Lyf. I had no judgement, when to her I fwore.
Hel. 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, perfect, divine!

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

Thy lips, thofe kiffing cherries, tempting grow!
That pure congealed white, high Taurus' fnow,6
Fann'd with the eaftern wind, turns to a crow,
When thou hold'ft up thy hand: O let me kifs
This princefs of pure white, this feal of bliss!
Hel. O fpite! 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 you must join, in fouls," to mock me too?
If you were men, as men you are in show,
You would not use a gentle lady fo:

To vow, and swear, and fuperpraife 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 enterprize,
To conjure tears up in a poor
eyes,
With your derifion! none, of noble fort,
Would fo offend a virgin; and extort 9

maid's

A poor foul's patience, all to make you sport.

Lyf

6 Taurus is the name of a range of mountains in Afia. JOHNSON, 7 i. e. join heartily, unite in the fame mind. STEEVENS.

I rather believe the line fhould read thus:

"But you muft join, ill fouls, to mock me too?

Ill is often used for bad, wicked. TYRWHITT.

This is a very reasonable conjecture, though I think it hardly right.

JOHNSON.

We meet with this phrafe in an old poem by Robert Dabourne:
-Men fhift their fashions-

66

"They are in fouls the fame."

FARMER.

8 Sort is here ufed for degree or quality. MALONE.

9 Harraís, torment. JOHNSON.

Lyf. 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 Hermia's love I yield you up my part ;
And yours 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 heart with her but, as gueft-wife, fojourn'd;
And now to Helen it is home return'd,

There to remain.

Lyf

Helen, it is not fo.

Dem. Difparage not the faith thou dost not know, Left, to thy peril, thou aby it dear.

Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear.

Enter HERMIA.

Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes,
The ear m re quick of apprehenfion makes;
Wherein it doth impair the feeing sense,

It pays the hearing double recompence :

Thou art not by my mine eye, Lyfander, found;
Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy found.

But why unkindly die'ft thou leave me fo?

Lyf. Why fhould he ftay, whom love doth prefs to go?
Her. What love could prefs Lvfander from my fide?
Lyf. Lyfander's love, that would not let him bide,

Fair Helena; who more engilds the night

Than all yon fiery oes 2 and eyes of light.

Why feek'ft thou me? could not this make thee know,

The hate I bare thee made me leave thee so ?

Her. You speak not as you think; it cannot be.
Hel. Lo, she is one of this confederacy!

Now I perceive they have conjoin'd, all three,
To fashion this falfe fport in fpite of me.

2 Shakspeare ufes O for a circle. STEEVENS.

In

D'Ewes's Journal of Queen Elizabeth's Parliaments, p. 650, mentions a patent to make fpangles and oes of gold; and I think haberdashers call Imall curtain rings, O's, as being circular. ToLLET.

Injurious Hermia! moft ungrateful maid!
Have you confpir'd, have you with these contriv'd
To bait me with this foul derifion?

Is all the counfel that we two have shar'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? 3
All fchool-days' friendship, childhood innocence ?
We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, 4
Have with our neelds created 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 incorporate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, feeming parted;
But yet a union in partition,

Two lovely berries moulded on one stem :
So, with two feeming bodies, but one heart;
Two of the first, like coats in heraldry,
Due but to one, and crowned with one creft.$

And

3 -0, and is all forgot?] Mr. Gibbon obferves, that in a poem of Gregory Nazianzen on his own life, are fome beautiful lines which burft from the heart, and fpeak the pangs of injured and loft friendship, refembling these. He adds "Shakspeare had never read the poems of Gregory Nazianzen: he was ignorant of the Greek language; but his mother tongue, the language of nature, is the fame in Cappadocia and in Britain."

Gibbon's Hift. Vol. III. p. 15. REED.

4 Artificial is ingenious, artfu!. STEEVENS.

5 The old copies read-life coats, &c. STEEVENS.

The true correction of the paffage I owe to the friendship and communication of the ingenious Martin Folkes, efq.-Two of the firft, fecond, &c. are terins peculiar in heraldry, to diftinguish the different quarterings of coats. THEOBALD.

These are, as Theobald obferves, terms peculiar to heraldry; but that obfervation does not help to explain them. Every branch of a family is called a boufe; and none but the first of the first boufe can bear the arms of the family, without fome diftinction. Two of the fift, therefore, means two coats of the first bouse, which are properly due but to one. M. MASON.

According to the rules of heraldry, the first house only, (e. g. a father who has a for living, or an elder brother as diftinguished from a younger,) has a right to bear the family coat. The fon's coat is diftinguished from the father's by a label; the younger brother's from the elder's by a muller.

The

And will you rent our ancient love asunder,
To join with men in fcorning your poor friend?
It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly:

Our fex, as well as I, may chide you for it;
Though I alone do feel the injury.

Her. I am amazed at your paffionate words:
I fcorn you not; it feems that you fcorn me.
Hel. Have you not fet Lyfander, as in scorn,
To follow me, and praise my eyes and face?
And made your other love, Demetrius,

(Who even but now did spurn me with his foot,}
To call me goddefs, nymph, divine, and rare,
Precious, celeftial? Wherefore fpeaks he this
To her he hates? and wherefore doth Lyfander
Deny your love, fo rich within his foul,
And tender me, forfooth, affection;
But by your fetting on, by your confent?
What though I be not fo in grace as you,
So hung upon with love, fo fortunate;
But miferable moft, to love u ›lov'd ?·
This you should pity, rather than despise.

Her. I understand not what you mean by this.
Hel. Ay, do, perféver, counterfeit fad looks,
Make mows upon me when I turn my back;
Wink at each other; hold the fweet jeft up :.
This fport, well carried, fhall be chronicled.
If you have any pity, grace, or manners,
You would not make me fuch an argument."
But, fare ye well 'tis partly mine own fault;
Which death, or abfence, foon fhall remedy.
Ly. 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 he cannot entreat, I can compel.

Lyf. The fame creft is common to both. Helena therefore means to fay, that fhe and her friend were as clofely united, as much one perfon, as if they were both of the fift houfe; as if they both had the privilege due but to ene perfon, (viz. to him of the first house;) the right of bearing the family coat without any diftinguishing mark. MALONE.

Such a fubj. of light merriment. JOHNSON.

Ly. Thou canft compel no more than the 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,

To prove him falfe, that fays I love thee not.
Dem. I fay, I love thee more than he can do.
Ly. If thou fay fo, withdraw, and prove it too.
Dem. Quick, come,—

Her.

Lyf. Away, you Ethiop!

Dem.

Lyfander, whereto tends all this?

No, no, fir:-he will

Seem to break loose; take on, as you would follow;

But yet come not: You are a tame man, go!

Lyf. Hang off, thou cat, thou burr: vile thing, let loofe; Or I will thake 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 potion, hence! Her. Do you not jest?

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. Lyf. What, fhould I hurt her, ftrike 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 Lyfander?

I am as fair now, as I was erewhile.

Since night, you lov'd me; yet, fince night, you left me a Why, then you left me,-O, the gods forbid !

In earnest, fhall I fay?

Lyf.

Ay, by my life;

And never did defire to see thee more.

Therefore, be out of hope, of question, doubt,
Be certain, nothing truer; 'tis no jest,

That I do hate thee, and love Helena.

Her. O me! you juggler! you canker-bloffom! 7

You

? The canker-bloom is not in this place the bloffom of the canker or