Her. O me, you jugler; oh, you canker-bloffom, You thief of love; what, have you come by night, And ftoll'n my love's heart from him?

Hel. Fine, i'faith!

Have you no modefty, no maiden shame,
No touch of bafhfulness? what, will you tear
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue ?
Fie, fie, you counterfeit? you puppet, you.
Her. Puppet; why, fo: ay, that way goes the

game.

Now, I perceive, that she hath made compare
Between our ftatures; fhe hath urg'd her height;
And with her perfonage, her tall perfonage,
Her height, forfooth, fhe hath prevail'd with him.
And are you grown fo high in his esteem,
Because I am fo dwarfish and fo low?
How low am I, thou painted maypole? fpeak,
How low am I? I am not yet fo low,

But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.
Hel. I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen,
Let her not hurt me: I was never curst;

I have no gift at all in fhrewifhness;

I am a right maid, for my cowardice:

Let her not strike me. You, perhaps, may think,
Because she's something lower than myself,
That I can match her.

Her. Lower! hark! again.

Hel. Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me; I evermore did love you, Hermia,

Did ever keep your counfels, never wrong'd you;
Save that, in love unto Demetrius,

I told him of your ftealth unto this wood:
He follow'd you, for love I follow'd him,
But he hath chid me hence, and threaten'd me
To ftrike me, fpurn me, nay, to kill me too;
And now, fo you will let me quiet go,
To Athens will I bear my folly back,
And follow you no further. Let me go.

You

You fee, how fimple and how fond I am.

Her. Why, get you gone, who is't, that hinders you?
Hel. A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.
Her. What, with Lyfander?

Hel. With Demetrius.

Lyf. Be not afraid, fhe shall not harm thee, Helena, Dem. No, Sir, fhe fhall not, though you take her part. Hel. O, when she's angry, fhe is keen and fhrewd ; She was a vixen when fhe went to fchool; And though he be but little, fhe is fierce.

Her. Little, again? nothing but low, and little? Why will you fuffer her to flout me thus ? Let me come to her.

Lyf. Get you gone, you dwarf.

You Minimus, of hind'ring knot-grafs made;
You bead, you acorn.

Dem. You are too officious,

In her behalf that fcorns your fervices.

Let her alone, fpeak not of Helena,

Take not her part: for if thou doft intend

Never fo little fhew of love to her,

Thou fhalt aby it.

Lyf. Now fhe holds me not;

Now follow, if thou dar'ft; to try whofe right,
Or thine, or mine, is moft in Helena.

Dem. Follow ? nay, I'll go with thee cheek by jowl.

[Exeunt Lyfander and Demetrius, Her. You, miftrefs, all this coyl is long of you: Nay, go not back.

Hel. I will not truft you, I;

Nor longer stay in your curft company.

Your hands, than mine, are quicker for a fray;

My legs are longer, though, to run away.

[Exeunt: Hermia pursuing Helena.

9 You Minimus,-] ShakeSpear might have given it, You Minim, you,

SCENE VIII.

Enter Oberon and Puck.

Ob. This is thy negligence: ftill thou mistak'st,
Or else committ'ft thy knaveries willingly.

Puck. Believe me, King of fhadows, I miftook,
Did not you tell me, I fhould know the man
By the Athenian garments he had on?
And fo far blameless proves my enterprize,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes;
And fo far am I glad it did fo fort, '

As this their jangling I efteem a fport.

Ob. Thou feelt, thefe lovers feek a place to fight;

Hie therefore, Robin, overcaft the night;

The ftarry welkin cover thou anon

With drooping fogs, as black as Acheron ;
And lead thefe tefty rivals fo aftray,

As one come not within another's way.
Like to Lyfander, fometime, frame thy tongue,
Then ftir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
And fometime rail thou, like Demetrius;

And from each other, look, thou lead them thus ;
'Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting fleep
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep;
Then crush this herb into Lyfander's eye,
Whofe liquor hath this virtuous property,
To take from thence all error with its might;
And make his eye-balls roll with wonted fight;
When they next wake, all this derifion
Shall feem a dream, and fruitless vifion;
And back to Athens fhall the lovers wend

With league, whofe date 'till death fhall never end.

-NIGHT's DREAM. Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,

I'll to my Queen, and beg her Indian boy;
And then I will her charmed eye release
From monsters view, and all things shall be

peace.
Puck. My fairy lord, this must be done with haste,
For night's fwift dragons cut the clouds full faft,
And yonder fhines Aurora's harbinger;

At whofe approach, ghofts wandring here and there
Troop home to church-yard; damned spirits all,
That in cross-ways and floods have burial,
Already to their wormy beds are gone;

For fear leaft day fhould look their fhames upon,
They wilfully exile themselves from light;
And must for aye confort with black-brow'd night.
Ob. But we are fpirits of another fort;

I with the morning light have oft made sport;
And, like a forefter, the groves may tread,
Ev'n till the eastern gate, all fiery red,
Opening on Neptune with fair bleffed beams,
Turns into yellow gold his falt green streams.
But, notwithstanding, hafte; make no delay;
We may effect this bufinefs yet ere day.

Puck. Up and down, up and down,
I will lead them up and down:
I am fear'd in field and town.

Goblin, lead them up and down.
Here comes one.

Enter Lyfander.

(Exit Ob.

Lyf. Where art thou proud Demetrius? fpeak thou

now.

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

Lyf. I will be with thee ftraight.

Puck. Follow me then

To plainer ground." [Lyf goes out, as following Dem.

Enter Demetrius.

Dem. Lyfander, speak again;

Thou run-away, thou coward, art thou fled?
Speak in fome bufh: where doft thou hide thy head?
Puck. Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
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 defil'd,

That draws a fword on thee.

Dem. Yea, art thou there?

Puck. Follow my voice, we'll try no manhood here.

Lys. He

Lyfander comes back.

[Exeunt.

goes before me, and still dares me on;
When I come where he calls me, then he's gone.
The villain is much lighter-heel'd, than 1:
I follow'd fast, but fafter he did fly;
That fall'n am I in dark uneven way,

And here will reft me. Come, thou gentle day:

[Lyes down. For if but once thou fhew me thy gray light, I'll find Demetrius, and revenge this fpight.

Enter Puck and Demetrius.

Puck. Ho, ho, ho, coward, why comeft thou not? Dem. Abide me, if thou dar'it: for well I wot. Thou runn'ft before me, fhifting every place; And dar'ft not stand, nor look me in the face. Where art thou?

3

Puck. Come thou hither, I am here.

Dem. Nay, then thou mock'it me; thou shalt buy this dear,'

buy this dear; that is, thou shalt pay dearly for this. Though this is fenfe, and may well enough stand, yet the poet perhaps wrote thou shalt by it

dear. So in another place, thou halt abuy it. So Milton,

How dearly I abide that boast fo vain.