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.
Lys. Thou canft compel, no more than fhe entreat :
Thy threats have no more ftrength, than her weak prayers.
Helen, I love thee; by my life, I do ;.

I fwear, by that which I will lofe for thee,
Το prove him false, that fays, I love thee not.
Dem. I fay, I love thee more than he can do.
L. If thou fay fo, withdraw and prove it too.
Dem. Quick, come-

Her. Lyfander, whereto tends all this?
Lyf. Away, you Ethiope!

Dem. No, no, he'll feem

To break away; take on as he would follow,
But yet come not; you are a tame man, go.

Lyf. Hang off, thou cat, thou burr; vile thing, let loose; Or I will fhake thee from me, like a ferpent.

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

Lyf. Thy love out, tawny Tartar, out; Out, loathed medicine: hated poison, hence. Her. Do you not jeft?

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 truft your word. L. 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 Lylander!

I am as fair now, as I was ere-while.

Since night, you lov'd me; yet, fince night, you left me;

Why

Why then you left me-(O the gods forbid it!)
In earnest, shall I fay?

Lyf. Ay, by my life;

And never did defire to see thee more.

Therefore be out of hope, of queftion, doubt;

Be certain, nothing truer; 'tis no jeft;
That I do hate thee, and love Helena.

Her. O me, you jugler; oh, you canker-bloffom,
You thief of love; what, have you come by night,
And ftoll'n my love's heart from him?

Hel. Fine, i'faith!

Have you no modesty, no maiden shame,
No touch of bafhfulness ? what, will you tear
Impatient anfwers 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 the hath made compare Between our ftatures; the hath urg'd her height; And with her perfonage, her tall perfonage, Her height, forfooth, fhe hath prevail'd with him. And are you grown fo high in his esteem, Because I am fo dwarfish and fo low? How low am I thou painted maypole? fpeak, 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 shrewishness;

I am a right maid, for

my cowardice:

Let her not ftrike me. You, perhaps, may think,
Because she's fomething 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 stealth unto this wood:
He follow'd you, for love I follow'd him,

But

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,
To Athens will I bear my folly back,
And follow you no further. Let me go.
You fee, 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, Sir, fhe fhall not, though you take her part. Hel. O, when fhe's angry, fhe is keen and fhrewd ; She was a vixen when the went to school;

And though the be but little, fhe 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 Minim you, of hind'ring knot-grafs made; (14)
You bead, you acorn.”

Dem. You are too officious,

In her behalf that fcorns your fervices.

Let her alone, speak not of Helena,

Take not her part: for if thou doft intend

Never fo little fhew 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 moft in Helena.

Dem. Follow? nay, I'll go with thee cheek by jowl. [Exeunt Lyfander and Demetrius.

(14) You Minimus,◄ -] This is no Term of Art, that I can find; and I can fcarce be willing to think, that Shakespeare would use the Mafculine of an Adjective to a Woman. not fo deficient in Grammar. I doubt not, but he might have

wrote:

You Minim, you,

i. e. You Diminutive of the Creation, you Reptiles

He was

Her.

Her. You, miftrefs, all this coyl is long of you: not back.

Nay, go

Hel. I will not truft you, I;

Nor longer stay in your curft company.

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

[Exeunt: Hermia pursuing Helena.

Enter Oberon and Puck.

Ob. This is thy negligence: ftill thou mistak'ft,
Or elfe committ'it thy knaveries willingly.

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 blamele fs proves my enterprize,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes;
And fo far am I glad it did fo fort,
As this their jangling I efteem a fport.

Ob. Thou feelt, thefe lovers feek a place to fight;

Hie therefore, Robin, overcaft the night;

The ftarry welkin cover thou anon
With drooping fogs, as black as Acheron;
And lead these testy rivals fo astray,

As one come not within another's way.
Like to Lyfander, fometime, frame thy tongue,
Then ftir 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 fleep
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep;
Then crufh this herb into Lyfander's eye,
Whofe liquor hath this virtuous property,
To take from thence all error with its might;
And make his eye-balls roll with wonted fight.
When they next wake, all this derifion
Shall feem a dream, and fruitless vifion;
And back to Athens fhall the lovers wend

With league, whose date 'till death fhall never end.
Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,

I'll to my Queen, and beg her Indian boy;

And

And then I will her charmed eye release
From monfters view, and all things fhall be peace.
Puck My fairy lord, this must be done with hatte,
For night's fwift dragons cut the clouds full faft,
And yonder fhines Aurora's harbinger;

At whofe approach, ghofts wandring here and there
Troop home to church-yard; damned fpirits all,
That in cross-ways and floods have burial,
Already to their wormy beds are gone;
For fear left day fhould look their fhames upon,
They wilfully exile themselves from light;
And must for aye confort with black-brow'd night.
Ob. But we are fpirits of another fort;

I with the morning-light have oft made sport;
And, like a forefter, the groves may tread,
Ev'n till the eastern gate, all fiery-red,
Opening on Neptune with fair bleffed beams,
Turns into yellow gold his falt green streams.
But, notwithstanding, hatte; make no delay;
We may effect this bufinefs yet ere day.

Puck. Up and down, up and down,

I will lead them up and down
I am fear'd in field and town,
Goblin, lead them up and down.
Here comes one.

Enter Lyfander.

[Exit Ob.

Lys. Where art thou proud Demetrius? speak thou now.
Puck. Here, villain, drawn and ready. Where art thou?
Ly. I will be with thee ftraight.

Puck. Follow me then

To plainer ground.

[Lyf. gces out, as following Dem.

Erter Demetrius.

Dem. Lyfauder, speak again;

Thou run-away, thou coward, art thou fed?

Speak in some bush: where doft thou hide thy head?

Puck.