And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Whom I do love, and will do to my death.

Hel. Never did mockers wafte more idle breath.
Dem. Lyfander, keep thy Hermia; I will none:
If e'er I lov'd her, all that love is gone.

My heart with her but, as gueft-wife, fojourn'd;
And now to Helen is it home return'd3,
There to remain.

Lys. Helen, it is not fo.

Dem. Difparage not the faith thou doft not know,
Left, to thy peril, thou aby it dear.-

Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear.
Enter HERMIA.

Her. Dark night, that from the eye his function takes,
The ear more quick of apprehenfion makes;
Wherein it doth impair the feeing fenfe,
It pays the hearing double recompence:-
Thou art not by mine eye, Lyfander, found;
Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy found.
But why unkindly did'ft thou leave me fo?

Lys. Why fhould he stay, whom love doth prefs to go? Her. What love could prefs Lyfander from my fide? Lyf. Lyfander's love, that would not let him bide, Fair Helena; who more engilds the night

6

Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light.

5 My beart with her but, as gueft-wife, fojourn'd;

And now to Helen is it home return'd,] So, in our author's 109th Sonnet :

"This is my home of love; if I have rang'd,

"Like him that travels, I return again."

The old copies read to her. Corrected by Dr. Johnson. MALONE. My beart &c.] So Prior:

6

"No matter what beauties I faw in my way,

"They were but my vifits, but thou art my home." JOHNSON. all yon fiery oes] Shakspeare ufes O for a circle. So, in the prologue to K. Henry. V.

can we crowd

"Within this little 0, the very cafques

"That did affright the air at Agincourt?" STEEVENS. D'Ewes's Journal of Queen Elizabeth's Parliaments, p. 650, mentions a patent to make spangles and oes of gold; and I think haberdashers call fmall curtain rings, O's, as being circular. TOLLET.

VOL. II.

K k

Why

Why feek'st thou me? could not this make thee know,
The hate I bare thee made me leave thee fo?

Her. You fpeak not as you think; it cannot be.
Hel. Lo, fhe is one of this confederacy!
Now I perceive they have conjoin'd, all three,
To fashion this falfe fport in fpight of me.
Injurious Hermia! moft ungrateful maid!
Have you confpir'd, have you with thefe contriv'd
To bait me with this foul derision?

Is all the counsel that we two have fhar'd,
The fifters' vows 7, the hours that we have spent,
When we have chid the hafty-footed time
For parting us,-O, is all now forgot?
All ichool-days' friendship, childhood innocence?
We, Hermia, like two artificial gods,

Have with our neelds created both one flower,

7 The fifters' vows,-] We might read more elegantly,―The fifter wows, and a few lines lower,-All school-day friendship. The latter emendation was made by Mr. Pope; but changes merely for the fake of elegance ought to be admitted with great caution. MALONE.

For parting us,-0, is all now forgot ] The word now is not in the old copies. For the emendation the prefent editor is anfwerable. The editor of the second folio, to complete the metre, introduced the word and ;-" O, and is all forgot?" It stands fo awkwardly, that I am per

fuaded it was not the author's word. MALONE.

9 - artificial gods,] Artificial is ingenious, artful. STEEVENS. Have with our neelds &c.] In the old copies the word is written needles. MALONE.

It was probably written by Shakspeare neelds, (a common contraction in the inland counties at this day,) otherwife the verse will be inharmonious. See Gammer Gurton's Needle. The fame ideas occur in

"Would ever with Marina be:

"Be't when they weav'd the fleded filk,
"With fingers long, fmall, white as milk,
"Or when she would with sharp neeld wound
"The cambrick, &c."

In the age of Shakspeare many contractions were used. Ben Jonson has wher for whether in the prologue to his Sad Shepherd; and in lord Sterline's Darius is fport for fupport, and twards for towards. STEEV. In the old editions of theie plays many words of two fyllables are printed at length, though intended to be pronounced as one. Thus Spirit is almost always fo written, though often ufed as a monofyllable; and whether, though intended often to be contracted, is always (I think, improperly,) written at length. MALONE.

Both on one fampler, fitting on one cushion,
Both warbling of one fong, both in one key;
As if our hands, our fides, voices, and minds,
Had been incorporate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, feeming parted;
But yet a union in partition,

Two lovely berries moulded on one stem :
So, with two feeming bodies, but one heart;
Two of the first, like coats in heraldry,

Due but to one, and crowned with one creft 2.
And will you rent our ancient love afunder,
To join with men in fcorning your poor friend?
It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly:
Our fex, as well as I, may chide you for it;
Though I alone do feel the injury.

Her. I am amazed at your paffionate words:
I fcorn you not; it seems that you scorn me.
Hel. Have you not fet Lyfander, as in fcorn,
To follow me, and praise my eyes and face?
And made your other love, Demetrius,

(Who even but now did spurn me with his foot,)
To call me goddefs, nymph, divine, and rare,
Precious, celeftial? Wherefore speaks he this
To her he hates? and wherefore doth Lyfander
Deny your love, fo rich within his foul,
And tender me, forfooth, affection;
But by your fetting on, by your confent?
What though I be not fo in grace as you,
So hung upon with love, fo fortunate;
But miferable moft, to love unlov'd?
This you fhould pity, rather than defpife.
Her. I underftand not what you mean by this.

