Act 3

Scene 1／running scene 4 continues

Enter the Clowns [ Bottom, Quince, Snug, Flute, Snout and Starveling ]

BOTTOM Are we all met?

QUINCE Pat , pat, and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our tiring-house , and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.

BOTTOM Peter Quince?

QUINCE What sayest thou, bully Bottom?

BOTTOM There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisbe that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?

SNOUT By'r lakin , a parlous fear.

STARVELING I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done .

BOTTOM Not a whit: I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue, and let the prologue seem to say we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not killed indeed. And for the more better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver; this will put them out of fear.

QUINCE Well, we will have such a prologue, and it shall be written in eight and six .

BOTTOM No, make it two more: let it be written in eight and eight.

SNOUT Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?

STARVELING I fear it , I promise you.

BOTTOM Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves, to bring in — God shield us! — a lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing. For there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living. And we ought to look to it.

SNOUT Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.

BOTTOM Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck, and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect : 'Ladies' or 'Fair-ladies, I would wish you' or 'I would request you' or 'I would entreat you, not to fear, not to tremble. My life for yours . If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life . No, I am no such thing, I am a man as other men are.' And there indeed let him name his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.

QUINCE Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things: that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber, for you know Pyramus and Thisbe meet by moonlight.

SNOUT Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?

BOTTOM A calendar, a calendar! Look in the almanac . Find out moonshine, find out moonshine.

They consult an almanac

[ Robin may ] enter

QUINCE Yes, it doth shine that night.

BOTTOM Why, then may you leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon may shine in at the casement.

QUINCE Ay, or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lantern , and say he comes to disfigure , or to present , the person of Moonshine. Then there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisbe, says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall.

SNOUT You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?

BOTTOM Some man or other must present Wall: and let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; or let him hold his fingers thus; and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisbe whisper.

Hand gesture suggesting a hole in a wall

QUINCE If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake, and so every one according to his cue.

Robin [ may ] enter

ROBIN What hempen home-spuns have we swagg'ring here,

Aside

So near the cradle of the fairy queen?

What, a play toward ? I'll be an auditor,

An actor too perhaps, if I see cause.

QUINCE Speak, Pyramus.— Thisbe, stand forth.

PYRAMUS [BOTTOM] Thisbe, the flowers of odious savours sweet—

QUINCE Odours, odours.

PYRAMUS [BOTTOM] —odours savours sweet,

So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisbe dear.

But hark, a voice! Stay thou but here awhile,

And by and by I will to thee appear.

Exit

ROBIN A stranger Pyramus than e'er played here.

[ Exit ]

THISBE [FLUTE] Must I speak now?

QUINCE Ay, marry, must you, for you must understand he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.

THISBE [FLUTE] Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,

Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier,

Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew ,

As true as truest horse that yet would never tire,

I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb.

QUINCE 'Ninus ' tomb', man! Why, you must not speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus. You speak all your part at once, cues and all. Pyramus, enter: your cue is past; it is, 'never tire'.

THISBE [FLUTE] O — As true as truest horse that yet would never tire.

Enter [ Robin and ] Pyramus [ Bottom ] with the ass head

PYRAMUS [BOTTOM] If I were fair , Thisbe, I were only thine.

QUINCE O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted. Pray, masters! Fly, masters! Help!

The Clowns all exit

ROBIN I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round ,

Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier.

Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound,

A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire ,

And neigh and bark and grunt and roar and burn,

Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.

Exit

If Bottom exited with the other clowns, he re-enters here

BOTTOM Why do they run away? This is a knavery of them to make me afeard.

Enter Snout

SNOUT O Bottom, thou art changed! What do I see on thee?

BOTTOM What do you see? You see an asshead of your own, do you?

[ Exit Snout ]

Enter Quince

QUINCE Bless thee, Bottom! Bless thee! Thou art translated .

Exit

BOTTOM I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me, to fright me, if they could; but I will not stir from this place, do what they can. I will walk up and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid.

