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Puck. Come thou hither, I am here.

Dem. Nay then thou mock'st me; thou fhalt buy this dear, If ever I thy face by day-light fee.

Now go thy way: faintnefs conftraineth me
To measure out my length on this cold bed.
By day's approach look to be vifited.

SCENE

Enter Helena.

X.

[Lyes down.

Hel. O weary night, O long and tedious night,
Abate thy hours; fhine comforts from the Eaft,
That I may back to Athens by day-light,

From these that my poor company deteft;
'And fleep, that fometimes fhuts up forrow's eye,
Steal me a while from mine own company!
Puck. 'Yet but three here? come one more,
Two of both kinds make up four.
Here the 'cometh, curft and fad:
Cupid is a knavish lad,

Thus to make poor females mad.

Enter Hermia.

Her. Never fo weary, never fo in woe,

[Sleeps.

Bedabbled with the dew, and torn with briars,

I can no further crawl, no further go;

My legs can keep no pace with my defires: Here will I reft me 'till the break of day.

}

Heav'ns fhield Lyfander, if they mean a fray! [Lyes dorm. Puck. On the ground, fleep thou found,`

I'll apply to your eye, gentle lover, remedy.

[Squeezing the juice on Lyfander's eye.

When thou 'wakeft next, thou takest`

True delight, in the fight, of thy former lady's eye,

And the country proverb known,

That every man should take his own,

In your waking shall be shown.

4 Yet but three? come • fleep found

5 comes,

7 wak't, thou tak't

Jack

Jack fhall have fill, nought fhall go ill,
The man fhall have his mare again, and all be well.

[Exit Puck. [They fleep.

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Enter Queen of Fairies, Bottom, Fairies attending, and the King behind them.

QUEEN.

SOME, fit thee down upon this flow'ry bed,
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,

CO

And stick musk-rofes in thy fleek-fmooth'd head, And kifs thy fair large ears, my gentle joy. Bot. Where's Peafebloffom?

Pease. Ready.

Bot. Scratch my head, Peafebloffom. Where's monfieur Cobweb?

Cob. Ready.

Bot. Monfieur Cobweb, good monfieur, get your weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hipt humble-bee on the top of a thistle, and, good monfieur, bring me the honeybag. Do not fret your felf too much in the action, monfieur; and, good monfieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loth to have you overflown with a honey-bag, fignior. Where's monfieur Muftardfeed? Muf. Ready.

Bot. Give me thy neafe, monfieur Mustardfeed: pray you, leave your curtefie, good monfieur.

Muf. What's your will?

Bot. Nothing, good monfieur, but to help Cavalero Cobweb to fcratch. I must to the barber's, monfieur, for

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me

methinks I am marvellous hairy about the face. And I am fuch a tender afs, if my hair doth but tickle me, must scratch.

I

Queen. What, wilt thou hear fome musick, my fweet love?

Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in musick, let us have the tongs and the bones.

Mufick. Tongs, rural mufick.

Queen. Or, fay fweet love, what thou defir'ft to eat. Bot. Truly a peck of provender; I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks I have a great defire to a bottle of hay good hay, sweet hay hath no fellow.

8

Queen. I have a venturous Fairy that shall seek The squirrel's hoard, and 'fetch thee thence new nuts.` Bot. I had rather have a handful or two of dried peafe. But, I pray you, let none of your people ftir me, I have an expofition of fleep come upon me.

Queen. Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms; Fairies, be gone, and be 'a while away:

9

So doth the woodbine, the fweet hony-fuckle,

Gently entwift, the female ivy fo

Enring, the barky fingers of the elm.

O, how I love thee! how I doat on thee!

Enter Puck.

Ob. Welcome, good Robin; Seeft thou this fweet fight? Her dotage now I do begin to pity;

For meeting her of late behind the wood,
Seeking fweet favours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her, and fall out with her;
For fhe his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers,
And that fame dew which fometime on the buds
Was wont to fwell like round and orient pearls,
Stood now within the pretty flouriets eyes,
Like tears that did their own difgrace bewail.

When

8 fetch thee new nuts,

9 al ways or always

When I had at my pleasure taunted her,
And fhe in mild terms begg'd my patience,
I then did ask of her her changeling child,
Which strait she gave me, and her Fairy fent
To bear him to my bower in Fairy land.
And, now I have the boy, I will undo
This hateful imperfection of her eyes:
And, gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp
From off the head of this Athenian fwain;
That he awaking when the others do,
May all to Athens back again repair,
And think no more of this night's accidents,
But as the fierce vexation of a dream.
But first I will release the Fairy Queen.
Be as thou waft wont to be;

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See as thou waft wont to fee:
Dian's bud, 'o'er Cupid's flower,
Hath fuch force and bleffed power.

Now, my Titania, wake you, my fweet Queen.
Queen. My Oberon! what vifions have I feen!
Methought I was enamour'd of an afs.

Ob. There lyes your love.

Queen. How came these things to pass?
Oh, how mine eyes do loath this vifage now!

Ob. Silence, a while; Robin, take off his head,
Titania, mufick call, and ftrike more dead

Than common fleep of all these 'five the fenfe.
Queen. Mufick, ho! mufick; fuch as charmeth sleep.
Still mufick.

Puck. When thou awak'ft, with thine own fool's eyes

peep.

[me,

Ob. Sound, mufick; come, my Queen, take hand with And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be, Now thou and I are new in amity;

And will to-morrow midnight folemnly

Dance

1 or... old edit. Thirl. emend. 2 fine... old edit. Thirl. emend.

Dance in Duke Thefeus' houfe triumphantly,
And bless it to all 3 'far pofterity:
There fhall these pairs of faithful lovers be
Wedded with Thefeus all in jollity.

Puck. Fairy King, attend and mark,
I do hear the morning lark.

Ob. Then, my Queen, in filence fad
Trip we after the night's fhade
We the globe can compass soon,
Swifter than the wand'ring moon.

Queen. Come, my lord, and in our flight

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Enter Thefeus, Egeus, Hippolita, and all his train.

The. Go one of you, find out the forefter,
For now our obfervation is perform'd;
And fince we have the vaward of the day,
My love fhall hear the mufick of my hounds.
Uncouple in the western valley, go,

Dispatch, I fay, and find the forefter.

We will, fair Queen, up to the mountain's top,
And mark the mufical confufion

Of hounds and echo in conjunction.

Hip. I was with Hercules and Cadmus once,
When in a wood of Crete they bay'd the 'boar
With hounds of Sparta; never did I hear
Such gallant chiding. For befides the groves,
The skies, the fountains, ev'ry region near
Seem'd all one mutual cry. I never heard
So mufical a difcord, fuch fweet thunder.

The. My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind,
So flew'd, fo fanded, and their heads are hung

With (a) Meaning the obfervance of the time prescribed for their nuptials. 3 fair... old edit, Warb, emend.

4 bear

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