son for that; and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays. The more the pity, that some honest neighbors will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion. Tita. Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful. Bot. Not so, neither; but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn. Tita. Out of this wood do not desire to go; Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. The summer still doth tend upon my state, And I do love thee: therefore, go with me; I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee; And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep; And sing, while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep. That thou shalt like an airy spirit go. Peas-blossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustard-seed! All. Where shall we go? Tita. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman; Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes; 1 i. e. jest or scoff. 2 The fruit of a bramble called rubus cæsius; sometimes called also the blue-berry. Bot. I cry your worship's mercy, heartily.—I beseech your worship's name? Cob. Cobweb. Bot. I shall desire you of more acquaintance,' good master Cobweb. If I cut my finger, I shall make bold with you. Your name, honest gentleman ? Peas. Peas-blossom. Bot. I pray you, commend me to mistress Squash,2 your mother, and to master Peascod, your father. Good master Peas-blossom, I shall desire you of more acquaintance too.-Your name, I beseech you, sir? Mus. Mustard-seed. Bot. Good master Mustard-seed, I know your patience well. That same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your house. I promise you, your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now. I desire you more acquaintance, good master Mustard-seed. Tita. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower. The moon methinks looks with a watery eye; And when she weeps, weeps every little flower, Lamenting some enforced chastity. Tie up my lover's tongue; bring him silently. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Another Part of the Wood. Enter OBERON. Obe. I wonder if Titania be awaked; Then, what it was that next came in her eye, Which she must dote on in extremity. 1 "I shall desire you of more acquaintance." This kind of phraseology was not uncommon. 2 A squash is an immature peascod. 3 The words are spoken ironically, as it was the prevailing opinion in Shakspeare's time, that mustard excited choler. Enter PUCK. Here comes my messenger.-How now, mad spirit! And forth my mimic comes. When they him spy, And, at our stamp, here o'er and o'er one falls; He murder cries, and help from Athens calls. Their sense, thus weak, lost with their fears, thus strong, Made senseless things begin to do them wrong; I led them on in this distracted fear, And left sweet Pyramus translated there; 1 Revelry. 2 A patch was a common contemptuous term. 3 Barren is dull, unpregnant. Sort is company. 4 A head. 5 The chough is a bird of the daw kind. Obe. This falls out better than I could devise. But hast thou yet latched1 the Athenian's eyes With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do? Puck. I took him sleeping,—that is finished, too,And the Athenian woman by his side; That, when he waked, of force she must be eyed. Enter DEMETRIUS and HERMIA. Obe. Stand close; this is the same Athenian. Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man. Dem. O, why rebuke you him that loves you so? Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe. Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee worse; For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse. If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep, The sun was not so true unto the day, It cannot be, but thou hast murdered him : Dem. So should the murdered look; and so should 1, Dem. I had rather give his carcass to my hounds. Her. Out, dog! Out, cur! Thou driv'st me past the bounds Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him, then? 1 Latched or letched, licked or smeared over. O! once tell true, tell true, even for my sake. An adder did it; for with doubler tongue Dem. You spend your passion on a misprised 2 mood. I am not guilty of Lysander's blood; Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell. Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is well. Dem. An if I could, what should I get therefore? Her. A privilege, never to see me more. And from thy hated presence part I so,— See me no more, whether he be dead or no. [Exit. Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vein; Here, therefore, for a while I will remain. So sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow, For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe; If for his tender here I make some stay. [Lies down. quite, And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight. Of thy misprision must perforce ensue Some true-love turned, and not a false turned true. Puck. Then fate o'errules; that, one man holding troth, A million fail, confounding oath on oath. Obe. About the wood go swifter than the wind, And Helena of Athens look thou find. All fancy-sick she is, and pale of cheer3 With sighs of love, that cost the fresh blood dear.* Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow. 1 A touch anciently signified a trick. 2 "On a misprised mood," i. e. in a mistaken manner. 3 Cheer here signifies countenance, from cera (Ital.). [Exit. 4 Alluding to the ancient supposition, that every sigh was indulged at the expense of a drop of blood." |