The ousel cock so black of hue,

Sings

With orange-tawny bill,

The throstle with his note so true,

The wren with little quill —

TITANIA What angel wakes me from my flow'ry bed?

Wakes

BOTTOM The finch, the sparrow and the lark,

Sings

The plain-song cuckoo grey,

Whose note full many a man doth mark,

And dares not answer nay —

For, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a bird ? Who would give a bird the lie , though he cry 'cuckoo ' never so ?

TITANIA I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:

Mine ear is much enamoured of thy note;

So is mine eye enthrallèd to thy shape:

And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me

On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.

BOTTOM Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays; the more the pity that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.

TITANIA Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.

BOTTOM Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn .

TITANIA Out of this wood do not desire to go:

Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.

I am a spirit of no common rate .

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 pressèd flowers dost sleep.

And I will purge thy mortal grossness so

That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.

Peaseblossom , Cobweb, Moth , Mustardseed!

Enter four Fairies

PEASEBLOSSOM Ready.

COBWEB And I.

MOTH And I.

MUSTARDSEED And I.

ALL Where shall we go?

TITANIA Be kind and courteous to this gentleman.

Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes ,

Feed him with apricocks and dewberries ,

With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries.

The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees ,

And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs

And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes,

To have my love to bed and to arise .

And pluck the wings from painted butterflies

To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes.

Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.

PEASEBLOSSOM Hail, mortal!

COBWEB Hail!

MOTH Hail!

MUSTARDSEED Hail!

BOTTOM I cry your worship's mercy , heartily; I beseech your worship's name.

To Cobweb

COBWEB Cobweb.

BOTTOM 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?

PEASEBLOSSOM Peaseblossom.

BOTTOM I pray you commend me to Mistress Squash , your mother, and to Master Peascod , your father. Good Master Peaseblossom, I shall desire you of more acquaintance too.— Your name, I beseech you, sir?

MUSTARDSEED Mustardseed.

BOTTOM Good Master Mustardseed, 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 of more acquaintance, good Master Mustardseed.

TITANIA Come, wait upon him, lead him to my bower.

The moon methinks looks with a wat'ry eye,

And when she weeps , weeps every little flower,

Lamenting some enforcèd chastity.

Tie up my lover's tongue , bring him silently.

Exeunt

Scene 2／running scene 5

Enter King of Fairies [ Oberon ] alone

OBERON I wonder if Titania be awaked;

Then what it was that next came in her eye,

Which she must dote on in extremity .

Enter [ Robin ] Puck

Here comes my messenger.— How now, mad spirit?

What night-rule now about this haunted grove?

ROBIN My mistress with a monster is in love.

Near to her close and consecrated bower,

While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,

A crew of patches , rude mechanicals ,

That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,

Were met together to rehearse a play

Intended for great Theseus' nuptial-day.

The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort ,

Who Pyramus presented in their sport,

Forsook his scene and entered in a brake,

When I did him at this advantage take:

An ass's noll I fixèd on his head.

Anon his Thisbe must be answerèd,

And forth my mimic comes. When they him spy,

As wild geese that the creeping fowler eye,

Or russet-pated choughs , many in sort ,

Rising and cawing at the gun's report ,

Sever themselves and madly sweep the sky,

So, at his sight, away his fellows fly.

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.

For briars and thorns at their apparel snatch,

Some sleeves, some hats, from yielders all things catch.

I led them on in this distracted fear,

And left sweet Pyramus translated there:

When in that moment, so it came to pass,

Titania waked and straightway loved an ass.

OBERON This falls out better than I could devise.

But hast thou yet latched the Athenian's eyes

With the love juice, as I did bid thee do?

ROBIN 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

OBERON Stand close . This is the same Athenian.

They stand aside

ROBIN This is the woman, but not this the man.

DEMETRIUS O, why rebuke you him that loves you so?

Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.

HERMIA 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,

Being o'er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep,

And kill me too.

