Tita. Come, now a roundel and a fairy song; 002 Then, for the third part of a minute, hence; Some to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds; Some war with rere-mice for their leathern wings, 005 To make my small elves coats; and some keep back The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots and wonders 007 At our quaint spirits. Sing me now asleep; Then to your offices, and let me rest. Song. 009 Fir. Fairy. You spotted snakes with double tongue. 010 Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen; Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong, Come not near our fairy queen. CHORUS. 013 Philomel, with melody 014 Sing in our sweet lullaby; 015 Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby: Never harm, Nor spell, nor charm, Come our lovely lady nigh; So, good night, with lullaby. Fir. Fairy. 020 Weaving spiders, come not here; 021 Hence, you long-legg’d spinners, hence! Beetles black, approach not near; Worm nor snail, do no offence. CHORUS. Philomel, with melody, &c. Sec. Fairy. 025 Hence, away! now all is well: 026 One aloof stand sentinel. [Exeunt Fairies. Titania sleeps. Enter Oberon, and squeezes the flower on Titania’s eyelids. Obe. What thou seest when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true-love take; Love and languish for his sake: 030 Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, Pard, or boar with bristled hair, 032 In thy eye that shall appear When thou wakest, it is thy dear: 034 Wake when some vile thing is near. [Exit. Enter Lysander and Hermia. 035 Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood; And to speak troth, I have forgot our way: We’ll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, 038 And tarry for the comfort of the day. 039 Her. Be it so, Lysander: find you out a bed; 040 For I upon this bank will rest my head. Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth. Her. Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear, Lie further off yet, do not lie so near. 045 Lys. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence! 046 Love takes the meaning in love’s conference. 047 I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit, 048 So that but one heart we can make of it: 049 Two bosoms interchained with an oath; 050 So then two bosoms and a single troth. Then by your side no bed-room me deny; For lying so, Hermia, I do not lie. Her. Lysander riddles very prettily: Now much beshrew my manners and my pride, 055 If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied. But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy 057 Lie further off; in human modesty, Such separation as may well be said Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid, 060 So far be distant; and, good night, sweet friend: Thy love ne’er alter till thy sweet life end! Lys. Amen, amen, to that fair prayer, say I; And then end life when I end loyalty! Here is my bed: sleep give thee all his rest! 065 Her. With half that wish the wisher’s eyes be press’d! [They sleep. Enter Puck. Puck. Through the forest have I gone, 067 But Athenian found I none, On whose eyes I might approve This flower’s force in stirring love. 070 Night and silence.—Who is here? Weeds of Athens he doth wear: This is he, my master said, Despised the Athenian maid; And here the maiden, sleeping sound, 075 On the dank and dirty ground. Pretty soul! she durst not lie 077 Near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy. Churl, upon thy eyes I throw All the power this charm doth owe. 080 When thou wakest, let love forbid Sleep his seat on thy eyelid: So awake when I am gone; For I must now to Oberon. [Exit. Enter Demetrius and Helena, running. 084 Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius. 085 Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus. Hel. O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not so. 087 Dem. Stay, on thy peril: I alone will go. [Exit. Hel. O, I am out of breath in this fond chase! The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace. 090 Happy is Hermia, wheresoe’er she lies; For she hath blessed and attractive eyes. How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears: If so, my eyes are oftener wash’d than hers. No, no, I am as ugly as a bear; 095 For beasts that meet me run away for fear: 096 Therefore no marvel though Demetrius Do, as a monster, fly my presence thus. What wicked and dissembling glass of mine Made me compare with Hermia’s sphery eyne? 100 But who is here? Lysander! on the ground! Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound. Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake. Lys. [Awaking] And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake. 104 Transparent Helena! Nature shows art, 105 That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. 106 Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word Is that vile name to perish on my sword! Hel. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so. What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though? 110 Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content. Lys. Content with Hermia! No; I do repent The tedious minutes I with her have spent. 113 Not Hermia but Helena I love: Who will not change a raven for a dove? 115 The will of man is by his reason sway’d; And reason says you are the worthier maid. Things growing are not ripe until their season: 118 So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason; And touching now the point of human skill, 120 Reason becomes the marshal to my will, And leads me to your eyes; where I o’erlook 122 Love’s stories, written in love’s richest book. Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? 125 Is’t not enough, is’t not enough, young man, That I did never, no, nor never can, 127 Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius’ eye, But you must flout my insufficiency? Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, 130 In such disdainful manner me to woo. But fare you well: perforce I must confess I thought you lord of more true gentleness. O, that a lady, of one man refused, Should of another therefore be abused! [Exit. 135 Lys. She sees not Hermia. Hermia, sleep thou there: And never mayst thou come Lysander near! For as a surfeit of the sweetest things 138 The deepest loathing to the stomach brings, Or as the heresies that men do leave 140 Are hated most of those they did deceive, So thou, my surfeit and my heresy, Of all be hated, but the most of me! 143 And, all my powers, address your love and might To honour Helen and to be her knight! [Exit. Her. [Awaking] 145 Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast! 147 Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here! Lysander, look how I do quake with fear: Methought a serpent eat my heart away, 150 And you sat smiling at his cruel prey. Lysander! what, removed? Lysander! lord! What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word? Alack, where are you? speak, an if you hear; 154 Speak, of all loves! I swoon almost with fear. 155 No? then I well perceive you are not nigh: 156 Either death or you I’ll find immediately. [Exit.