Puck. Captain of our fairy band, And the youth mistook by me, Pleading for a lover's fee. Shall we their fond pageant see? Lord, what fools these mortals be! Obe. Stand aside; the noise they make, Will cause Demetrius to awake. Puck. Then will two at once woo one; That must needs be sport alone; And those things do best please me, That befall preposterously. Enter LYSANDER and HELENA. Lys. Why should you think, that I should woo in scorn? Scorn and derision never come in tears. Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born How can these things in me seem scorn to you, more. When truth kills truth, O devilish holy fray! These vows are Hermia's. Will you give her o'er? Your vows, to her and me, put in two scales, 1 Lys. I had no judgment when to her I swore. To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne? If To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts, To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes, A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport. Lys. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so; Hel. Never did mockers waste more idle breath. Dem. Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none: If e'er I loved her, all that love is gone. 1 i. e. join heartily, unite in the same mind. My heart with her but as guest-wise sojourned; There to remain. Dem. Disparage not the faith thou dost not know, Lest, to thy peril, thou abide it dear.1 Look where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear. Enter HERMIA. Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehension makes; Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense, It pays the hearing double recompense.- Lys. Why should he stay, whom love doth press to go? Her. What love could press Lysander from my side? Lys. Lysander's love, that would not let him bideFair Helena, who more engilds the night 2 Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light. Why seek'st thou me? Could not this make thee know, The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so? Her. You speak not as you think; it cannot be. Now I perceive they have conjoined, all three, Have you conspired, have you with these contrived Is all the counsel that we two have shared, For parting us,-O, and is all forgot? All school-days' friendship, childhood innocence? 1 Pay dearly for it, rue it. VOL. II. 2 i. e. circles. 3 i. e. ingenious, artful-artificiose (Lat.). 6 Have with our neelds' created both one flower, Two lovely berries moulded on one stem; Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it; Her. I am amazed at your passionate words. (Who even but now did spurn me with his foot,) Her. I understand not what you mean by this. 1 i. e. needles. 2 Mr. Douce thus explains this passage:-Helen says, "we had two seeming bodies, but only one heart." She then exemplifies the position by a simile" we had two of the first, i. e. bodies, like the double coats in heraldry that belong to man and wife as one person, but which, like our single heart, have but one crest." Malone explains the heraldic allusion differently, but not so clearly nor satisfactorily. Make mows upon me when I turn my back; Hel. O excellent! Her. Sweet, do not scorn her so. Dem. If she cannot entreat, I can compel. Lys. Thou canst compel no more than she entreat; Thy threats have no more strength than her weak prayers. Helen, I love thee; by my life, I do. I swear by that which I will lose for thee, Her. Lysander, whereto tends all this? Lys. Away, you Ethiop! Dem. No, no, he'll-Sir,3 Seem to break loose; take on as you would follow; But yet come not. You are a tame man, go! Lys. Hang off, thou cat, thou burr. Vile thing, let loose; Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent. Her. Why are you grown so rude? What change is this, Sweet love? Lys. Thy love! Out, tawny Tartar, out! Out, loathed medicine! Hated potion, hence' 1 Make mouths. 2 i. e. such a subject of light merriment. 3 This arrangement of the text is Malone's, who thus explains it :-The words he'll are not in the folio, and sir is not in the quarto. Demetrius, I suppose, would say, No, no, he'll not have the resolution to disengage himself from Hermia. But turning to Lysander, he addresses him ironically: "Sir, seem to break loose," &c. |