hip'd humble bee on the top of a thistle; and, good Monsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, Monsieur; and, good Monsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loth to have you overflown with a honey-bag, Signior. Where's Monsieur Mustard seed?

Must. Ready.

Bot. Give me your neif, Monsieur Mustard-seed. Pray you, leave your courtesy, good Monsieur. Must. What's your will?

Bot. Nothing, good Monsieur, but to help cavalero Cobweb to scratch. I must to the barber's, Monsieur; for, methinks, I am marvellous hairy about the face: and I am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me, I must scratch.

Tita. What, wilt thou hear some musick: my sweet love?

Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in musick: et us have the tongs aud the bones..

Tita. Or, say, sweet love, what thou desir'st to eat,

Bot. Truly, a peck of provender; I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks, I have a great desire to a bottle of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow.

Tita. I have a venturous fairy that shall seek The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee new nuts. Bot. I had rather have a handful, or two, of dried peas. But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me; I have an exposition of sleep

come upon me.

Tita. Sleep thou, and 1 will wind thee in my

arms.

Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away.

So doth the woodbine, the svyeet honeysuckle,

VOL. III.

10

Gently entwist,

Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.

O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!

[they sleep.

OBERON advances. Enter Puck.

Obe. Welcome, good Robin. See'st thou this sweet sight?

Her dotage now I do begin to pity.

For meeting her of late, behind the wood,
Seeking sweet savours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her, and fall out with her:
For she his hairy temples then had rounded!
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
And that same dew, which sometime on the buds
Was wont to swell, like round and orient pearls,
Stood now within the pretty flouret's eyes,
Like tears, that did their own disgrace bewail.
When I had, at my pleasure, taunted her,
And she, in mild terms, begg'd my patience,
I then did ask of her her changeling child;
Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent
To bear him to my bower in fairy land.
And now I have the boy, I will undo
This hateful imperfection of her eyes.
And, gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp
From off the head of this Athenian swain;
That he awaking when the other do,
May all to Athens back again repair;

And think no more of this night's accidents,
But as the fierce vexation of a dream.
But first I will release the fairy Queen.
Be, as thou wast wont to be;

[Touching her eyes with an herb.

See, as thou wast wont to see:

Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower

Hath such force and blessed power.

Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet- Queen.
Tita. My Oberon! what visions have I seen!
Methought, I was enamour'd of an ass.
Obe. There lies your love.

Tita. How came these things to pass?
O, how mine eyes do loath this visage now!
Obe. Silence, a while.

-

head.

Robin, take off this

Titania, musick call; and strike more dead
Than common sleep, of all these five the sense.
Tita. Musick, ho! musick; such as charmeth

sleep.

Puck. Now, when thou wak'st, with thine own fool's eyes peep.

Obe. Sound, musick. [Still musick.] Come, my Queen, take hands with me, And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be. Now thou and I are new in amity;

And will, to-morrow midnight, solemnly,
Dance in Duke Theseus' house triumphantly,
And bless it to all fair posterity:

There shall the pairs of faithful lovers be
Wedded, with Theseus, all in jollity.

Puck. Fairy King, attend, and mark;

I do hear the morning lark

Obe. Then, my Queen, in silence sad,
Trip we after the night's shade:
We the globe can compass soon,
Swifter than the wand'ring moon.

Tita. Come, my Lord; and in our flight,
Tell me how it came this night,
That I sleeping here was found,
With these mortals, on the ground.

[Exeunt.

[Horns sound within.

Enter THESEUS, Hippolyta, EGEUs, and train.

The. Go, one of you, find out the forester; For now our observation is perform'd:

And since we have the vaward of the day,
My love shall hear the musick of my hounds.
Uncouple in the western valley; go:
Despatch, I say,
and find the forester.

We will, fair Queen, up to the mountain's top, And mark the musical confusion

Of hounds and echo in conjunction.

Hip. I was with Hercules, and Cadmus, once, When in a wood of Crete they bay'd the bear With hounds of Sparta: never did I hear Such gallant chiding; for, besides the groves, The skies, the fountains, every region near Seem'd all one mutual cry: I never heard So musical a discord, such sweet thunder. The. My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind,

So flewd, so sanded; and their heads are hung With ears that sweep away the morning dew; Crook - knee'd, amd dewlap'd like Thessalian bulls;

Slow in pursuit, but match'd in mouth like bells,
Each under each. A cry more tuneable'

Was never holla'd to, nor cheer'd with horn,
In Crete, in Sparta, nor in Thessaly:

Judge, when you hear. But, soft; what nymphs are these?

Ege. My Lord, this is my daughter here asleep; And this, Lysander! this Demetrius is; This Helena, old Nedar's Helena:

I wonder of their being here together.

The. No doubt, they rose up early, to observe The rite of May; and, hearing our intent,

Came here in grace of our solemnity.

But, speak, Egeus; is not this the day
That Hermia should give answer of her choice?
Ege. It is, my Lord.

The. Go, bid the huntsmen wake them with
their horns.

Horns, and shout within. DEMETRIUS, LYSANDER, HERMIA, and HELENA, wake and start up.

The. Good-morrow, friends. Saint Valentine is past;

Begin these wood - birds but to couple now?
Lys. Pardon, my Lord.

[He and the rest kneel to THESEUS,

The. I pray you all, stand up.

I know, you two are rival enemies;

How comes this gentle concord in the world,
That hatred is so far from jealousy,

To sleep by hate, and fear no enmity?

Lys. My Lord, I shall reply amazedly,
Half 'sleep, half waking: But as yet, I swear,
I cannot truly say how I came here:
But, as I think, (for truly would I speak,
And now I do bethink me, so it is ;)
I came with Hermia hither: our intent

Was, to be gone from Athens, where we might be Without the peril of the Athenian law.

Ege. Enough, enough, my Lord; you have enough:

I beg the law, the law, upon his head. They would have stol'n away, they would, Demetrius,

Thereby to have defeated you and me:

You, of your wife; and me, of my consent;
Of my consent that she should be your wife.