If thou haft flain Lyfander in his fleep,

Being o'er fhoes in blood, plunge in the deep,

And kill me too.

The fun was not so true unto the day,

As he to me.

Would he have ftoll'n away

From fleeping Hermia? I'll believe as soon,

This whole earth may be bor'd; and that the moon
May through the center creep, and so displease
2 Her brother's noon-tide i'th' Antipodes.
It cannot be, but thou haft murther'd him;
So should a murtherer look, fo dread, fo grim.

Dem. So fhould the murther'd look; and fo fhould I,
Pierc'd through the heart with your ftern cruelty:
Yet you the murtherer look as bright, and clear,
As yonder Venus in her glimm'ring sphere.

Her. What's this to my Lyfander? where is he? Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?

Dem. I'ad rather give his carcafs to my hounds.
Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv❜ft me past the
bounds

Of maiden's patience. Haft thou slain him then?
Henceforth be never number'd among men.
O! once tell true, and even for my fake,

Durft thou have look'd upon him, being awake?
'And haft thou kill'd him fleeping? O brave touch!
Could not a worm, an adder do fo much?
An adder did it, for with doubler tongue
Than thine, thou ferpent, never adder ftung.
Dem. You fpend your paffion on a mifpris'd mood;
I am not guilty of Lyfander's blood,

Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell,

Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.

2 Her brother's noon tide WITH th' Antipodes.] She fays, fhe would as foon believe, that the moon, then fhining, could creep through the centre, and meet the fun's light on the other fide the Globe. It is plain therefore we should read

- 1'TH' Antipodes, i. e, in the Antipodes where the

fun was then fhining.

Dem. And if I could, what fhould I get therefore? Her. A privilege never to fee me more; And from thy hated prefence part I fo:

See me no more, whether he's dead or no.

[Exit,

Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vein, Here, therefore, for a while I will remain: So forrow's heavinefs doth heavier grow, For debt, that bankrupt fleep doth forrow owe; Which now in fome flight measure it will pay, If for his Tender here I make fome ftay. [Lies down. Ob. What haft thou done? thou haft miftaken quite, And laid thy love-juice on fome true love's fight: Of thy misprision must perforce enfue

Some true love turn'd, and not a falfe turn'd true. Puck. Then fate o'er-rules, that, one man holding troth,

A million fail, confounding oath on oath.

Ob. About the wood go fwifter than the wind, And Helena of Athens, fee, thou find.

All fancy-fick fhe is, and pale of cheer;

With fighs of love, that coft the fresh blood dear;
By fome illufion, fee, thou bring her here;
I'll charm his eyes, against the doth appear.
Puck. I go, I go; look, how I go;
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.
Ob. Flower of this purple dye,

Hit with Cupid's archery,
Sink in apple of his eye!
When his love he doth efpy,
Let her fhine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.
When thou wakift, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy.

Enter Puck.

Puck. Captain of our fairy band,

Helena is here at hand,

[Exit.

And

And the youth, miftook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee.

Shall we their fond pageant fee?
Lord, what fools thefe mortals be!

Ob. Stand afide: the noife, they make,
Will caufe Demetrius to awake.

Puck. Then will two at once woo one;
That must needs be fport alone.
And those things do beft please me,
That befal prepoft'rouЛly.

S

CENE VI.

Enter Lyfander and Helena.

Lyf. Why fhould you think, that I fhould woo in fcorn;

Scorn and derifion never come in tears.

Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows fo born,
In their nativity all truth appears:

How can these things in me feem fcorn to you,
Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true?
Hel. You do advance your cunning more and more;
When truth kills truth, O devilish, holy, fray!
These vows are Hermia's: will you give her o'er?
Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh;
Your vows to her and me, put in two fcales,
Will even weigh, and both as light as tales.
Lyf. I had no judgment when to her I fwore.
Her. Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er.
Lyf. Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
Dem. [awaking.] O Helen, goddefs, nymph, per-
fect, divine,

To what, my love, fhall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal is muddy; O how ripe in fhow
Thy lips, thofe kiffing cherries, tempting grow!
That pure congealed white, high Taurus fnow,
Fann'd with the eaftern wind, turns to a crow

When thou hold❜ft up thy hand. O let me kifs
(a) This Pureness of pure white, this feal of bliss.
Hel. O fpight, O hell! I fee you all are bent
To fet against me, for your merriment:
If you were civil, and knew courtesie,
You would not do me thus much injury.
3 Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But muft join infolents to mock me too?
If you are men, as men you are in fhow,
You would not ufe a gentle lady fo:

maid's eyes

To vow and swear, and fuper-praise my parts;
When I am fure, you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia,
And now both rivals to mock Helena.
A trim exploit, a manly enterprize,
To conjure tears up in a poor
With your derifion! none of nobler fort
Would fo offend a virgin, and extort
A poor foul's patience, all to make you sport.
Lyf. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not fo;
For you love Hermia; this, you know, I know.
And here with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
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.

3

Can you not hate me, as I know you do,

}

But you must join IN SOULS to mock me too?] This is fpoken to Demetrius. The laft line is nonfenfe. They should be read thus,

Can you not hate me, as I know you do,

But must join INSOLENTS to mock me too? meaning Lyfander, who, as fhe thought, mocked her when he declared his paffion for her.

[(a) This purenefs, Oxford Edit.Vulg. This Princefs.]

My heart to her but, as guèft-wife, fojourn'd;
And now to Helen it is home return'd,

There ever to remain.

Lys. It is not fo.

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

Look, where thy love comes, yonder is thy dear.

S CE NE VII.

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 sense, 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 didft thou leave me fo?

Lyf. Why should 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,

Than all yon fiery O's and eyes of light.

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

Her. You speak not, as you think; it cannot be.
Hel. Lo, fhe is one of this confed❜racy;
Now, I perceive, they have conjoin'd all three,
To fashion this falfe fport in fpight of me.
Injurious Hermia, most ungrateful maid,
Have you confpir'd, have you with these contriv'd
To bait me with this foul derifion?

Is all the counsel that we two have fhar'd,
The fifters vows, the hours that we have spent,
When we have chid the hafty-footed time
For parting us; O! and is all forgot?
All fchool-days friendship, childhood innocence?

We,