The sun was not so true unto the day

As he to me. Would he have stol'n away

From sleeping Hermia? I'll believe as soon

This whole earth may be bored and that the moon

May through the centre creep, and so displease

Her brother's noontide with th'Antipodes .

It cannot be but thou hast murdered him,

So should a murderer look, so dead , so grim.

DEMETRIUS So should the murdered look, and so should I,

Pierced through the heart with your stern cruelty:

Yet you, the murderer, looks as bright, as clear,

As yonder Venus in her glimm'ring sphere .

HERMIA What's this to my Lysander? Where is he?

Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?

DEMETRIUS I'd rather give his carcass to my hounds.

HERMIA Out, dog! Out, cur ! Thou driv'st me past the bounds

Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him, then?

Henceforth be never numbered among men.

O, once tell true, tell true even for my sake!

Durst thou a looked upon him being awake?

And hast thou killed him sleeping? O brave touch !

Could not a worm , an adder, do so much?

An adder did it, for with doubler tongue

Than thine, thou serpent, never adder stung.

DEMETRIUS You spend your passion on a misprised mood .

I am not guilty of Lysander's blood,

Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell.

HERMIA I pray thee tell me then that he is well.

DEMETRIUS An if I could, what should I get therefor ?

HERMIA 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

DEMETRIUS 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 ,

Which now in some slight measure it will pay,

If for his tender here I make some stay .

[ Demetrius ] lies down [ and sleeps ]

OBERON What hast thou done? Thou hast mistaken 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.

ROBIN Then fate o'errules, that, one man holding troth ,

A million fail, confounding oath on oath.

OBERON About the wood go swifter than the wind,

And Helena of Athens look thou find.

All fancy-sick she is and pale of cheer ,

With sighs of love, that costs the fresh blood dear .

By some illusion see thou bring her here.

I'll charm his eyes against she doth appear.

ROBIN I go, I go, look how I go,

Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow .

Exit

OBERON Flower of this purple dye,

Squeezes juice on Demetrius' eyes

Hit with Cupid's archery,

Sink in apple of his eye.

When his love he doth espy,

Let her shine as glor'ously

As the Venus of the sky.

When thou wak'st, if she be by,

Beg of her for remedy .

Enter [ Robin ] Puck

ROBIN Captain of our fairy band,

Helena is here at hand,

And the youth, mistook by me,

Pleading for a lover's fee .

Shall we their fond pageant see?

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

OBERON Stand aside: the noise they make

Will cause Demetrius to awake.

They stand aside

ROBIN 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 [ following ] Helena

LYSANDER 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,

In their nativity all truth appears.

How can these things in me seem scorn to you,

Bearing the badge of faith to prove them true?

HELENA You do advance your cunning more and more.

When truth kills truth , O devilish-holy fray !

These vows are Hermia's. Will you give her o'er ?

Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh.

Your vows to her and me, put in two scales,

Will even weigh, and both as light as tales .

LYSANDER I had no judgement when to her I swore.

HELENA Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er.

LYSANDER Demetrius loves her, and he you .

DEMETRIUS O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!

Awakes

To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?

Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show

Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!

That pure congealèd white , high Taurus ' snow,

Fanned with the eastern wind, turns to a crow

When thou hold'st up thy hand. O, let me kiss

This princess of pure white, this seal of bliss!

HELENA O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent

To set against me for your merriment:

If you were civil and knew courtesy,

You would not do me thus much injury .

Can you not hate me, as I know you do,

But you must join in souls to mock me too?

If you were men, as men you are in show,

You would not use a gentle lady so;

To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts ,

When I am sure you hate me with your hearts.

You both are rivals and love Hermia;

And now both rivals to mock Helena.

A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,

To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes

With your derision; none of noble sort

Would so offend a virgin and extort

A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport.

LYSANDER You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so,

For you love Hermia; this you know I know;

And here, with all good will, with all my heart,

In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;

And yours of Helena to me bequeath,

Whom I do love and will do till my death.

HELENA Never did mockers waste more idle breath.

DEMETRIUS Lysander, keep thy Hermia, I will none :

If e'er I loved her, all that love is gone.

