Thrice bleffed they, that master fo their blood,
To undergo fuch maiden pilgrimage:

But earthlier happy is the rofe diftill'd,

Than that, which, withering on the virgin-thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies, in fingle bleffedness.
Her. So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord,
Ere I will yield my virgin patent up

Unto his lordship, to whofe unwish'd yoke

My foul confents not to give fovereignty.

The. Take time to paufe: and, by the next new moon, (The fealing-day betwixt my love and me,

For everlasting bond of fellowship)

Upon that day either prepare to die,
For difobedience to your father's will;
Or elfe to wed Demetrius, as he would;
Or on Diana's altar to protest,

For aye, aufterity and fingle life.

Dem. Relent, fweet Hermia ;-And, Lyfander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right.

i

Lys. You have her father's love, Demetrius;

Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him.

Ege. Scornful Lyfander! true, he hath my love;
And what is mine, my love fhall render him:
And she is mine; and all my right of her

I do 'eftate unto Demetrius.

Lys. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he, As well poffefs'd; my love is more than his ; My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd,

If not with vantage, as Demetrius';

And, which is more than all these boasts can be,

I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia:

hearthlier happy-more happy as to this world-earthly happier ;

earlier happy.

eftate unto]-fettle on. Why

Why should not I then profecute my right?
Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,
And won her foul; and fhe, fweet lady, dotes,
Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry,

Upon this spotted and inconstant man.

The. I must confefs, that I have heard fo much,
And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof;
But, being over-full of felf-affairs,

My mind did lose it.-But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you fhall go with me,
I have fome private fchooling for you both.-
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or elfe the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of fingle life.—
Come, my Hippolita ; What cheer, my love?-
Demetrius, and Egeus, go along :

I must employ you in fome business
Against our nuptial; and confer with

you

Of something, nearly that concerns yourselves.
Ege. With duty, and defire, we follow you.

[Exeunt Thef. Hip. Egeus, Dem. and train. Ly. How now, my love? Why is your cheek fo pale? How chance the roses there do fade fo faft?

Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.

Ly. Ah me! for aught that I could ever read,

Could ever hear by tale or hiftory,

The course of true love never did run fmooth.

But, either it was different in blood;

Beteem them]-difcharge, pour down upon them.

Her. O cross! too high to be enthrall'd" to low !
Lyf. Or elfe mifgraffed, in refpect of years';
Her. O fpight! too old to be engag'd to young!
Lys. Or else it stood upon the choice of friends:
Her. O hell! to chufe love by another's eye!
Lys. Or, if there were a sympathy in choice,
War, death, or fickness did lay fiege to it;
Making it momentary as a found,

Swift as a fhadow, fhort as any dream;
Brief as the lightning in the colly'd night,
That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,
And ere a man hath power to fay,-Behold!
The jaws of darkness do devour it up:
So quick bright things come to confufion.
Her. If then true lovers have been ever crofs'd,
It stands as an edict in destiny:

Then let us teach our tryal patience,

Because it is a customary cross;

As due to love, as thoughts, and dreams, and fighs,
Wishes, and tears, poor fancy's followers.

Lys. A good perfuafion; therefore, hear me, Hermia.

I have a widow aunt, a dowager

Of

great revenue, and she hath no child,

And the refpects me as her only fon:

From Athens is her house Premote feven leagues,
There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee,
And to that place the sharp Athenian law
Cannot purfue us: If thou lov'ft me then,
Steal forth thy father's house to-morrow night;
And, in the wood, a league without the town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena,

n

to love.
If't ftand.

a fpleen,]-a fudden fit.

9 remov'd.

Το

To do obfervance to a morn of May,
There will I stay for thee.

Her. My good Lyfander!

I fwear to thee, by Cupid's ftrongest bow;
By his best arrow with the golden head;
By the fimplicity of Venus' doves;

By that which knitteth fouls, and profpers loves;
And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage queen,
When the falfe Trojan under fail was feen;
By all the vows that ever men have broke,
In number more than ever women spoke ;-
In that fame place thou haft appointed me,
To-morrow truly will I meet with thee.

Lys. Keep promife, love: Look, here comes Helena.

Enter Helena.

Her. God fpeed, fair Helena! Whither away ?
Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unfay.
Demetrius loves your' fair: O happy fair!
Your eyes are lode-ftars; and your tongue's fweet air
More tuneable than lark to fhepherd's ear,
When wheat is green, when haw-thorn buds appear.
Sickness is catching; O, were 'favour fo!
Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;

My ear fhould catch your voice, my eye your eye,
My tongue should catch your tongue's fweet melody.
Were the world mine, Demetrius being " bated,

W

ט

The reft I'll give to be to you " translated.

O, teach me how you look; and with what art
You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart.

Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me ftill,

T

fair:]-fairness, is enamoured of your charms. lode-ftars ;]-leading, pole-ftars.

favour]-refemblance in features, air, look, fpeech, gefture. bated,]-excepted.

W tranflated.]-transformed.

Hel. Oh, that your frowns would teach my smiles such fkill!

Her. I give him curfes, yet he gives me love.

Hel. Oh, that my prayers could fuch affection move!
Her. The more I hate, the more he follows me.
Hel. The more I love, the more he hateth me.

x

Her. His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine,

Hel. None. But your beauty;-'Would that fault

were mine!

Her. Take comfort; he no more fhall fee my face;
Lyfander and myself will fly this place.
Before the time I did Lyfander fee,
Seem'd Athens as a paradife to me:

O then, what graces in my love do dwell,
That he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell!

Lys. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold:
To-morrow night, when Phoebe doth behold
Her filver vifage in the watry glass,

Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grafs,
(A time that lovers' flights doth ftill conceal)
Through Athens' gates have we devis'd to steal.

Her. And in the wood, where often you and I
Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lye,
Emptying our bofoms of their counfels fweet;
There my Lyfander and myself shall meet :
And thence, from Athens, turn away our eyes,
To feek new friends and ftranger companies.
Farewel, fweet playfellow: pray thou for us,
And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius !-
Keep word, Lyfander: we muft ftarve our fight.
From lovers' food, 'till morrow deep midnight.

Lys. I will, my Hermia.-Helena, adieu :

Exit Herm.