Hop in his walkes, and gambole in his eies,
Feede him with Apricocks, and Dewberries,
With purple Grapes, greene Figs, and Mulberries,
The honie-bags steale from the humble Bees,
And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighes,
And light them at the fierie-Glow-wormes eyes,
To have my love to bed, and to arise:

And plucke the wings from painted Butterflies,
To fan the Moone-beames from his sleeping eies. 180
Nod to him Elves, and doe him curtesies.

1. Fai. Haile mortall, haile.

2. Fai. Haile.

3. Fai. Haile.

Bot. I cry your worships mercy hartily; I beseech your worships name.

Cob. Cobweb.

Bot. I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good Master Cobweb: if I cut my finger, I shall make bold with you.

Your name honest Gentleman?

Peas. Pease blossome.

190

Bot. I pray you commend mee to mistresse Squash, your mother, and to master Peascod your father. Good master Pease-blossome, I shal desire of you more acquaintance to. Your name I beseech you sir?

Mus. Mustard-seede.

Peas. Pease-blossome.

198

Bot. Good master Mustard seede, I know your patience well: that same cowardly gyant-like Oxe beefe hath devoured many a gentleman of your house. Ip I pro

182-4. 4 ll. Peas. Hail mortal! Cob. Hail! Moth. Hail! Mus. Hail!-CAPELL. (Peas. Cob. Moth. Mus.-DYCE.) 195. of you more: you of more-Qo.

198. Pease-blossome out-Q0.2-4F.

mise you, your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now. I desire you more acquaintance, good Master Mustard-seede.

Tita. Come waite upon him, lead him to my bower. The Moone me-thinks, lookes with a watrie eie, And when she weepes, weepe everie little flower, Lamenting some enforced chastitie.

Tye up my lovers tongue, bring him silently. Exit.

[Scene ii. Another part of the wood.]

Enter King of Pharies, solus.

Ob. I wonder if Titania be awak't;
Then what it was that next came in her eye,
Which she must dote on, in extremitie.

Enter Pucke.

2 clowns

Here comes my messenger: how now mad spirit,
What night-rule1 now about this gaunted grove? 1revelry
Puck. My Mistris with a monster is in love,
Neere to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hower,
A crew of patches,2 rude Mcehanicals,
That worke for bread upon Athenian stals,
Were met together to rehearse a Play,
Intended for great Theseus nuptiall day:
The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort,3
Who Piramus presented, in their sport,
Forsooke his Scene, and entred in a brake,
When I did him at this advantage take,

203. you: your-3-4F. 209. lovers: love's-POPE.

3

crew

207. weepe: weeps-10. 7. gaunted: haunted-Q0.2-4F.

11. Mcebanicals: mechanicals-Q9.2-4F.

An Asses nole1 I fixed on his head.

Anon his Thisbie must be answered,

1 bead

20

And forth my Mimmick comes: when they him spie,
As Wilde-geese, that the creeping Fowler eye,
Or russed-pated choughes, many in sort
(Rising and cawing at the guns report)
Sever themselves, and madly sweepe the skye:
So at his sight, away his fellowes flye,

And at our stampe, here ore and ore one fals;
He murther cries, and helpe from Athens cals.
Their sense thus weake, lost with their fears thus strong,
Made senselesse things begin to do them wrong.
For briars and thornes at their apparell snatch,
Some sleeves, some hats, from yeelders all things catch,
I led them on in this distracted feare,

And left sweete Piramus translated there:
When in that moment (so it came to passe)
Tytania waked, and straightway lov'd an Asse.

30

Ob. This fals out better then I could devise: But hast thou yet lacht2 the Athenians eyes, 2dripped in With the love juyce, as I did bid thee doe?

Rob. I tooke him sleeping (that is finisht to) 40 And the Athenian woman by his side,

That when he wak't, of force she must be eyde.

Enter Demetrius and Hermia.

Ob. Stand close, this is the same Athenian.
Rob. This is the woman, but not this the man.
Dem. O why rebuke you him that loves you so?
Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.

Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee worse. For thou (I feare) hast given me cause to curse,

23. russed-pated: russet-pated-1Q.4F.

50

If thou hast slaine Lysander in his sleepe,
Being ore shooes in bloud, plunge in the deepe, and kill

me too:

The Sunne was not so true unto the day,

As he to me.

Would he have stollen away,

From sleeping Hermia? Ile beleeve as soone

This whole earth may be bord, and that the Moone
May through the Center creepe, and so displease
Her brothers noonetide, with th' Antipodes.

It cannot be but thou hast murdred him,
So should a mutrherer looke, so dead, so grim.

60

Dem. So should the murderer looke, and so should I, Pierst through the heart with your stearne cruelty: Yet you the murderer looks as bright as cleare, As yonder Venus in her glimmering spheare. Her. What's this to my Lysander? where is he? Ah good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?

70

Dem. I'de rather give his carkasse to my hounds.
Her. Out dog, out cur, thou driv'st me past the bounds
Of maidens patience. Hast thou slaine him then?
Henceforth be never numbred among men.
Oh, once tell true, even for my sake,
Durst thou a lookt upon him, being awake?
And hast thou kill'd him sleeping? O brave tutch:
Could not a worme, an Adder do so much?

An Adder did it: for with doubler tongue
Then thine (thou serpent) never Adder stung.

1 mistaken

Dem. You spend your passion on a mispri'sd1 mood, I am not guiltie of Lysanders blood: Nor is he dead for ought that I can tell.

51-2. new l. at And kill-ROWE. 61. murderer: murder'd-Q2. 67. I'de: I had-1Q.

72. a lookt: have look'd-QQ.

60. mutrberer: murderer-2Q. 63. looks: look-Q2.

71. tell true: repeated-1Q. 79. ought: aught-THEOBALD.

Her. I pray thee tell me then that he is well.

80

Dem. And if I could, what should I get therefore? Her. A priviledge, never to see me more;

And from thy hated presence part I: see me no more Whether he be dead or no.

Exit.

Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vaine, Here therefore for a while I will remaine. So sorrowes heavinesse doth heavier grow: For debt that bankrout slip doth sorrow owe, Which now in some slight measure it will pay,

If for his tender here I make some stay. Lie downe 90

[and sleep]. Ob. What hast thou done? Thou hast mistaken quite And laid the love juyce on some true loves sight: Of thy misprision,1 must perforce ensue Some true love turn'd, and not a false turn'd true.

1 mistake

Rob. Then fate ore-rules, that one man holding troth, A million faile, confounding oath on oath.

Ob. About the wood, goe swifter then the winde, And Helena of Athens looke thou finde.

All fancy sicke she is, and pale of cheere,2 2 countenance
With sighes of love, that costs the fresh bloud deare.
By some illusion see thou bring her heere,
Ile charme his eyes against she doth appeare.
Robin. I go, I go, looke how I goe,

Swifter then arrow from the Tartars bowe.
Ob. Flower of this purple die,

Exit.

Let her shine as gloriously

81. And if: An' if-CAPELL.

83-4. part I: part I so; new 1. at See-POPE. 88. bankrout slip: bankrupt sleep-Rowe.

102. doth: do-Q2.