My heart to her but as guestwise sojourned ,

And now to Helen is it home returned,

There to remain.

LYSANDER Helen, it is not so.

DEMETRIUS Disparage not the faith thou dost not know,

Lest to thy peril thou abide it dear .

Look where thy love comes, yonder is thy dear.

Enter Hermia

HERMIA 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.

Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found,

Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound.

But why unkindly didst thou leave me so?

LYSANDER Why should he stay whom love doth press to go?

HERMIA What love could press Lysander from my side?

LYSANDER Lysander's love, that would not let him bide —

Fair Helena, who more engilds the night

Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light.—

Why seek'st thou me? Could not this make thee know,

To Hermia

The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so?

HERMIA You speak not as you think; it cannot be.

HELENA Lo, she is one of this confed'racy !

Now I perceive they have conjoined all three

To fashion this false sport in spite of me.

Injurious Hermia, most ungrateful maid,

Have you conspired, have you with these contrived

To bait me with this foul derision?

Is all the counsel that we two have shared,

The sisters' vows, the hours that we have spent,

When we have chid the hasty-footed time

For parting us — O, is all forgot?

All schooldays' friendship, childhood innocence?

We, Hermia, like two artificial gods,

Have with our needles created both one flower,

Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion,

Both warbling of one song, both in one key ,

As if our hands, our sides, voices and minds,

Had been incorporate . So we grew together

Like to a double cherry, seeming parted,

But yet a union in partition,

Two lovely berries moulded on one stem,

So with two seeming bodies but one heart ,

Two of the first , like coats in heraldry,

Due but to one and crownèd with one crest.

And will you rent our ancient love asunder ,

To join with men in scorning your poor friend?

It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly.

Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it,

Though I alone do feel the injury.

HERMIA I am amazèd at your passionate words.

I scorn you not; it seems that you scorn me.

HELENA Have you not set Lysander, as in scorn,

To follow me and praise my eyes and face?

And made your other love, Demetrius,

Who even but now did spurn me with his foot,

To call me goddess, nymph, divine and rare ,

Precious, celestial? Wherefore speaks he this

To her he hates? And wherefore doth Lysander

Deny your love, so rich within his soul,

And tender me, forsooth, affection,

But by your setting on, by your consent?

What though I be not so in grace as you,

So hung upon with love, so fortunate,

But miserable most, to love unloved?

This you should pity rather than despise.

HERMIA I understand not what you mean by this.

HELENA Ay, do. Persever , counterfeit sad looks,

Make mouths upon me when I turn my back,

Wink each at other, hold the sweet jest up :

This sport well carried shall be chronicled.

If you have any pity, grace, or manners,

You would not make me such an argument .

But fare ye well. 'Tis partly my own fault,

Which death or absence soon shall remedy.

LYSANDER Stay, gentle Helena, hear my excuse:

My love, my life, my soul, fair Helena!

HELENA O excellent!

HERMIA Sweet, do not scorn her so.

To Lysander

DEMETRIUS If she cannot entreat, I can compel.

To Lysander

LYSANDER 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,

To prove him false that says I love thee not.

DEMETRIUS I say I love thee more than he can do.

To Helena

LYSANDER If thou say so, withdraw , and prove it too.

DEMETRIUS Quick, come!

HERMIA Lysander, whereto tends all this?

She hangs on Lysander

LYSANDER Away, you Ethiope !

DEMETRIUS No, no, sir,

Seem to break loose; take on as you would follow,

But yet come not: you are a tame man, go!

LYSANDER Hang off , thou cat, thou burr ! Vile thing, let loose ,

Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent!

HERMIA Why are you grown so rude ?

What change is this, sweet love?

LYSANDER Thy love? Out , tawny Tartar , out!

Out, loathèd medicine ! O hated potion, hence!

HERMIA Do you not jest?

HELENA Yes, sooth , and so do you.

LYSANDER Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee.

DEMETRIUS I would I had your bond, for I perceive

A weak bond holds you; I'll not trust your word.

