Dem. Do I entice you? do I fpeak you fair? Or rather do I not in plainest truth

Tell you, I do not, nor I cannot, love you?

Hel. And ev'n for that do I love thee the more; I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius,

The more you beat me, I will fawn on you:
Ufe me but as your spaniel, spurn me, ftrike me,
Neglect me, lofe me; only give me leave,
Unworthy as I am, to follow you.
What worfer place can I beg in your love,
And yet a place of high refpect with me,
Than to be used, as you use your dog?

Dem. Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; For I am fick, when I do look on thee.

Hel. And I am fick, when I look not on you.
Dem. You do impeach your modefty too much,
To leave the city, and commit yourself
Into the hands of one that loves you not;
To trust the opportunity of night,
And the ill counfel of a defart place,
With the rich worth of your virginity.

6

Hel. Your virtue is my privilege. For that
It is not night when I do fee your face,
Therefore, I think, I am not in the night.
Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company;
For you in my refpect are all the world.
Then how can it be faid, I am alone?

When all the world is here to look on me?

Dem. I'll run from thee and hide me in the brakes,

And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts.

Hl. The wildeft hath not fuch a heart as you;
Run when you will, the ftory fhall be chang'd:
Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chafe;
The dove purfues the griffin; the mild hind
Makes fpeed to catch the tyger. Bootlefs fpeed!
When cowardife purfues, and valour flies.

Dem. I will not flay thy queftions; let me go;

This pallage is paraphrafed from two lines of an ancient Poet.

Or

Or if thou follow me, do not believe,

But I fhall do thee mifchief in the wood.

Hel. Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, You do me mifchief. Fie, Demetrius,

Your wrongs do fet a fcandal on my

sex :

We cannot fight for love, as men may do:

We fhou'd be woo'd, and were not made to woo.
I follow thee, and make a heav'n of hell;

To die upon the hand, I love fo well.

[Exeunt.

Ob. Fare thee well, nymph; ere he doth leave this grove,

Thou shalt fly him, and he fhall feek thy love.
Haft thou the flow'r there? welcome, wanderer.

Enter Puck.

Puck. Ay, there it is.

Ob. I pray thee, give it me;

I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,
Where ox-lip and the nodding violet grows,
* O'er canopy'd with luscious woodbine,
With sweet mufk-rofes, and with eglantine.
There fleeps Titania, fome time of the night,
Lull'd in thefe flow'rs with dances and delight;
And there the fnake throws her enamel'd fkin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in:

And with the juice of this I'll freak her eyes,
And make her full of hateful fantafies.

Take thou fome of it, and feek through this grove;

A fweet Athenian lady is in love

With a difdainful youth; anoint his eyes;

But do it, when the next thing he elpies

May be the lady. Thou shalt know the man,

By the Athenian garments he hath on.

*All the old Editions hav, lio's an unknown hand has writQuite over canopied with luscious

woodbine.

On the margin of one of my Fo

ten luf Woodbine, which I think is right.

Effect it with fome care, that he may prove
More fond on her, than fhe upon her love;
And, look, ye meet me ere the first cock crow.
Puck. Fear not, my lord, your fervant fhall do fo.

"

SCENE V.

Enter Queen of Fairies, with her train.

[Exeunt.

Queen. Come, now a roundel, and a Fairy fong:7 Then, 'fore the third part of a minute, hence; Some to kill cankers in the mufk-rofe buds, Some war with rear-mice for their leathern wing, To make my finall elves coats; and fome keep back The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders At our quaint fpirits. Sing me now asleep: Then to your offices, and let me rest.

Fairies fing.

You spotted Snakes with double tongue,
Therny hedgehogs, be not feen;
Newts and blind worms, do no wrong;
Come not near our fairy Queen.
Philomel, with melody,
Sing in your feet lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby :
Never barm,

Nor fpell, nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So good night with lullaby.

7 A Roundel is a Dance in a ring. GRAY. 8 Then, for the third Part of a Minute bence.] So the o'd Copies. But the Queen fets them Work. that is to keep them employ'd for the Remainder of the Night; the Poet, undoubt edly, intended her to fay, Dance your Round, and fing your Song,

and then inft ntly (before the third Part of a Minu e) begone to your respective Duties. THEOB.

Dr. Warburton reads for third part of the Midnight.

the

Quaint Spirits. For this Dr. Warburten leads against all authority quaint fports. But Prof pero in the Tempeft applies quait to Ariel. 2 Fairy.

2 Fairy.

Weaving Spiders come not here;
Hence, you long-legg'd finners, hence;
Beetles black, approach not near,
Worm, nor fnail, do no offence.
Philomel with melody, &c.

1 Fairy.

Hence, away; now all is well:
One, aloof, ftand Sentinel.

[Exeunt Fairies. The Queen Aleeps.

Enter Oberon.

Ob. What thou feeft, when thou doft wake,

Do it for thy true love take:

Love and languish for his fake:
Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,
Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
In thy eye that fhall appear,
When thou wak'ft, it is thy dear;
Wake, when fome vile thing is near.

SCENE VI.

}

[Exit Oberon.

Enter Lyfander and Hermia.

Lyf. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the
wood;

And, to speak troth, I have forgot our way:
We'll reft us, Hermia, if you think it good,
And tarry for the comfort of the day.

Her. Be't fo, Lyfander; find you out a bed,

For I upon this bank will reft my head.

Lyf. One turf fhall ferve as pillow for us both, One heart, one bed, two bofoms, and one troth.

Her.

P

Her. Nay, good Lyfander; for my fake, my dear,
Lye further off yet, do not lye fo near.

Lyf. O take the fense, sweet, of my innocence; ?
Love takes the meaning, in love's conference;
I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit.;

So that but one heart can you make of it:
Two bofoms interchanged with an oath;
So then two bofoms and a fingle troth:
Then, by your fide no bed-room me deny;
For lying fo, Hermia, I do not lye.

Her. Lyfander riddles very prettily;
Now much befhrew my manners, and my pride,
If Hermia meant to fay, Lyfander ly'd.

}

loft in this aukward transposition.

WARBURTON.

I am by no means convinced of the neceflity of this alteration, Lyfander in the language of love profeffes that as they have one heart they hall have one bed; this Hermia thinks rather too much, and entreats him to lye further off. Lyfander anfwers,

O! take the fenfe, fweet, of my innocence.

understand the meaning of my innocence, or my innocent meaning. Let no fufpicion of ill enter thy mind.

Love takes the meaning in love's conference.

In the converfation of those who are affured of each other's

kindness not fufpicion but Love takes the meaning. No malevolent interpretation is to be made, but all is to be received in the fenfe which love can find and which love can dictate.

But,