If you will patiently dance in our round, Exeunt TITANIA, and her train. grove, Till I torment thee for this injury.— My gentle Puck, come hither: Thou remember'st And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin's back, And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, Puck. I remember. Obe. That very time I saw, (but thou could'st not,) Flying between the cold moon and the earth, At a fair vestal, throned by the west;7 And loos'd his love-shaft smartly from his bow, moon; And the imperial votress passed on, Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell: It fell upon a little western flower, Before, milk-white; now purple with love's wound,— And maidens call it, love-in-idleness. At a fair vestal, throned by the west;] A compliment to Queen Elizabeth. -fancy-free.] i. e. exempt from the power of love. Fetch me that flower; the herb I show'd thee once; Puck. I'll put a girdle round about the earth In forty minutes. [Exit PUCK. Obe. Having once this juice, I'll watch Titania when she is asleep, And drop the liquor of it in her eyes: The next thing then she waking looks upon, And I will over-hear their conference. Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA following him. Dem. I love thee not, therefore pursue me not. Where is Lysander, and fair Hermia? The one I'll slay, the other slayeth me. Thou told'st me, they were stol'n into this wood, Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more. Dem. Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? 9 and wood within this wood,] Wood, or mad, wild. Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth The more you beat me, I will fawn on you: Unworthy as I am, to follow you. What worser place can I beg in your love, (And yet a place of high respect with me,) Than to be used as you use your dog? Dem. Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; For I am sick, when I do look on thee. Hel. And I am sick, when I look not on you. Dem. You do impeach your modesty' too much, To leave the city, and commit yourself Into the hands of one that loves you not; Hel. Your virtue is my privilege for that." Dem. I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts. Hel. The wildest hath not such a heart as you. Run when you will, the story shall be chang'd; Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase; The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind 1 impeach your modesty-] i. e. bring it into question. Makes speed to catch the tiger: Bootless speed' Dem. I will not stay thy questions; let me go: But I shall do thee mischief in the wood. Hel. Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, You do me mischief. Fye, Demetrius! Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex: We cannot fight for love, as men may do; We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo. I'll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell, To die upon the hand' I love so well. [Exeunt DEM. and HEL. Obe. Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave this grove, Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love.— Re-enter PUCK. Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer. Puck. Ay, there it is. 5 Obe. I pray thee, give it me. I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows, Where ox-lips and the nodding violet grows; Quite over-canopied with lush woodbine, With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine: There sleeps Titania, some time of the night, Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight; And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin, Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in: And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes, And make her full of hateful fantasies. 3 To die upon the hand, &c.] To die upon, &c. in our author's language, perhaps, means-" to die by the hand." Where ox-lips-] The oxlip is the greater cowslip. Quite over-canopied with lush woodbine,] All the old editions read-luscious woodbine; but both lush and luscious (says Mr. Henley) are words of the same origin. Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove: With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes; SCENE III. Another part of the Wood. Enter TITANIA, with her train. Tita. Come, now a roundel," and a fairy song; Then, for the third part of a minute, hence; Some, to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds; Some, war with rear-mice' for their leathern wings, To make my small elves coats; and some, keep back The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders At our quaint spirits: Sing me now asleep; Then to your offices, and let me rest. SONG. 1 Fai. You spotted snakes, with double tongue, Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen; 9 Newts, and blind-worms, do no wrong; 6 a roundel,] Rounds, or roundels, were like the present country dances. 7 with rear-mice-] A rere-mouse is a bat, a mouse that rears itself from the ground by the aid of wings. 8 with double tongue,] our author means-forked. 9 Newts, and blind-worms,] The newt is the eft, the blindworm is the Cacilia or slow-worm. |