It stands as an edict in destiny:

Then, let us teach our tryal patience:

Because it is a cuftomary crofs,

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

Lyf. A good perfuafion; therefore hear me, Hermia. I have a widow-aunt, a dowager

Of great revenue, and the hath no child;

From Athens is her houfe remov'd feven leagues,
And the refpects me as her only fon.

There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;
And to that place the fharp Athenian law
Cannot purfue us. If thou lov'ft me then,
Steal forth thy father's houfe to morrow night;
And in the wood, a league without the town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena
To do obfervance to the morn of May,
There will I ftay for thee.

Her. My good Lyfander,

P

I swear 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 falle 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.

Lyf. Keep promife, love. Look, here comes Helena.

Enter Helena.

Iler. God fpeed, fair Helena! whither away?
Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unfay;
Demetrius loves you, fair; O happy fair!

Your eyes are load-ftars, and your tongue's sweet air
More tuneable than lark to thepherd's ear,

When wheat is green, when haw-thorn buds appear.
Sickness is catching: oh, were favour fo!
Your words I'd catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;

My

My ear fhould catch your voice, my eye your eye;
My tongue fhould catch your tongue's fweet melody.
Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated,
The reft I'll give to be to you tranflated.
O teach me, how you look, and with what art
You fway the motion of Demetrius' heart.

Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me ftill.
Hel. Oh, that your frowns would teach my fmiles
fuch skill!

Her. 1 give him curfes, yet he gives me love.
Hel. Oh, that my pray'rs could fuch affection move!
Her. The more I hate, the more he follows me.
Hel. The more I love, the more he hateth me.
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 shall fee my face; Lyfander and my felf will fly this place. Before the time I did Lyfander see, Seem'd Athens like a Paradife to me, O then, what graces in my love do dwell, That he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell?

.

Lyf. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold;
To morrow night, when Phebe doth behold.
Her filver vifage in the wat'ry glass,

Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass;
(A time, that lovers flights doth ftill conceal)
Through Athens' gate have we devis'd to fteal.

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; (2)

(2)

Emptying our Bafoms of their Counfels fwell'd;
There my Lyfander and myself shall meet,

And thence from Athens turn away our Eyes,
To feek new Friends, and ftrange Companions.]

There

This whole Scene is ftrictly in Rhyme; and that it deviates in thefe two Couplets, I am perfuaded, is owing to the Ignorance of the firit, and the Inaccuracy of the later, Editors: I have therefore ventur'd to reflore the Rhymes, as I make no Doubt but the Poet first gave them. Saveet was cafily corrupted into fwell'd, becaufe That made an Anti

G 3

thefis

There, my Lyfander and my self shall meet;
And thence from Athens turn away our eyes,
To feek new friends and ftranger Companies.
Farewel, fweet play-fellow; 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.
[Exit Hermia.
Lyf. I will, my Hermia. Helena, adieu;
As you on him, Demetrius doat on you! [Exit Lyland.
Hel. How happy fome, o'er otherfome, can be!
Through Athens I am thought as fair as the.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not fo:
He will not know; what all, but he, do know,
And as he errs, doating on Hermia's eyes,
So I, admiring of his qualities.

Things bafe and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can tranfpofe to form and dignity:

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind
Nor hath love's mind of any judgment tafte;
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy hafte.
And therefore is love faid to be a child,
Because in choice he is fo oft beguil'd.

thefts to Emptying: and frange Companions our Editors thought was plain English; bur franger Companies, a little quaint and unintelligible. It may be neceffary, in Proof of my Emendation, to fhew, that our Author elsewhere uses the Subftantive Stranger adjectively; and Companies, to fignify Companions.

King John. A&t. 5.

Wherein we fep after a stranger March
Upon her gentle Bofom.

Rich. 2. A&t. 1.

But tread the ftranger Paths of Banishment.

Beaumont and Fletcher have used it in the like manner; Spanish Curate, Act. 3.

To bring into my Family, to fucceed me,

The ftranger Iue of another's Bed.

2 Hen. V. A&. 1.

Since his Addiction was to Courses vain,

His Companies unletter'd, rude, and fhallow.

And fo, in a parallel Word, Merry Wives of Windfor, A&t. 3.
My Riots paft, my wild Societies.

As waggish boys themselves in game forfwear,
So the boy Love is perjur'd every where.
For ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne,
He hail'd down oaths, that he was only mine;
And when this hail fome heat from Hermia felt,
So he diffolv'd, and showers of oaths did melt.
I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight:
Then to the wood will he, to morrow night,
Pursue her; and for this intelligence
If I have thanks, it is a dear expence.
But herein mean I to enrich my pain,
To have his fight thither, and back again.

SCENE changes to a Cottage.

[Exit.

Enter Quince, Saug, Bottom, Flute, Snowt, and Starveling.

Quin. Is Bot. You were beft to call them generally S all our company here? man by man, according to the fcrip.

Quin. Here is the fcrowl of every man's name, which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude before the Duke and Dutchefs, on his weddingday at night.

Bot. First, good Peter Quince, fay what the play treats on; then read the names of the actors; and fo grow on to a point.

Quin. Marry, our play is the most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus_and Thisby.

Bot. A very good piece of work, I affure you, and a merry. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the fcrowl. Mafters, fpread your selves.

Quin. Anfwer, as I call you. Nick Bottom, the weaver. Bot. Ready: name what part I am for, and proceed. Quin. You, Nick Bottom, are fet down for Pyramus. Bot. What is Pyramus, a lover, or a tyrant? Quin. A lover, that kills himself most gallantly for love.

Bot. That will ask fome tears in the true perform

ing of it; if I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will move ftorms; I will condole in fome measure. To the reft; yet, my chief humour is for a tyrant; I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in: To make all split(3) " the raging "rocks, and fhivering fhocks thall break the locks of "prifon-gates-and Phibbus carr fhall fhine from far, "and make and mar the foolish fates"-This was lofty. Now name the rest of the players. This is Ercles' vein, a tyrant's vein; a lover is more condoling. Quin. Francis Flute, the bellows-mender.

Flu. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. You must take Thisby on you.

Flu. What is Thisby, a wand'ring Knight?
Quin. It is the lady, that Pyramus mult love.

Flu. Nay, faith, let not me play a woman; I have a beard coming.

Quin. That's all one, you fhall play it in a masque; and you may speak as fmall, as you will..

Bot. An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too; I'll speak in a monftrous little yoice, Thifne, Thifne; ah, Pyramus, my lover dear, thy Thisby dear, and lady dear,

Quin. No, no, you must play Pyramus; and Flute, you, Thisby.

Bot. Well, proceed.

Quin. Robin Starveling, the taylor.

Star. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. Robin Starveling, you must play Thisky's mother. (4)

(3) The raging Rocks

And fivering Shocks, &c.] I prefume This to be either a Quotation from fome fuftian old Play, which I have not been able to trace; or if not a direct Quotation, a Ridicule on fome bombaft Rants, very near resembling it.

(4) -you must play Thisby's Mother] There feems a double Forgetfulness of our Poet, in relation to the Characters of this Interlude. The Father and Mother of Thisbe, and the Father of Pyramus, are here mention'd, who do not appear at all in the Interlude: but Wall and Moonshine are Both employ'd in it, of whom there is not the leait Notice taken here..