ACT IV. SCENE I.-The Wood. Enter TITANIA and BOTTOM, Fairies attending; Tita. Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed, And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head, Bot. Where's Peas-blossom? Peas. Ready. Bot. Scratch my head, Peas-blossom.-Where 's monsieur Cobweb? Cob. Ready. Bot. Monsieur Cobweb; good monsieur, get your weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hipped humblebee on the top of a thistle; and, good monsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur; and, good monsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loth to have you overflown b with a honey-bag, signior.-Where's monsieur Mustard-seed? Must. Ready. Bot. Give me your neif, monsieur Mustard-seed. Pray you, leave your courtesy, good monsieur. Must. What's your will? Bot. Nothing, good monsieur, but to help cavalero Cobweb to scratch. I must to the barber's, monsieur ; for, methinks, I am marvellous hairy about the face; and I am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me I must scratch. a To coy is here to caress. b Overflown, flooded-drowned. C Neif-fist. Tita. What, wilt thou hear some music, my sweet love? Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in music: let us have the tongs and the bones. Tita. Or say, sweet love, what thou desir'st to eat. Bot. Truly, a peck of provender: I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle of hay good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow. Tita. I have a venturous fairy that shall seek The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee new nuts. Bot. I had rather have a handful, or two, of dried peas. But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me; I have an exposition of sleep come upon me. Tita. Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms. Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away. So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.a O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee! [They sleep. OBERON advances. Obe. Welcome, good Robin. sight? Enter PUCK. See'st thou this sweet Her dotage now I do begin to pity. a Gifford pointed out the true meaning of this passage in his note upon a parallel passage in Ben Jonson : "behold! How the blue bindweed doth itself enfold With honeysuckle, and both these entwine "In many of our counties," says Gifford, "the woodbine is still the name for the great convolvulus." Was wont to swell like round and orient pearls, [Touching her eyes with an herb. See, as thou wast wont to see : Hath such force and blessed power. Now, my Titania, wake you, my sweet queen. Obe. There lies your love. Tita. How came these things to pass? O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now! Obe. Silence a while. Robin, take off this head.Titania, music call; and strike more dead Than common sleep, of all these five the sense. Tita. Music, ho! music; such as charmeth sleep. peep. Obe. Sound, music. [Still music.] Come, my queen, take hands with me, And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be. Now thou and I are new in amity; There shall the pairs of faithful lovers be Obe. Then, my queen, in silence sad, Tita. Come, my lord; and in our flight, [Exeunt. [Horns sound within. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and Train. We will, fair queen, up to the mountain's top, Of hounds and echo in conjunction. Hip. I was with Hercules and Cadmus once, The. My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind, So flew'd, so sanded; and their heads are hung With ears that sweep away the morning dew; Was never holla'd to, nor cheer'd with horn, In Crete, in Sparta, nor in Thessaly : Judge, when you hear.-But, soft; what nymphs are these? Ege. My lord, this is my daughter here asleep; I wonder of their being here together. The. No doubt they rose up early, to observe That Hermia should give answer of her choice? The. Go, bid the huntsmen wake them with their horns. Horns, and shout within. DEMETRIUS, LYSANDER, HERMIA, and HELENA wake and start up. The. Good morrow, friends. Saint Valentine is past; Begin these wood-birds but to couple now? Lys. Pardon, my lord. [He and the rest kneel to THE. How comes this gentle concord in the world, To sleep by hate, and fear no enmity? |