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The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill:

Queen. What angel wakes me from my flowery

bed?

Bottom sings.

[Waking.

The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,
The plain-song cuckow gray,

Whose note full many a man doth mark,

And dares not answer, nay;—

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for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry, cuckoo, never so.

Queen. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again: Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,

So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;

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And thy fair virtue's force, perforce doth move me ; On the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee.

Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days: The more the pity, that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek, upon occasion.

Queen. Thou art as wise, as thou art beautiful.

Bot. Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine

own turn,

E

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Queen.

Queen. Out of this wood do not desire to go; Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. I am a spirit, of no common rate;

The summer still doth tend upon my state,

And I do love thee: therefore, go with me;
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;

And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,

And sing, while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep: And I will purge thy mortal grossness so,

That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.—

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Pease-blossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustard-seed!

1 Fair. Ready.

2 Fair. And I.

3 Fair. And I.

Enter four Fairies.

4 Fair. And I: Where shall we go:

Queen. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;

Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes;
Feed him with apricocks, and dewberries,

With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries; 170
The honey-bags steel from the humble bees,
And, for night tapers, crop their waxen thighs,
And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes,
To have my love to bed, and to arise;
And pluck the wings from painted butterflies,
To fan the moon-beams from his sleeping eyes:
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.

1 Fair. Hail, mortal, hail!

2 Fair. Hail!

3 Fair.

3 Fair. Hail!

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Bot. I cry your worship's mercy heartily.-I beseech, your worship's 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?

Pease. Pease-blossom.

Bot. I pray you, commend me to mistress Squash, your mother, and to master Peascod, your father. Good master Pease-blossom, I shall desire you of more acquaintance too.-Your name, I beseech you, sir. Mus. Mustard-seed.

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Bot. Good master Mustard-seed, 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-seed.

Queen. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my

bower.

The moon, methinks, looks with a watry eye; And when she weeps, weeps every little flower, Lamenting some enforced chastity.

Tie up my love's tongue, bring him silently.

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SCENE II.

Enter OBERON.

Ob. I wonder, if Titania be awak'd;
Then, what it was that next came in her eye,
Which she must doat on in extremity.

Enter PUCK.

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Here comes my messenger.-How now, mad spirit?
What night-rule now about this haunted grove?
Puck. My mistress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,
A crew of patches, rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play,
Intended for great Theseus' nuptial day.
The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort,
Who Pyramus presented, in their sport
Forsook his scene, and enter'd in a brake :
When I did him at this advantage take,
An ass's now I fixed on his head;

Anon, his Thisby must be answered,

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And forth my minnock comes: When they him

spy,

As wild geese, that the creeping fowler eye,
Or russet-pated choughs, many in sort,
Rising and cawing at the gun's report
Sever themselves, and madly sweep the sky;

So,

So, at his sight, away his fellows fly :

And, at our stamp, here o'er and o'er one falls;
He murder cries, and help from Athens calls.

Their sense, thus weak, lost with their fears, thus

strong,

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Made senseless things begin to do them wrong:
For briers and thorns at their apparel snatch;
Some, sleeves; some, hats: from yielders all things
catch.

I led them on in this distracted fear,

And left sweet Pyramus translated there:
When in that moment (so it came to pass)
Titania wak'd, and straightway lov'd an ass.

Ob. This falls out better than I could devise.
But hast thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?

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Puck. I took him sleeping,--that is finish'd too,And the Athenian woman by his side; That, when he wak'd, of force she must be cy'd.

Enter DEMETRIUS, and HERMIA.

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

Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee worse; For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse. If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep, Being o'er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep, And kill me too.

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