To whom you are but as a form in wax
By him imprinted; and within his power
To 'leve the figure, or disfigure it.
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
Her. So is Lyfander.

The. In himself he is;

But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
The other must be held the worthier.

Her. I would my father look'd but with my eyes.
The. Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.
Her. I do intreat your grace to pardon me :

I know not by what pow'r I am made bold;
Nor how it may concern my modefty,

In fuch a prefence here, to plead my thoughts:
But I beseech your Grace, that I may know
The worst that may befal me in this cafe,
If I refufe to wed Demetrius.

The. Either to die the death, or to abjure

For ever the fociety of men.

Therefore, fair Hermia, queftion your defires;
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun;

For ay to be in fhady cloister mew'd,
To live a barren fifter all your life,

Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitlefs, moon?
Thrice bleffed they that mafter fo their blood,
To undergo fuch maiden pilgrimage!
But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd,

Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies, in fingle bleffedness.

Her. So will I grow, fo live, fo die, my Lord,

Ere I will yield my virgin patent up

Unto his Lordship, to whofe unwish'd yoke

My foul confents not to give fov'reignty.

The. Take time to paufe; and by the next new moon, (The fealing day betwixt my love and me,

For everlasting bond of fellowship),
Upon that day either prepare to die,
For difobedience to your father's will;
Or elfe to wed Demetrius, as he would;
Or on Diana's altar to protest,

For

For ay, aufterity and fingle life.

Dem. Relent, fweet Hermia; and, Lyfander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right.

Lyf. You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's; do you marry him.

Ege. Scornful Lyfander! true, he hath my love; And what is mine, my love fhall render him. And he is mine, and all my right of her

I do estate unto Demetrius.

Lyf. I am, my Lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well poffefs'd: my love is more than his :
My fortune's every way as fairly rank'd,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius :

And, which is more than all these boasts can be,
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia.

Why should not I then profecute my right?
Demetrius (I'll avouch it to his head)
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena;
And won her foul; and fhe, fweet Lady, doats,
Devoutly doats, doats in idolatry,

Upon this spotted and inconstant man.

The. I must confefs, that I have heard fo much, And with Demetrius thought t' have spoke thereof: But, being over-full of self-affairs,

My mind did lofe it. But, Demetrius, come:
And come, Egeus; you fhall go with me:
I have fome private fchooling for you both.
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or elfe the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of fingle life.
Come, my Hippolita; what cheer, my love?
Demetrius, and Egeus, go along;
1 muft employ you in fome business
Against our nuptials, and confer with you
Of fomething nearly that concerns yourselves.
Ege. With duty and defire we follow you.

[Exeunt.
SCENE II. Manent Lyfander and Hermia.
Lyf. How now, my love? why is your check fo pale?
Vol. I.
I
How

How chance the rofes there do fade so fast ?

Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.

Lyf. Hermia, for aught that ever I could read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,

The courfe of true love never did run fmooth;
But, either it was different in blood

Her. O cross! too high, to be inthrall'd to

low!

Lyf. Or elfe mifgraffed, in refpect of yearsHer. O fpight! too old, to be engage'd to young! Lyf. Or elfe it ftood upon the choice of friendsHer. O hell! to chufe love by another's eye! Lyf. Or if there were a fympathy in choice, War, death, or ficknefs, did lay fiege to it; Making it momentary as a found,

Swift as a fhadow, fhort as any dream,

Brief as the lightning in the collied night, "That (in a spleen) unfolds both heav'n and earth; "And here a man hath power to say, Behold! "The jaws of darkness do devour it up;

So quick bright things come to confufion.

Her. If then true lovers have been ever croft,

It stands as an edict in destiny:

Then let us teach our trial patience;
Because it is a customary crofs,

As due to love, as thoughts, and dreams, and fighs,
Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers!

Lyf. A good perfuafion; therefore hear me, Hermia. I have a widow-aunt, a dowager

Of great revenue, and fhe hath no child :

From Athens is her house remov'd feven leagues,
And fhe refpects me as her only fon.

There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;
And to that place the fharp Athenian law

Cannot pursue us.

If thou lov'ft me, then,

Steal forth thy father's houfe to-morrow night;

And in the wood, a league without the town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena,

To do obfervance to the morn of May,

There will I ftay for thee..

Her. My good Lyfander,

Lyf.

Lyf. I fwear to thee by Cupid's strongest bow,
By his best arrow with the golden head,
By the fimplicity of Venus' doves,

By that which knitteth fouls, and profpers loves;
And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage Queen,
When the falfe Trojan under fail was feen;
By all the vows that ever men have broke,
In number more than ever women spoke ;

Her. In that fame place thou haft appointed me,
To-morrow truly will I meet with thee.

Lys. Keep promife, love. Look, here comes Helena.
SCENE III. Enter Helena.

Her. God fpeed, fair Helena! whither away?
Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unfay;
Demetrius loves you, fair; O happy fair!

Your eyes are load-ftars, and your tongue's fweet air,
More tuneable than lark to fhepherd's ear,

When wheat is green, when hawthorn-buds appear.
Sickness is catching: oh, were favour so !
Your's would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;
My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye;
My tongue fhould catch your tongue's fweet melody.
Were the world mine, Demetrius being 'bated,
The rest I'd give to be to you tranflated.

O teach me how you look; and with what art
You fway the motion of Demetrius' heart.

Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me ftill.
Hel. O, that your frowns would teach my fmiles
fuch fkill!

Her. I give him curfes, yet he gives me love.
Hel. Oh, that my pray'rs could fuch affection move!
Her. The more I hate, the more he follows me.
Hel. The more I love, the more he hateth me.
Her. His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine. [mine!
Hel. None, but your beauty; would that fault were
Her. Take comfort; he no more fhall fee my face;
Lyfander and myfelf will fly this place."

Before the time I did Lyfander fee,
Seem'd Athens like a paradife to me.
O then, what graces in my love do dwell,
That he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell?

Lys. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold;
To-morrow night, when Phoebe doth behold
Her filver vifage in the wat'ry glafs,

Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grafs,
(A time, that lovers flights doth ftill conceal),
Through Athens' gate have we devis'd to steal.

Her. And in the wood, where often you and I
Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie,
Emptying our bofoms of their counfels fwell'd;
There my Lyfander and myself shall meet;
And thence from Athens turn away our eyes,
To feek new friends and strange companions.
Farewel, fweet play-fellow; pray thou for us,
And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius !
Keep word, Lyfander; we must starve our fight
From lovers' food, till morrow deep midnight.

[Exit Hermia. Helena, adieu;

Lyf. I will, my Hermia.As you on him, Demetrius doat on you! [Exit Lyfan. Hel. How happy fome, o'er other fome, can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as fhe. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not fo: He will not know, what all but he do know. And as he errs, doating on Hermia's eyes, So I, admiring of his qualities.

;

1

Things bafe and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can tranfpofe to form and dignity :
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath love's mind of any judgment tafte
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy hafte:
And therefore is Love faid to be a child,
Because in choice he is fo oft beguil'd.
As waggish boys themselves in game forefwear,
So the boy Love is perjur'd every where.
For ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne,
He hail'd down oaths, that he was only mine;
And when this hail fome heat from Hermia felt,
So he difolv'd, and fhowers of oaths did melt.
I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight:
Then to the wood will he, to-morrow night,

Purfue