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The fhallow'ft thick-skin of that barren fort,
Who Pyramus prefented, in their sport
Forfook his fcene, 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 Thißbe must be answered,

And forth my minnock comes: when they him fpy,
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 sky;
So, at his fight, away his fellows fly;

And, at our stamp, 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 fenfeless things begin to do them wrong.
For briars and thorns at their apparel fnatch,

[catch.

Some, fleeves; fome hats; from yielders all things
I led them on in this distracted fear,
And left sweet Pyramus tranflated there:
When in that moment (fo it came to pass)
Titania wak'd, and ftraitway lov'd an ass.

Ob. This falls out better than I could devife.
But haft thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?

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 fhould ufe thee worse;
For thou, I fear, haft given me cause to curfe:
If thou haft flain Lyfander in his fleep,

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 stol'n away

VOL. I.

M

From

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 fo fhould I,
Pierce'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 iyfander? where is he? Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?

Dem. I'ad rather give this carcase to the hounds. Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv'st me past the bounds

Of maiden's patience. Haft thou flain 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 sleeping? O brave touch!
Could not a worm, an adder do so much?
An adder did it; for with doubler tongue
Than thine, thou ferpent, never adder stung.

Dem You spend 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 fleep doth forrow owe;
Which now in fome flight measure it will pay,
If for his tender here I make fome stay. [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 mull perforce enfue

Some true love turn'd, and not a falfe turn'd true.

Puck.

Puck. Then fate o'er-rules, that, one man holding A million fail, confounding oath on oath.

[troth, Ob. About the wood go fwifter than the wind, And Helena of Athens fee thou find.

All fancy-fick fhe is, and pale of chear,

With fighs of love, that coft the fresh blood dear;
By fome illufion fee thou bring her here;
I'll charm his eyes against she doth appear.
Puck. I go, I go; look, how I
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 espy,
Let her fhine as gloriously
As the Venus of the fky.

When thou wak'ft, if the be by,
Beg of her for remedy.

Enter Puck.

go;

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 Demetrius to awake.

Puck. Then will two at once woo one; That must needs be fport alone,

And thofe things do beft please me,

That befal prepoft'rously.

[Exit.

SCENE VI. Enter Lyfander and Helena.

L. 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!

M 2

Thefe

1

Thefe 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.
Her. Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er.
Lyf Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
Dem. [awaking] O Helen, goddefs, nymph, per-
fect, divine,

To what, my love, fhall I compare thine eyne ?
Crystal is muddy; O how ripe in fhow

Thy lips, thofe kiffing cherries, tempting grow
That pure congealed white, high Taurus' fnow,
Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow
When thou hold't up thy hand O let me kifs
This purenefs 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 muft join infolent to mock me too?
If you are men, as men you are in fhow,
You would not ufe a gentle lady fo:

To vow and fwear, and fuperpraise my parts,
When I am fure you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia,

And now both rivals to mock Helena.
A trim exploit, a manly enterprife,
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
With your derifion! none of nobler fort
Would fo offend a virgin, and extort
A poor foul's patience, all to make you fport.
L. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not fo;
For you love Hermia; this you know I know.
And here with all good-will, with all my heart,
In termia's love I yield you up my part;
And your's 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

My heart to her but as gueft-wise fojourn'd;

And now to Helen it is home return'd,

There ever to remain.

Lyf. It is not fo.

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.

SCENE VII.

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 sense, 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 didit thou leave me fo?

Lyf. 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'st 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, fhe 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, moit ungrateful maid,

Have you confpir'd, have you with thefe contriv'd
To bait me with this foul derifion?

Is all the counfel that we two have fhar'd,

The fifters vows, the hours that we have spent,
When we have chid the hafty-footed time
For parting us; O! and is all forgot?
All school-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 been incorp'rate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, feeming parted,

But

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