lizard), from a similar transference of the article.

46 Love takes the meaning. When lovers confer, Love alone can understand what they mean. Listen therefore to Love, and he will assure you that my meaning is innocent.' Collier proposes 'confidence,' which would give another meaning; but there is no call for change.

50 So then two bosoms.

'Our hearts are interchained with such an oath, that it makes them as much one as their pledge is,' seems to be the thought.

77 Near this lack-love.

Sidney Walker (ii. 52) suggests 'nearer,' which was in Shakspere's time pronounced 'near;' as in Richard II., v. 1, 38—

Better far off than near be ne'er the near;' just as 'princesses' sounded like 'princess,' and 'exceeded ' like 'exceed.' (Abbott, p. 356.)

86 Darkling. King Lear, i. 4, 238: "So out went the candle, and we were left darkling.

90 Wheresoe'er she lies. 'Wherever she dwells;' as in Milton's Allegro

"Where perchance some beauty lies,

The cynosure of neighbouring eyes." 97 As a monster. 'As that of a monster.' 99 Sphery eyne. 'Starry eyes.'

104 Nature shows art. So Qq; F1, 'nature her shewes art,' which F2, F3 correct, after their fashion, into 'nature here shews art.' The word 'her' may have originated in the false pronunciation 'natuer;' that is, in carrying too far Shakspere's way of pronouncing 'Henery' for 'Henry, and the like. If this cor

ruption dates from the unknown edition which preceded Q1, Q2, it would seem not unlikely that 'nature owes the art' (that is, owns it') is the true reading, 'shewes' having originated in an attempt to correct 'her' into 'she.' Compare the similar phrases, "the disposition which I owe,' as if he mastered there a double spirit," &c.; "lord of more true gentleness," &c. What Lysander means is that, by the natural power of love, he sees the trouble which fills her mind, though he had been asleep when she spoke of it, and is therefore longing to revenge it upon Demetrius. 109 Lord, what though? What difference does it make?' The word 'Lord' is probably an exclamation, as in the Passionate Pilgrim, 193—

"Lord! how mine eyes throw gazes to the east!"

118 Ripe not to reason.

You Like It, ii. 7, 27—

'Do not ripen to reason;' as in As

"And so we ripe and ripe, and rot and rot,
And thereby hangs a tale."