982Tita. Be kinde and curteous to this Gentleman,

983Hop in his walkes, and gambole in his eies,

984Feede him with Apricocks, and Dewberries,

985With purple Grapes, greene Figs, and Mulberries,

986The honie-bags steale from the humble Bees,

987And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighes,

988And light them at the fierie-Glow-wormes eyes,

989To haue my loue to bed, and to arise:

990And plucke the wings from painted Butterflies,

991To fan the Moone-beames from his sleeping eies.

992Nod to him Elues, and doe him curtesies.

9931. Fai. Haile mortall, haile.

9942. Fai. Haile.

9953. Fai. Haile.

996Bot. I cry your worships mercy hartily; I beseech

997your worships name.

998Cob. Cobweb.

999Bot. I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good

1000Master Cobweb: if I cut my finger, I shall make bold

1001with you.

1002Your name honest Gentleman?

1003Pease. Pease blossome.

1004Bot. I pray you commend mee to mistresse Squash,

1005your mother, and to master Peascod your father. Good

1006master Pease-blossome, I shal desire of you more acquain-

1007tance to. Your name I beseech you sir?

1008Mus. Mustard-seede.

1009Peas. Pease-blossome.

1010Bot. Good master Mustard seede, I know your pati-

1011ence well: that same cowardly gyant-like Oxe beefe

1012hath deuoured many a gentleman of your house. I pro-

1013mise you, your kindred hath made my eyes water ere

1014now. I desire you more acquaintance, good Master

1015Mustard-seede.

1016Tita. Come waite vpon him, lead him to my bower.

1017The Moone me-thinks, lookes with a watrie eie,

1018And when she weepes, weepe euerie little flower,

1019Lamenting some enforced chastitie.

1020Tye vp my louers tongue, bring him silently. Exit.

1022Ob. I wonder if Titania be awak't;

1023Then what it was that next came in her eye,

1024Which she must dote on, in extremitie.

1026Here comes my messenger: how now mad spirit,

1027What night-rule now about this gaunted groue?

1028Puck. My Mistris with a monster is in loue,

1029Neere to her close and consecrated bower,

1030While she was in her dull and sleeping hower,

1031A crew of patches, rude Mcehanicals,

1032That worke for bread vpon Athenian stals,

1033Were met together to rehearse a Play,

1034Intended for great Theseus nuptiall day:

1035The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort,

1036Who Piramus presented, in their sport,

1037Forsooke his Scene, and entred in a brake,

1038When I did him at this aduantage take,

1039An Asses nole I fixed on his head.

1040Anon his Thisbie must be answered,

1041And forth my Mimmick comes: when they him spie,

1042As Wilde-geese, that the creeping Fowler eye,

1043Or russed-pated choughes, many in sort

1044(Rising and cawing at the guns report)

1045Seuer themselues, and madly sweepe the skye:

1046So at his sight, away his fellowes flye,

1047And at our stampe, here ore and ore one fals;

1048He murther cries, and helpe from Athens cals.

1049Their sense thus weake, lost with their feares thus strong,

1050Made senselesse things begin to do them wrong.

1051For briars and thornes at their apparell snatch,

1052Some sleeues, some hats, from yeelders all things catch,

1053I led them on in this distracted feare,

1054And left sweete Piramus translated there:

1055When in that moment (so it came to passe)

1056Tytania waked, and straightway lou'd an Asse.

1057Ob. This fals out better then I could deuise:

1058But hast thou yet lacht the Athenians eyes,

1059With the loue iuyce, as I bid thee doe?

1060Rob. I tooke him sleeping (that is finisht to)

1061And the Athenian woman by his side,

1062That when he wak't, of force she must be eyde.

1064Ob. Stand close, this is the same Athenian.

1065Rob. This is the woman, but not this the man.

1066Dem. O why rebuke you him that loues you so?

1067Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.

1068Her. Now I but chide, but I should vse thee worse.

1069For thou (I feare) hast giuen me cause to curse,

1070If thou hast slaine Lysander in his sleepe,

1071Being oreshooes in bloud, plunge in the deepe, and kill

1072me too:

1073The Sunne was not so true vnto the day,

1074As he to me. Would he haue stollen away,

1075From sleeping Hermia? Ile beleeue as soone

1076This whole earth may be bord, and that the Moone

1077May through the Center creepe, and so displease

1078Her brothers noonetide, with th' Antipodes.

1079It cannot be but thou hast murdred him,

1080So should a mutrherer looke, so dead, so grim.

1081Dem. So should the murderer looke, and so should I,

1082Pierst through the heart with your stearne cruelty:

1083Yet you the murderer looks as bright as cleare,

1084As yonder Venus in her glimmering spheare.

1085Her. What's this to my Lysander? where is he?

1086Ah good Demetrius, wilt thou giue him me?

1087Dem. I'de rather giue his carkasse to my hounds.

1088Her. Out dog, out cur, thou driu'st me past the bounds

1089Of maidens patience. Hast thou slaine him then?

1090Henceforth be neuer numbred among men.

1091Oh, once tell true, euen for my sake,

1092Durst thou a lookt vpon him, being awake?

1093And hast thou kill'd him sleeping? O braue tutch:

1094Could not a worme, an Adder do so much?

1095An Adder did it: for with doubler tongue

1096Then thine (thou serpent) neuer Adder stung.

1097Dem. You spend your passion on a mispris'd mood,

1098I am not guiltie of Lysanders blood:

1099Nor is he dead for ought that I can tell.

1100Her. I pray thee tell me then that he is well.

1101Dem. And if I could, what should I get therefore?

1102Her. A priuiledge, neuer to see me more;

1103And from thy hated presence part I: see me no more

1104Whether he be dead or no. Exit.

1105Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vaine,

1106Here therefore for a while I will remaine.

1107So sorrowes heauinesse doth heauier grow:

1108For debt that bankrout slip doth sorrow owe,

1109Which now in some slight measure it will pay,

N5 If