LYSANDER What, should I hurt her, strike her, kill her dead?

Although I hate her, I'll not harm her so.

HERMIA What, can you do me greater harm than hate?

Hate me? Wherefore? O me! What news, my love?

Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lysander?

I am as fair now as I was erewhile .

Since night you loved me; yet since night you left me.

Why, then you left me — O, the gods forbid! —

In earnest, shall I say?

LYSANDER Ay, by my life;

And never did desire to see thee more.

Therefore be out of hope, of question, of doubt;

Be certain, nothing truer: 'tis no jest

That I do hate thee and love Helena.

HERMIA O me! You juggler , you canker-blossom ,

To Helena

You thief of love! What, have you come by night

And stolen my love's heart from him?

HELENA Fine, i'faith!

Have you no modesty, no maiden shame,

No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear

Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?

Fie, fie! You counterfeit, you puppet , you!

HERMIA Puppet? Why so? Ay, that way goes the game.

Now I perceive that she hath made compare

Between our statures, she hath urged her height,

And with her personage , her tall personage,

Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him.

And are you grown so high in his esteem

Because I am so dwarfish and so low?

How low am I, thou painted maypole ? Speak!

How low am I? I am not yet so low

But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.

Attacks her

HELENA I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen,

Let her not hurt me; I was never curst ,

I have no gift at all in shrewishness ;

I am a right maid for my cowardice;

Let her not strike me. You perhaps may think,

Because she is something lower than myself,

That I can match her.

HERMIA Lower? Hark, again.

HELENA Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me.

I evermore did love you, Hermia,

Did ever keep your counsels, never wronged you,

Save that, in love unto Demetrius,

I told him of your stealth unto this wood.

He followed you. For love I followed him.

But he hath chid me hence and threatened me

To strike me, spurn 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 simple and how fond I am.

HERMIA Why, get you gone: who is't that hinders you?

HELENA A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.

HERMIA What, with Lysander?

HELENA With Demetrius.

LYSANDER Be not afraid: she shall not harm thee, Helena.

DEMETRIUS No, sir, she shall not, though you take her part .

HELENA O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd .

She was a vixen when she went to school,

And though she be but little, she is fierce.

HERMIA 'Little' again! Nothing but 'low' and 'little'?

Why will you suffer her to flout me thus?

Let me come to her.

LYSANDER Get you gone, you dwarf,

You minimus , of hind'ring knot-grass made!

You bead, you acorn.

DEMETRIUS You are too officious

In her behalf that scorns your services.

Let her alone. Speak not of Helena,

Take not her part. For if thou dost intend

Never so little show of love to her,

Thou shalt abide it.

LYSANDER Now she holds me not.

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

Of thine or mine, is most in Helena.

DEMETRIUS Follow? Nay, I'll go with thee, cheek by jowl .

Exeunt Lysander and Demetrius

HERMIA You, mistress, all this coil is 'long of you.

Nay, go not back.

HELENA I will not trust you, I,

Nor longer stay in your curst company.

Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray,

My legs are longer though, to run away.

[ Exit Helena, running, followed by Hermia ]

Enter Oberon and [ Robin ] Puck [ coming forward ]

OBERON This is thy negligence. Still thou mistak'st,

Or else committ'st thy knaveries wilfully.

ROBIN Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook.

Did not you tell me I should know the man

By the Athenian garments he hath on?

And so far blameless proves my enterprise,

That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes,

And so far am I glad it so did sort ,

As this their jangling I esteem a sport.

OBERON Thou see'st these lovers seek a place to fight:

Hie therefore, Robin, overcast 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 Lysander sometime frame thy tongue ,

Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong ;

And sometime rail thou like Demetrius;

And from each other look thou lead them thus,

Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep

With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep;

Then crush this herb into Lysander's eye,

Gives herb

Whose liquor hath this virtuous property,

To take from thence all error with his might,

And make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight.

When they next wake, all this derision

Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision,

And back to Athens shall 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 charmèd eye release

From monster's view, and all things shall be peace.

