Lys. What, fhould I hurt her, ftrike her, kill her dead? Although I hate her, I'll not harm her fo.

Her. What greater harm can you do me than hate? Hate me? wherefore? o me! what news, my love? Am not I Hermia? are not you Lyfander?

I am as fair now as I was ere-while.

Since night, you lov'd me; yet, fince night, you left me:
Why then you left me— (o, the gods forbid !)

In earnest, shall I say?

Lyf. Ay, by my life,

And never did defire to fee thee more.

Therefore be out of hope, of question, doubt;
Be certain, nothing truer ; 'tis no jest,

That I do hate thee, and love Helena.

Her. O me! you jugler, o, you canker-blossom, You thief of love! what, have you come by night, And ftol'n my love's heart from him?

Hel. Fine, i' faith!

Have you no modefty, no maiden fhame,

No touch of bafhfulness? what, will you tear
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?
Fie, fie! you counterfeit, you puppet, you!

Her. Puppet! why fo? ay, that way goes the game.
Now I perceive that the hath made compare
Between our statures; she hath urg'd her height,
And with her perfonage, her tall perfonage,
Her height, forfooth, the hath prevail'd with him.
And are you grown fo high in his esteem,
Because I am fo dwarfish, and fo low?
How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak,
How low am I? I am not yet fo low,

But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.

Hel. I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen,
Let her not hurt me: I was never curft;

I have no gift at all in fhrewishness;
I am a right maid for my cowardice:

P 2

Let

Let her not ftrike me. You, perhaps, may think,
Because she's something lower than myself,
That I can match her.

Her. Lower! hark, again.

Hel. Good Hermia, do not be fo bitter with me;
I evermore did love you, Hermia,

Did ever keep your counfels, never wrong'd you,
Save that, in love unto Demetrius,

I told him of your stealth into the wood:
He follow'd you: for love I follow'd him,
But he hath chid me hence, and threaten'd me
To ftrike me, fpurn me, nay, to kill me too;
And now, so you will let me quiet go,
To Athens will I bear my folly back,
And follow you no further. Let me go.
You see how fimple and how fond I am.

Her. Why, get you gone; who is't that hinders you?
Hel. A foolish heart that I leave here behind.
Her. What, with Lyfander?

Hel. With Demetrius.

Lyf. Be not afraid; she will not harm thee, Helena.
Dem. No, fir, fhe fhall not, though you take her part.
Hel. O, when she's angry, fhe is keen and fhrewd;

She was a vixen when fhe went to school;

And though she be but little, she is fierce.

Her. Little again? nothing but low, and little? Why will you fuffer her to flout me thus?

Let me come to her.

Lyf. Get you gone, you dwarf,

You minim, you, of hind'ring knot-grass made,
You bead, you acorn.

Dem. You are too officious

In her behalf that scorns your fervices.

Let her alone; fpeak not of Helena;

Take not her part: for, if thou doft intend
Never fo little fhow of love to her,

Thou fhalt aby it.

Lyf.

Lyf. Now fhe holds me not;

Now follow, if thou dar'ft, to try whose right

Of thine or mine is moft in Helena.

Dem. Follow? nay, I'll go with thee cheek by jowl.

[Exe. Lyfander and Demetrius.

Her. You, mistress, all this coil is long of you:

Nay, go not back.

Hel. I will not truft you, I;

Nor longer stay in your curft company.

Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray;

My legs are longer though to run away.

Her. I am amaz'd, and know not what to fay. [Exeunt.

Ob. This is thy negligence: ftill thou mistak'st, Or elfe committ'ft thy knaveries willingly.

tell you

me,

Puck. Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook.
Did not
I fhould know the man,
By the Athenian garments he had on?
And fo far blameless proves my enterprize,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes;
And fo far am I glad it did fo fort,

As this their jangling I efteem a fport.

Ob. Thou feeft, thefe lovers feek a place to fight;
Hie therefore, Robin, overcaft the night,

The starry welkin cover thou anon
With drooping fog as black as Acheron,
And lead these testy rivals so astray,
As one come not within another's way.
Like to Lyfander, fometime, frame thy tongue,
Then ftir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
And, fometime, rail thou like Demetrius;
And from each other, look, thou lead them thus,

'Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting fleep
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep;
Then crush this herb into Lyfander's eye;
Whose liquor hath this virtuous property,
To take from thence all error with its might,
And make his eye-balls rowl with wonted fight.
When they next wake, all this derifion
Shall feem a dream, and fruitless vifion;
And back to Athens fhall the lovers wend

With league, whose date 'till death shall never end.
Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,

I'll to my queen, and beg her Indian boy;
And then I will her charmed eye release

From monster's view, and all things shall be peace.
Puck. My fairy lord, this must be done with hafte ;
For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full faft,
And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger;

At whose approach, ghosts, wandring here and there,
Troop home to church-yards; damned spirits all,
That in cross-ways and floods have burial,
Already to their wormy beds are gone;

For fear left day should look their fhames upon,
They wilfully exile themselves from light,
And must for aye confort with black-brow'd night.
Ob. But we are spirits of another fort;

I with the morning-light have oft made sport ;
And, like a forefter, the groves may tread,
Ev'n 'till the eastern gate all fiery red,
Opening on Neptune with far-bleffing beams,
Turns into yellow gold his falt-green streams.
But notwithstanding, hafte, make no delay;
We may effect this business yet ere day.

Puck. Up and down then, up and down,
I will lead them up and down:
I am fear'd in field and town.
Goblin, lead them up and down.
Here comes one.

[Exit Oberon.

Enter

Enter Lyfander.

Lys. Where art thou, proud Demetrius? speak thou now. Puck. Here, villain, drawn and ready. Where art thou? Lyf. I will be with thee straight.

Puck. Follow me then

To plainer ground.

Enter Demetrius.

Dem. Lyfander, speak again;

Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled?

Speak in some bush, where thou doft hide thy head.
Puck. Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,

Telling the bushes that thou look'ft for wars,

And wilt not come? come, recreant, come, thou child,
I'll whip thee with a rod; he is defil'd

That draws a fword on thee.

Dem. Yea, art thou there?

Puck. Follow my voice; we'll try no manhood here. [Exe. Lyf. He goes before me, and still dares me on;

When I come where he calls me, then he's

The villain is much lighter-heel'd than I:

I follow'd faft, but fafter he did fly;

That fall'n am I in dark uneven way,

gone.

And here will rest me. Come, thou gentle day: [Lyes down. For if but once thou fhew me thy gray light,

I'll find Demetrius, and revenge this fpite.

Enter Puck and Demetrius.

Puck. Ho, ho, ho, coward, why then com❜st thou not ?
Dem. Abide me, if thou dar'ft: for, well I wot,

Thou runn'st before me, fhifting every place,

And dar'ft not ftand, nor look me in the face.

Where art thou?

Puck. Come thou hither; I am here.

Dem. Nay, then thou mock'ft me; thou shalt buy this dear,

If