Dem. Do I entice you? do I speak you fair?
Or rather do I not in plaineft 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:
Use me but as your spaniel, fpurn me, strike 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 respect with me,
Than to be used, as you ufe 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 truft the opportunity of night,
And the ill counfel of a defart place,
With the rich worth of your virginity.
Hel. Your virtue is my privilege. For that
It is not night when I do fee your face, 6
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 Beafts.

Hel. 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 chase;
The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind
Makes fpeed to catch the tyger. Bootlefs fpeed!
When cowardife purfues, and valour flies.

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

6 This paffage is paraphrafed from two lines of an ancient Poet.

OF

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 mischief, Fie, Demetrius,

Your wrongs do fet a fcandal on my fex:
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 shall seek 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 fweet mufk-rofes, and with eglantine.
There fleeps Titania, fome time of the night,
Lull'd in these flow'rs with dances and delight;
And there the fnake throws her enamel'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 fantasies.

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 fhalt know the man,
By the Athenian garments he hath on.

All the old Editions have,
Quite over canopied with luscious

woodbine. On the margin of one of my Fo

lio's an unknown hand has written lush Woodbine, which I think is right.

I 4

Effect

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

SCENE V.

Enter Queen of Fairies, with her train.

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 musk-rose buds,

Some war with rear-mice for their leathern wing,
To make my small elves coats; and fome keep back
The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders
At our quaint fpirits. Sing me now afleep:

*

Then to your offices, and let me rest.

Fairies fing.

You Spotted Snakes with double tongue,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind worms, do no wrong;
Come not near our fairy Queen,
Philomel, with melody,

Sing in your fweet lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby:
Never harm,

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

A Roundel is a Dance in a ring. GRAY. 8 Then for the third Part of a Minute bence.] So the old 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 say, Dancé your Round, and fing your Song,

and then inftantly (before the third Part of a Minuet) begone to your refpective Duties. THEOB,

Dr. Warburton reads for the third part of the Midnight.

*

Quaint fpirits. For this Dr. Warburton reads against all authority quaint fperts. But Proj pero in the Tempelt applies quaint to Ariel.

2 Fairy.

2 Fairy.

Weaving Spiders come not here;
Hence, you long-legg'd fpinners, 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 fleeps.

Enter Oberan.

Ob. What thou feeft, when thou dost 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 shall appear,
When thou wak'ft, it is thy dear;
Wake, when fome vile thing is near.

SCENE

}

}

[Exit Oberon.

VI.

Enter Lyfander and Hermia.

Lyf. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the

wood;

And, to fpeak troth, I have forgot our way:
We'll reft us, Hermia, if thou 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

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

Lyf. O take the fenfe, fweet, of my innocence; 9 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 tranfpofition.

WARBURTON.

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

O! take the Jenfe, 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 lent interpretation is to be made, takes the meaning. No malevobut all is to be received in the fenfe. which love can find and which

i. e. The innocence of your love
may teach you to discover the in-
nocence of mine. These are
the fentiments, which were quite love can dictate.

But,