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A Midsummer Night's Dream (Folio 1, 1623)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Suzanne Westfall
Not Peer Reviewed
150
A Midsommer nights Dreame.
For you in my respect are nll the world.
Then how can it be said I am alone,
605When all the world is heere to looke on me?
Dem. Ile run from thee, and hide me in the brakes,
And leaue thee to the mercy of wilde beasts.
Hel. The wildest hath not such a heart as you;
Runne when you will, the story shall be chang'd:
610Apollo flies and Daphne holds the chase;
The Doue pursues the Griffin, the milde Hinde
Makes speed to catch the Tyger. Bootlesse speede,
When cowardise pursues, and valour flies.
Demet. I will not stay thy questions, let me go;
615Or if thou follow me, doe not beleeue,
But I shall doe thee mischiefe in the wood.
Hel. I, in the Temple, in the Towne, and Field
You doe me mischiefe. Fye Demetrius,
Your wrongs doe set a scandall on my sexe:
620We cannot fight for loue, as men may doe;
We should be woo'd, and were not made to wooe.
I follow thee, and make a heauen of hell,
To die vpon the hand I loue so well.
Exit.
Ob. Fare thee well Nymph, ere he do leaue this groue,
625Thou shalt flie him, and he shall seeke thy loue.
Hast thou the flower there? Welcome wanderer.

Enter Pucke.
Puck. I, there it is.
Ob. I pray thee giue it me.
630I know a banke where the wilde time blowes,
Where Oxslips and the nodding Violet growes,
Quite ouer-cannoped with luscious woodbine,
With sweet muske roses, and with Eglantine;
There sleepes Tytania, sometime of the night,
635Lul'd in these flowers, with dances and delight:
And there the snake throwes her enammel'd skinne,
Weed wide enough to rap a Fairy in.
And with the iuyce of this Ile streake her eyes,
And make her full of hatefull fantasies.
640Take thou some of it, and seek through this groue;
A sweet Athenian Lady is in loue
With a disdainefull youth: annoint his eyes,
But doe it when the next thing he espies,
May be the Lady. Thou shalt know the man,
645By the Athenian garments he hath on.
Effect it with some care, that he may proue
More fond on her, then she vpon her loue;
And looke thou meet me ere the first Cocke crow.
Pu. Feare not my Lord, your seruant shall do so.
Exit.

650
Enter Queene of Fairies, with her traine.
Queen. Come, now a Roundell, and a Fairy song;
Then for the third part of a minute hence,
Some to kill Cankers in the muske rose buds,
Some warre with Reremise, for their leathern wings,
655To make my small Elues coates, and some keepe backe
The clamorous Owle that nightly hoots and wonders
At our queint spirits: Sing me now asleepe,
Then to your offices, and let me rest.

Fairies Sing.

660
You spotted Snakes with double tongue,
Thorny Hedgehogges be not seene,
Newts and blinde wormes do no wrong,
Come not neere our Fairy Queene.
Philomele with melodie,
665
Sing in your sweet Lullaby.
Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby,
Neuer harme, nor spell, nor charme,
Come our louely Lady nye,
So good night with Lullaby.
6702. Fairy. Weauing Spiders come not heere,
Hence you long leg'd Spinners, hence:
Beetles blacke approach not neere;
Worme nor Snayle doe no offence.
Philomele with melody, &c.
6751. Fairy. Hence away, now all is well;
One aloofe, stand Centinell.
Shee sleepes.

Enter Oberon.
Ober. What thou seest when thou dost wake,
Doe it for thy true Loue take:
680Loue and languish for his sake.
Be it Ounce, or Catte, or Beare,
Pard, or Boare with bristled haire,
In thy eye that shall appeare,
When thou wak'st, it is thy deare,
685Wake when some vile thing is neere.

Enter Lisander and Hermia.

Lis. Faire loue, you faint with wandring in ye woods,
And to speake troth I haue forgot our way:
Wee'll rest vs Hermia, if you thinke it good,
690And tarry for the comfort of the day.
Her. Be it so Lysander; finde you out a bed,
For I vpon this banke will rest my head.
Lys. One turfe shall serue as pillow for vs both,
One heart, one bed, two bosomes, and one troth.
695Her. Nay good Lysander, for my sake my deere
Lie further off yet, doe not lie so neere.
Lys. O take the sence sweet, of my innocence,
Loue takes the meaning, in loues conference,
I meane that my heart vnto yours is knit,
700So that but one heart can you make of it.
Two bosomes interchanged with an oath,
So then two bosomes, and a single troth.
Then by your side, no bed-roome me deny,
For lying so, Hermia, I doe not lye.
705Her. Lysander riddles very prettily;
Now much beshrew my manners and my pride,
If Hermia meant to say, Lysander lied.
But gentle friend, for loue and courtesie
Lie further off, in humane modesty,
710Such separation, as may well be said,
Becomes a vertuous batchelour, and a maide,
So farre be distant, and good night sweet friend;
Thy loue nere alter, till thy sweet life end.
Lys. Amen, amen, to that faire prayer, say I,
715And then end life, when I end loyalty:
Heere is my bed, sleepe giue thee all his rest.
Her. With halfe that wish, the wishers eyes be prest.
Enter Pucke.
They sleepe.
Puck. Through the Forest haue I gone,
720But Athenian finde I none,
One whose eyes I might approue
This flowers force in stirring loue.
Night and silence: who is heere?
Weedes of Athens he doth weare:
725This is he (my master said)
Despised the Athenian maide:
And heere the maiden sleeping sound,
On