ROBIN My fairy lord, this must be done with haste,

For night-swift dragons cut the clouds full fast,

And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger ,

At whose approach, ghosts, wand'ring here and there,

Troop home to churchyards; damnèd spirits all,

That in crossways and floods have burial,

Already to their wormy beds are gone;

For fear lest day should look their shames upon,

They wilfully themselves exile from light

And must for aye consort with black-browed night.

OBERON But we are spirits of another sort:

I with the morning's love have oft made sport ,

And, like a forester , the groves may tread,

Even till the eastern gate, all fiery red,

Opening on Neptune with fair blessèd beams,

Turns into yellow gold his salt green streams.

But notwithstanding, haste, make no delay:

We may effect this business yet ere day.

Exit

ROBIN Up and down, up and down,

I will lead them up and down.

I am feared in field and town.

Goblin , lead them up and down.

Here comes one.

Enter Lysander

LYSANDER Where art thou, proud Demetrius? Speak thou now.

ROBIN Here, villain, drawn and ready. Where art thou?

Imitating Demetrius

LYSANDER I will be with thee straight .

ROBIN Follow me, then, to plainer ground.

Exit Lysander, following the voice

Enter Demetrius

DEMETRIUS Lysander, speak again;

Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled?

Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head?

ROBIN Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,

Imitating Lysander

Telling the bushes that thou look'st for wars,

And wilt not come? Come, recreant , come, thou child.

I'll whip thee with a rod. He is defiled

That draws a sword on thee.

DEMETRIUS Yea, art thou there?

ROBIN Follow my voice. We'll try no manhood here.

Exeunt

Enter Lysander

LYSANDER He goes before me and still dares me on.

When I come where he calls, then he's gone.

The villain is much lighter-heeled than I:

I followed fast, but faster he did fly;

That fallen am I in dark uneven way,

And here will rest me. Come, thou gentle day!

Lie down

For if but once thou show me thy grey light,

I'll find Demetrius and revenge this spite .

He sleeps

Enter Robin and Demetrius, shifting places

ROBIN Ho, ho, ho! Coward, why com'st thou not?

DEMETRIUS Abide me, if thou dar'st, for well I wot

Thou runn'st before me, shifting every place,

And dar'st not stand, nor look me in the face.

Where art thou now?

ROBIN Come hither. I am here.

DEMETRIUS Nay then, thou mock'st me. Thou shalt buy this dear

If ever I thy face by daylight see.

Now, go thy way: faintness constraineth me

To measure out my length on this cold bed.

By day's approach look to be visited.

Lies down and sleeps

Enter Helena

HELENA O weary night, O long and tedious night,

Abate thy hours! Shine comforts from the east,

That I may back to Athens by daylight,

From these that my poor company detest;

And sleep, that sometime shuts up sorrow's eye,

Steal me awhile from mine own company.

Sleep

ROBIN Yet but three? Come one more,

Two of both kinds make up four.

Here she comes, curst and sad.

Cupid is a knavish lad,

Enter Hermia

Thus to make poor females mad.

HERMIA Never so weary, never so in woe,

Bedabbled with the dew and torn with briers,

I can no further crawl, no further go;

My legs can keep no pace with my desires.

Here will I rest me till the break of day.

Heavens shield Lysander, if they mean a fray!

Lies down and sleeps

ROBIN On the ground

Sleep sound.

I'll apply

To your eye,

Gentle lover, remedy.

Squeezes the juice on Lysander's eyes

When thou wak'st,

Thou tak'st

True delight

In the sight

Of thy former lady's eye,

And the country proverb known,

That every man should take his own,

In your waking shall be shown.

Jack shall have Jill ,

Nought shall go ill,

The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.

Exit

They [ Lysander, Demetrius, Helena and Hermia ] sleep all the act pwfVLFSDJLxvLxCqHn6f2JXI2HMv0tCNXXJsAABmYfIlFBqqaO2JZ4UkQBwSesMz