2 Two of the first, like coats in beraldry,

Hel.

Due but to one, and crowned with one creft.] The old copy reads -life coats, &c. Corrected by Mr. Martin Folkes.

According to the rules of heraldry, the firft houfe only, (e. g. a father who has a fon living, or an elder brother as diftinguished from a younger,) has a right to bear the family coat. The fon's coat is diftinguished from the father's by a label; the younger brother's from the elder's by a mullet. The fame creft is common to both. Helena therefore means to fay, that she and her friend were as clofely united, as much one perfon,

Hel. Ay, do, perféver3, counterfeit fad looks,
Make mouths upon me when I turn my back;
Wink at each other; hold the fweet jeft up:
This fport, well carry'd, shall be chronicled.
If you have any pity, grace, or manners,
You would not make me fuch an argument*.
But, fare ye well: 'tis partly mine own fault;
Which death, or absence, foon fhall remedy.
Lys. Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excufe;
My love, my life, my foul, fair Helena !
Hel. O excellent!

Her. Sweet, do not fcorn her fo.

Dem. If the cannot entreat, I can compel.

Lyf. Thou canst compel no more than the entreat; Thy threats have no more ftrength, than her weak prays 5.→→ Helen, I love thee; by my life, I do;

I swear by that which I will lofe for thee,

To prove him false, that fays I love thee not.

Dem. I fay, I love thee more than he can do.

Lyf. If thou fay fo, withdraw, and prove it too.
Dem. Quick, come,—

Her. Lyfander, whereto tends all this?

Lys. Away, you Ethiop!

Dem. No, no; he'll- -Sir,

Seem

as if they were both of the first house; as if they both had the privilege due but to one perfon, (viz. to him of the first house,) the right of bearing the family coat without any distinguishing mark. MALONE.

3

perfever,] The word was formerly fo pronounced. So, in All'a Will that ends well, A&t IV. fc. ii:

"My love, as it begins, fo fhall perfever." STEEVENS. 4-fuch an argument.] Such a fubject of light merriment. JOHNS. So, in the first part of King Henry IV. A&t II. fc. ii.

it would be argument for a week, &c.

STEEVENS.

than her weak prays.] i. e. prayers, entreaties. The old copies read her weak praife. Mr. Theobald propofed the reading now adopted. A noun thus formed from the verb, to pray, is much in our author's manner; and the tranfcriber's ear might have been eafily deceived by the fimilarity of founds. MALONE.

No, no, be'llSir,] This paffage, like almost all thofe in thefe plays in which there is a fudden tranfition, or the fenfe is haftily broken off, is much corrupted in the old copies. The present text is formed

from

Seem to break loose; take on, as you would follow;
But yet come not: you are a tame man, go!

Lyf. Hang off, thou cat, thou burr: vile thing, let loose; Or I will shake thee from me, like a ferpent.

Her. Why are you grown fo rude? what change is this, Sweet love?

Lys. Thy love? out, tawny Tartar, out!

Out, loathed medicine! hated potion, hence?!
Her. Do you not jest?

Hel. Yes, 'footh; and fo do you.

Lys. Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee.
Dem. I would, I had your bond: for, I perceive,
A weak bond holds you; I'll not truft your word.
Lys. What, fhould I hurt her, ftrike her, kill her dead?
Although I hate her, I'll not harm her fo.

Her. What, can you do me greater harm, than hate?
Hate me! wherefore? O me! what news, my love?
Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lyfander?

I am as fair now, as I was erewhile.

Since night, you lov'd me; yet, fince night, you left me:
Why, then you left me,-O, the gods forbid!-

In earnest, fhall I say?

Lyf. Ay, by my life;

And never did defire to see thee more.

Therefore, be out of hope, of question, doubt,
Be certain, nothing truer; 'tis no jest,
That I do hate thee, and love Helena.

Her. O me! you juggler! you canker-bloffom?!

You

from the quarto printed by Fisher and the firft folio. The words "be'll" are not in the foljo, and Sir is not in the quarto. Demetrius, I fuppofe, would fay, No, no; he'll not have refolution to difengage himself from Hermia. But turning abruptly to Lyfander, he addreffes him ironically: -Sir, feem to break loofe ; &c. MALONE.

7-bated potion, bence!] The old copies have O before bated. Corrected by Mr. Pope. MALONE.

8

of question, doubt,] The old copies read-of doubt. The correction was made by Mr. Pope. MALONE.

90 me! you jugler! you canker-bloffom! ] Juggler in this line is used as a trifyllable: So again, in K. Henry VI. P.1:

"She and the dauphin have been juggling."

So alfo tickling, wrestler, and many more.

By

MALONE.

the canker-bloom is here meant a worm that preys on the leaves KK 3

or