To follow me, and praise my eyes and face?
And made your other love, Demetrius,

(Who even but now did spurn me with his foot,)
To call me goddefs, nymph, divine, and rare,
Precious, celestial? Wherefore speaks 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 so in grace as you,
So hung upon with love, fo fortunate;
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, perféver, counterfeit fad looks,
Make mows upon me when I turn my back;
Wink at each 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 abfence, foon fhall remedy.
Lyf. Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excufe
My love, my life, my foul, fair Helena!
Hel. O excellent!

Her.

Sweet, do not fcorn her fo.

Dem. If the cannot entreat, I can compel.

Lyf. Thou canst compel no more than fhe entreat;

Thy threats have no more strength, than her weak

prayers.

Helen, I love thee; by my life, I do;

1 fwear by that which I will lofe for thee,

To prove him false, that fays I love thee not.

Dem. I fay, I love thee more than he can do.
Lyf. If thou say so, withdraw, and prove it too.
Dem. Quick, come,—

Her.

Lyfander, whereto tends all this?

Lyf. Away, you Ethiop!

Dem.

No, no, fir:-he will Seem to break loofe; take on, as you would follow; But yet come not: You are a tame man, go!

Lys. Hang off, thou cat, thou burr: vile thing, let loose; Or I will shake thee from me, like a serpent.

Her. Why are you grown fo rude? what change is this, Sweet love?

Lyf. Thy love? out, tawny Tartar, out! Out, loathed medicine! hated potion, hence! Her. Do you not jest?

Hel.

Yes, 'footh; and fo do you. Lyf. Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee. Dem. I would, I had your bond: for, I perceive, A weak bond holds you; I'll not trust your word. Lyf. What, fhould I hurt her, strike her, kill her dead? Although I hate her, I'll not harm her fo.

Her. What, can you do me greater harm, than hate ? Hate me! wherefore? O me! what news, my love? Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lyfander?

I am as fair now, as I was erewhile.

Since night, you lov'd me; yet, fince night, you left me : Why, then you left me,-O, the gods forbid !

In earnest, fhall I fay?

Lyf.

Ay, by my life;

And never did defire to fee thee more.

Therefore, be out of hope, of queftion, doubt,
Be certain, nothing truer; 'tis no jest,
That I do hate thee, and love Helena.

Her. O me! you juggler! you canker-blossom!

You

You thief of love! what, have you come by night,
And stol❜n my love's heart from him?

Hel.

Fine, i'faith!

Have you no modesty, no maiden shame,
No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue ?
Fie, fie, you counterfeit, you puppet, you!

Her. Puppet! why fo? Ay, that way goes the game. Now I perceive that she hath made compare

Between our ftatures, fhe hath urg'd her height;
And with her personage, her tall personage,

Her height, forfooth, she hath prevail'd with him.—
And are you grown fo high in his esteem,
Because I am so dwarfish, and fo low?
How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak;
How low am I? I am not yet fo low,

But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.

Hel. I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen, Let her not hurt me: I was never curft;

I have no gift at all in fhrewishness;

I am a right maid for my cowardice;

Let her not ftrike me: You, perhaps, may think,
Because she's something lower than myself,

That I can match her.

Her.

Lower! hark, again.

Hel. Good Hermia, do not be fo bitter with me.
I evermore did love you, Hermia,

Did ever keep your counfels, never wrong'd you;
Save that, in love unto Demetrius,

I told him of your ftealth unto this wood:
He follow'd you; for love, I follow'd him.
But he hath chid me hence; and threaten'd me
To ftrike me, fpurn me, nay, to kill me too:
And now, fo you will let me quiet go,

Το

To Athens will I bear my folly back,
And follow you no further: Let me go:
You see how fimple and how fond I am.

Her. Why, get you gone: Who is't that hinders you? Hel. A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.

Her. What, with Lyfander?

Hel.

With Demetrius.

Lyf. Be not afraid: fhe fhall not harm thee, Helena. Dem. No, fir; the fhall not, though you take her part. Hel. O, when she's angry, she is keen and threwd : She was a vixen, when she went to school; And, though the be but little, she is fierce. Her. Little again? nothing but low and little?--Why will you fuffer her to flout me thus ? Let me come to her.

Lyf.

Get you gone, you dwarf;

You minimas, of hind'ring knot-grafs made;
You bead, you acorn.

Dem.

You are too officious,

In her behalf that fcorns your fervices.

Let her alone; fpeak not of Helena;

Take not her part: for if thou doft intend

Never fo little fhow of love to her,

Thou shalt aby it.

Lyf.

Now the holds me not;

Now follow, if thou dar'ft, to try whose right,

Or thine or mine, is most in Helena.

Dem. Follow nay, I'll go with thee, cheek by jole.

[Exeunt Lys. and DEM.

Her. You, mistress, all this coil is 'long of you:

Nay, go not back.

Hel.
I will not trust you, I
Nor longer stay in your curft company.

1

Your hands, than mine, are quicker for a fray;
My legs are longer though, to run away.

Her. I am amaz'd, and know not what to fay.

[Exit.

[Exit, pursuing HELENA.
Obe. This is thy negligence: ftill thou mistak'st,
Or else commit'ft thy knaveries wilfully.

Puck. Believe me, king of fhadows, I mistook.
Did not you tell me, I fhould know the man
By the Athenian garments he had on?
And fo far blameless proves my enterprize,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes:
And fo far am I glad it did so sort,

As this their jangling I esteem a sport.

Obe. Thou feeft, these lovers seek a place to fight:

Hie therefore, Robin, overcast the night;

The ftarry welkin cover thou anon

With drooping fog, as black as Acheron;
And lead thefe tefty rivals so astray,
As one come not within another's way.
Like to Lyfander fometime frame thy tongue,
Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
And fometime rail thou like Demetrius ;

And from each other look thou lead them thus,
'Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep :
Then crush this herb into Lyfander's eye;
Whofe liquor hath this virtuous property,
To take from thence all error, with his might,
And make his eye-balls roll with wonted fight.
When they next wake, all this derifion

Shall feem a dream, and fruitless vision;

And back to Athens fhall the lovers wend,

With league, whofe date till death fhall never end.

Whiles