changeling-boy which Titania refuses to give to Oberon for a page. Oberon orders Puck to procure the flower called "love-in-idleness" so that he can put the juice of it on Titania's eyes while she is sleeping, in order that she may love the first thing she sees when her eyes open. While Oberon is waiting for Puck's return, Demetrius and Helena enter the wood. Demetrius is reproaching Helena for following him. Oberon is touched by the lady's distress, and on Puck's return orders him to search out Demetrius and put some of the love-juice on his eyes in order that he may return Helena's love. Puck, in obeying his master, mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and anoints his eyes. Lysander awakes just as Helena is passing and straightway abandons Hermia for her.

ACT III

The Athenian tradesmen have chosen this same wood in which to rehearse their play. Puck overhears them and determines to have some fun. He puts an ass's head on Bottom the weaver and the other players flee in terror. Puck then leads Bottom to where Titania is sleeping, her eyes having been anointed by Oberon. When she awakes her enchanted gaze falls on Bottom with his ass's head and she begins to make love to him.

In another part of the woods the lovers become greatly bewildered. Oberon, discovering Puck's mistake, himself anoints Demetrius's eyes, and he, seeing Helena on first awakening, returns to his old love for her. Helena believes that her three companions are mocking her and Hermia is dazed by the situation. Demetrius and Lysander retire to fight for the love of Helena, but the fairies interpose and prevent the duel by causing the young people to wander about until, tired out, they all fall asleep. Then Puck makes amends for his blunder by anointing Lysander's eyes with another lotion which causes him to return to his normal state.

ACT IV

Titania continues to be enamoured of Bottom until Oberon releases her from the enchantment, the fairy-queen having first yielded the changeling-boy to Oberon. The ass's head is removed from Bottom's shoulders, and he rejoins his companions in the city. The Duke, accompanied by Egeus, the father of Hermia, is hunting in these same woods. The party discovers the four lovers sleeping and arouses them with their horns. The situation is explained; Egeus withdraws his objection to Hermia's marriage with Lysander, since Demetrius now desires to wed Helena.

ACT V

The Duke and Hippolyta, Lysander and Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena, celebrate their wedding feasts together in the Duke's palace. Bottom and his friends present their play. After all have retired for the night, the fairies dance through the rooms, scattering blessings and good-wishes.

A MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM

ACT FIRST

SCENE I

Athens. The palace of Theseus.

Enter Theseus, Hippolyta, Philostrate, and Attendants.

The. Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace; four happy days bring in Another moon: but, O, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires, Like to a step-dame, or a dowager,

Long withering out a young man's revenue. Hip. Four days will quickly steep themselves in night;

Four nights will quickly dream away the time;
And then the moon, like to a silver bow

New-bent in heaven, shall behold the night 10
Of our solemnities.

2. "four happy days." The subsequent action does not agree with this reiterated statement, the marriage festivity taking place on the evening of the next day but one.-C. H. H.

10. "new-bent"; Rowe's correction of "now bent," the reading of the Quartos and Folios.-I. G.

The.

Go, Philostrate,

Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth:
Turn melancholy forth to funerals;
The pale companion is not for our pomp.

[Exit Philostrate.

Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword,
And won thy love, doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,

With pomp, with triumph and with reveling. Enter Egeus, Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius. Ege. Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke! 20 The. Thanks, good Egeus: what's the news with thee?

Ege. Full of vexation come I, with complaint
Against my child, my daughter Hermia.
Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord,
This man hath my consent to marry her.
Stand forth, Lysander: and, my gracious duke,
This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child:

11. "Philostrate" is the name assumed by Arcite in Chaucer's Knight's Tale; it occurs too in Plutarch's Lives, where are to be found also the names, Lysander, and Demetrius.—I. G.

20. Steevens set this down as "a misapplication of a modern title." If it be such, Shakespeare is not responsible for it, as Theseus is repeatedly called duk in Chaucer's Knight's Tale, to which the Poet was evidently indebted for some of the material of this play. But indeed this application of duke to the heroes of antiquity was quite common; the word being from the Latin dux, which means a chief or leader of any sort. Thus in 1 Chronicles, i. 51, we have a list of "the dukes of Edom."-H. N. H.

27. The second Folio reads, "this hath bewitched"; the earlier edition "this man"; perhaps we should read "this man hath 'witched." -I. G.