2. Fairy. Hence, away! now all is well. One aloof stand sentinel. [Exeunt Fairies.] Titania sleeps. Enter OBERON [and squeezes the flower on Titania's eyelids].

30

Obe. What thou seest when thou dost wake,
Do it for thy true-love take,
Love and languish for his sake.
Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,
Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
In thy eye that shall appear
When thou wak'st, it is thy dear.
Wake when some vile thing is near.
[Exit.]

Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA.

Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood;

And to speak troth, I have forgot our way. We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, And tarry for the comfort of the day. Her. Be it so, Lysander. Find you out a bed;

For I upon this bank will rest my head.

40

Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both;

One heart, one bed, two bosoms and one troth. Her. Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear,

Lie further off yet; do not lie so near.

I

Lys. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence !

45

50

Love takes the meaning in love's conference.
mean, that my heart unto yours is knit
So that but one heart we can make of it;
Two bosoms interchained with an oath;
So then two bosoms and a single troth.
Then by your side no bed-room me deny;
For lying so, Hermia, I do not lie.
Her. Lysander riddles very prettily.
Now much beshrew my manners and my pride,
If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied.
But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy
Lie further off; in human modesty,
Such separation as may well be said
Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid,

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So far be distant; and, good night, sweet friend.

Thy love ne'er alter till thy sweet life end!
Lys. Amen, amen, to that fair prayer, say I;
And then end life when I end loyalty!
Here is my bed; sleep give thee all his rest!
Her. With half that wish the wisher's eyes
be press'd!
[They sleep.
Enter [ROBIN GOODFELLOW].
Robin. Through the forest have I gone,
But Athenian found I none,
On whose eyes I might approve
This flower's force in stirring love.
Night and silence - Who is here ? a
Weeds of Athens he doth wear!
This is he, my master said,
Despised the Athenian maid;
And here the maiden, sleeping sound.
On the dank and dirty ground.

But fare you well; perforce I must confess
I thought you lord of more true gentleness.
O, that a lady, of one man refus'd,
Should of another therefore be abus'd! [Exit.
Lys. She sees not Hermia. Hermia, sleep
thou there;

Dem. Stay, on thy peril; I alone will go.

[Exit. Hel. O, I am out of breath in this fond chase! The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace. Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies, For she hat blessed and attractive eyes. How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears;

If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear,

90

For beasts that meet me run away for fear; 95
Therefore no marvel though Demetrius
Do. as a monster, fly my presence thus.
What wicked and dissembling glass of mine
Made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyne?
But who is here? Lysander! on the ground! 100
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound.
Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake.

Lys. [Awaking.] And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake.

Transparent Helena! Nature shows art,
That through thy bosom makes me see thy
heart.

Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word
Is that vile name to perish on my sword!

103

Hel. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so. What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though?

Yet Hermia still loves you; then be content. 110 Lys. Content with Hermia! No; I do repent The tedious minutes I with her have spent. Not Hermia but Helena I love.

135

And never mayst thou come Lysander near !
For as a surfeit of the sweetest things
The deepest loathing to the stomach brings,
Or as the heresies that men do leave
Are hated most of those they did deceive, 140
So thou, my surfeit and my heresy,

Of all be hated, but the most of me!
And, all my powers, address your love and
might

To honour Helen and to be her knight. [Exit. Her. [Awaking.] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best

145

To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
Ay me. for pity! what a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear.
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey.
Lysander! what, remov'd? Lysander! lord!
What, out of hearing? Gone? No sound, no
word?

150

Quin. What say'st thou, bully Bottom? Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby that will never please. [10 First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?

Snout. By 'r lakin, a parlous fear.

Star. I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.

16

Bot. Not a whit! I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords and that Pyramus is not kill'd indeed; and, for the more better assurance, tell them [20 that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver. This will put them out of fear.

Quin. Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six.

25

Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.

Snout. Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion ?

Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect, "Ladies,"

or

Fair ladies, I would wish you," or "I [40 would request you," or "I would entreat you, not to fear, not to tremble: my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life. No, I am no such thing; I am a man as other men are ;" and there indeed let him [45 name his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.

Quin. Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things; that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for, you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight.

51

Snout. Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?

Bot. A calendar, a calendar! Look in the almanac! Find out moonshine, find out moonshine.

Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night.

Bot. Why, then may you leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon may shine in at the casement.

Quin. Ay; or else one must come in with a [60 bush of thorns and a lantern, and say he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby, says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall.

66

Snout. You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?

Bot. Some man or other must present Wall; and let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; [71 or let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whis

per.

Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin. When you [75 have spoken your speech, enter into that brake. And so every one according to his cue.

Enter ROBIN GOODFELLOW [behind]. Robin. What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,

So near the cradle of the fairy queen?
What, a play toward! I'll be an auditor;
An actor too perhaps, if I see cause.

80

Quin. Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth. Bot. "Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet,"

Quin. Odorous, odorous.

Bot.

odours savours sweet;

85

So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.

Flu. Must I speak now?

Quin. Ay, marry, must you; for you must understand he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.

Flu.

Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,

Of colour like the red rose on triumphant

brier,

Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew,

As true as truest horse that yet would never tire,

I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb."

Quin. Ninus' tomb," man. Why, you must not speak that yet; that you answer to [101 Pyramus. You speak all your part at once, cues and all. Pyramus enter. Your cue is past; it is, "never tire."

103

Flu. O," As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire.' [Re-enter ROBIN GOODFELLOW, and BOTTOM with an ass's head.]

Bot. "If I were, fair Thisby, I were only thine."

Quin. O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted. Pray, masters! fly, masters! Help! [Exeunt [Quince, Snug, Flute, Snout, and Starveling]. Robin. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round.

Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier.

Mus. Mustardseed.

195

Bot. Good Master Mustardseed, I know your patience well. That same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your house. I promise you your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now. I desire you more acquaintance, good Master Mustard- [200 seed.

Tita. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower.

The moon methinks looks with a watery eye,
And when she weeps, weeps every little flower,
Lamenting some enforced chastity.
Tie up my love's tongue, bring him silently.
[Exeunt.

[SCENE II. Another part of the wood.]
Enter OBERON.

Obe. I wonder if Titania be awak'd;
Then, what it was that next came in her eye,
Which she must dote on in extremity.
Enter ROBIN GOODFELLOW.

Here comes my messenger.

205

How now, mad spirit! What night-rule now about this haunted grove?

5

Robin. My mistress with a monster is in

By some illusion see thou bring her here.
I'll charm his eyes against she do appear.
Robin. I go, I go; look how I go,

Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow. [Exit.
Obe. Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid's archery,
Sink in apple of his eye.
When his love he doth espy,
Let her shine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.
When thou wak'st, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy.

Re-enter ROBIN GOODFELLOW.
Robin. Captain of our fairy band,
Helena is here at hand;
And the youth, mistook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee.

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Obe.

105

110

Shall we their fond pageant see? Lord, what fools these mortals be ! 1 Stand aside. The noise they make Will cause Demetrius to awake. Robin. Then will two at once woo one; That must needs be sport alone. And those things do best please me That befall preposterously.

Enter LYSANDER and HELENA.

121