There fleeps Titania, fome time of the Night,
Lull'd in thefe Flowers, with Dances and Delight;
And there the Snake throws her enammel'd Skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a Fairy in:

And with the Juice of this I'll ftreak 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 efpies

May be the Lady. Thou shalt know the Man,
By the Athenian Garments he hath on.
Effect it with fome Care, that he may prove
More fond of her than the upon her Love;
And look you meet me e'er the firft Cock crow.

Puck. Fear not my Lord, your Servant fhall do fo. [Exit.

Enter Queen of Fairies, with her Train.

Queen. Come, now a Roundel, and a Fairy Song:
Then for the third Part of a Minute hence,
Some to kill Kankers in the Musk-Rofe Buds,
Some war with Reremise for their leathern Wings,
To make my fmall Elves Coats, and fome keep back
The clamorous Owl that nightly hoots, and wonders
At our queint Spirits. Sing me now afleep,
Then to your Offices, and let me rest.

Fairies Sing.

Yon Spotted Snakes with double Tongue,
Thorny 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 harm, nor fpell, nor charm,
Come our lovely Lady nigh,
So good night with Lullaby.

Cz

2. Fairy.

2. Fairy.
Weaving Spiders come not here;
Hence you long-leg'd Spinners, hence:
Beetles black approach not near,
Worm nor Snail do no Offence.
Philomel with Melody, &c.
1. Fairy.
Hence away; now all is well:
One aloof, ftand Centinel.

Enter Oberon.

Obe. 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 briftled Hair,
In thy Eye that fhall appear;
When thou wak'ft, it is thy Dear;
Wake when fome vile Thing is near.
Enter Lyfander and Hermia.

[Exit Oberon.

Lyf. Fair Love, you faint with wandring in the Woods;
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.

Exeunt Fairies.

Her. Be it 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. Nay good Lysander, for my Sake, my Dear,
Lye further off yet, do not lye fo near.

Lyf. O take the Sense 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 Side 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.

But

But gentle Friend, for Love and Curtefie
Lye further off in human Modefty;
Such Separation as may well be faid
Becomes a virtuous Batchelor, and a Maid;
So far be diftant, and good night sweet Friend,
Thy Love ne'er alter 'till thy fweet Life end.

Lyf. Amen, Amen, to that fair Prayer fay I,
And then end Life when I end Loyalty:
Here is thy Bed, Sleep give thee all his Reft.

Her. With half that With, the Wishers Eyes be preft.

[They fleep.

Enter Puck.

Puck. Through the Foreft have I gone,
But Athenian find I none,
On whofe Eyes I might approve
This Flower's Force in ftirring Love:
Night and Silence; who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear;
This is he, my Mafter faid,
Defpifed the Athenian Maid;

S And here the Maiden fleeping found

On the dank and dirty Ground
Pretty Soul, the durft not lye
Near this Lack-love, this kill Curtefie.
Churl, upon thy Eyes I throw
All the Power this Charm doth owe:
When thou wak'ft, let Love forbid
Sleep his Seat on thy Eye-lid:
So awake when I am gone,
For I must now to Oberon,

Enter Demetrius and Helena running.
Hel. Stay, tho' thou kill me, fweet Demetrius.
Dem. I charge thee hence, and do not haunt me thus.
Hel. O wilt thou Darling leave me? Do not fo.
Dem. Stay on thy Peril, I alone will go. [Exit Demetrius.
Hel. O I am out of Breath in this fond Chace,
The more my Prayer, the leffer is my Grace.
Happy is Hermia, wherefoe'er fhe lyes;
For the hath bleffed and attractive Eyes.
How came her Eyes fo bright? Not with falt Tears;
If fo, my Eyes are oftner wash'd than hers:

C 3

[Exit.

No,

Sword to kill himself, which the Ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?

Snout, Berlaken, a parlous Fear.

Star. I believe we must leave the Killing out, when all is done.

Bot. Not a whit, I have a Device to make all well; write me a Prologue, and let the Prologue feem to fay, We will do no harm with our Swords, and that Piramus is not kill'd indeed; and for the more better Affurance, tell them, that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the Weaver; this will put them out of fear.

Quin. Well, we will have fucha Prologue, and it shall be written in Eight and Six.

Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in Eight and Eight.

Snowt. Will not the Ladies be afeard of the Lion?
Star. I fear it, I promise you.

Bot. Mafters, you ought to confider with your felves; to bring in, God fhield us, a Lion among Ladies, is a moft dreadful Thing; for there is not a more fearful wild Fowl than your Lion living; and we ought to look to it.

Snowt. Therefore another Prologue must tell he is not a Lion.

Bot. Nay, you must name his Name, and half his Face must be seen through the Lion's Neck, and he himself must fpcak through, faying thus, or to the fame defect; Ladies, or fair Ladies, I would with you, or I would requeft you, or I would intreat 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 fuch 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.

Quin. Well, it fhall be fo; but there is two hard Things, that is, to bring the Moon-light into a Chamber; for you know Pyramus and Thisby meet by Moon-light.

Snug. Doth the Moon fhine that Night we play our Play? Bot. A Calender, a Calender, look in the Almanack; find out Moon-fhine, find out Mcon-fhine.

Quin. Yes, it doth fhine that Night.

Bot. Why then may you leave a Cafement of the great +

Chamber

Chamber Window, where we play, open, and the Moon may fhine in at the Cafement.

Quin. Ay, or else one must come in with a Bufh of Thorns and a Lanthorn, and fay he comes to disfigure, or to present the Perfon of Moonshine; then there is another thing, we muft have a Wall in the great Chamber, for Pyramus and Thisby, fays the Story, did talk through the Chink of a Wall. Snug. You can never bring in a Wall. What fay you Bottom?

Bot. Some Man or other muft prefent Wall, and let him have fome Plafter, or fome Lome, or fome Rough-caft about him, to fignify Wall, or let him hold his Fingers thus; and through the Cranny fhall Pyramus and Thisby whisper.

Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, fit down every Mother's Son, and rehearfe your Parts. Pyramus you begin; when you have spoken your Speech enter into that Brake, and fo every one according to his Cue.

Enter Puck.

Puck. What hempen Home-fpuns have we fwaggering here So near the Cradle of the Fairy Queen? What, a Play toward? I'll be an Auditor; An Actor too perhaps, if I fee Cause. Quin. Speak Pyramus; Thisby ftand forth. Pyr. Thisby, the Flowers of odious Savour's fweet. Quin. Odours, Odours.

Pyr. Odours favors fweet,

So that thy Breath, my dearest Thisby dear.
But hark, a Voice; stay thou but here a while,
And by and by I will to thee appear.

Puck. A Stranger Pyramus than e'er plaid here.
Thif. Muft I fpeak now?

Quin. Ay marry muft you; for you must understand he
goes but to fee a Noife that he heard, and is to come again.
This Moft radiant Pyramus, most lilly white of Hue,
Of Colour like the red Rofe on triumphant Bryer,
Moft brisky Juvenal, and eke moft lovely Jew,
As true as trueft Horfe, that yet would never tire,
I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's Tomb.

Quin. Ninus Tomb, Man; why you must not speak that yets that you answer to Pyramus; you speak all your Part at

once,

[Exit Pyr.