4NOw faire Hippolita, our nuptiall houre

5Drawes on apace: foure happy daies bring in

6Another Moon: but oh, me thinkes, how slow

7This old Moon wanes; She lingers my desires

8Like to a Step-dame, or a Dowager,

9Long withering out a yong mans reuennew.

10Hip. Foure daies wil quickly steep thẽselues in nights

11Foure nights wil quickly dreame away the time:

12And then the Moone, like to a siluer bow,

13Now bent in heauen, shal behold the night

14Of our solemnities.

15The. Go Philostrate,

16Stirre vp the Athenian youth to merriments,

17Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth,

18Turne melancholy forth to Funerals:

19The pale companion is not for our pompe,

20Hippolita, I woo'd thee with my sword,

21And wonne thy loue, doing thee iniuries:

22But I will wed thee in another key,

23With pompe, with triumph, and with reuelling.

26Ege. Happy be Theseus, our renowned Duke.

27The. Thanks good Egeus: what's the news with thee?

28Ege. Full of vexation, come I, with complaint

29Against my childe, my daughter Hermia.

31My Noble Lord,

32This man hath my consent to marrie her.

34And my gracious Duke,

35This man hath bewitch'd the bosome of my childe:

36Thou, thou Lysander, thou hast giuen her rimes,

37And interchang'd loue-tokens with my childe:

38Thou hast by Moone-light at her window sung,

39With faining voice, verses of faining loue,

40And stolne the impression of her fantasie,

41With bracelets of thy haire, rings, gawdes, conceits,

42Knackes, trifles, Nose-gaies, sweet meats (messengers

43Of strong preuailment in vnhardned youth)

44With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughters heart,

45Turn'd her obedience (which is due to me)

46To stubborne harshnesse. And my gracious Duke,

47Be it so she will not heere before your Grace,

48Consent to marrie with Demetrius,

49I beg the ancient priuiledge of Athens;

50As she is mine, I may dispose of her;

51Which shall be either to this Gentleman,

52Or to her death, according to our Law,

53Immediately prouided in that case.

54The. What say you Hermia? be aduis'd faire Maide,

55To you your Father should be as a God;

56One that compos'd your beauties; yea and one

57To whom you are but as a forme in waxe

58By him imprinted: and within his power,

59To leaue the figure, or disfigure it:

60Demetrius is a worthy Gentleman.

61Her. So is Lysander.

62The. In himselfe he is.

63But in this kinde, wanting your fathers voyce.

64The other must be held the worthier.

65Her. I would my father look'd but with my eyes.

66The. Rather your eies must with his iudgment looke.

67Her. I do entreat your Grace to pardon me.

68I know not by what power I am made bold,

69Nor how it may concerne my modestie

70In such a presence heere to pleade my thoughts:

71But I beseech your Grace, that I may know

72The worst that may befall me in this case,

73If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

74The. Either to dye the death, or to abiure

75For euer the society of men.

76Therefore faire Hermia question your desires,

77Know of your youth, examine well your blood,

78Whether (if you yeeld not to your fathers choice)

79You can endure the liuerie of a Nunne,

80For aye to be in shady Cloister mew'd,

81To liue a barren sister all your life,

82Chanting faint hymnes to the cold fruitlesse Moone,

83Thrice blessed they that master so their blood,

84To vndergo such maiden pilgrimage,

85But earthlier happie is the Rose distil'd,

86Then that which withering on the virgin thorne,

87Growes, liues, and dies, in single blessednesse.

88Her. So will I grow, so liue, so die my Lord,

89Ere I will yeeld my virgin Patent vp

90Vnto his Lordship, whose vnwished yoake,

91My soule consents not to giue soueraignty.

92The. Take time to pause, and by the next new Moon

93The sealing day betwixt my loue and me,

94For euerlasting bond of fellowship:

95Vpon that day either prepare to dye,

96For disobedience to your fathers will,

97Or else to wed Demetrius as hee would,

98Or on Dianaes Altar to protest

99For aie, austerity, and single life.

100Dem. Relent sweet Hermia, and Lysander, yeelde

101Thy crazed title to my certaine right.

102Lys. You haue her fathers loue, Demetrius:

103Let me haue Hermiaes: do you marry him.

104Egeus. Scornfull Lysander, true, he hath my Loue;

105And what is mine, my loue shall render him.

106And she is mine, and all my right of her,

107I do estate vnto Demetrius.

108Lys. I am my Lord, as well deriu'd as he,

109As well possest: my loue is more then his:

110My fortunes euery way as fairely ranck'd

111(If not with vantage) as Demetrius:

112And (which is more then all these boasts can be)

113I am belou'd of beauteous Hermia.

114Why should not I then prosecute my right?

115Demetrius, Ile auouch it to his head,

116Made loue to Nedars daughter, Helena,

117And won her soule: and she (sweet Ladie) dotes,

118Deuoutly dotes, dotes in Idolatry,

119Vpon this spotted and inconstant man.

120The. I must confesse, that I haue heard so much,

121And with Demetrius thought to haue spoke thereof:

122But being ouer-full of selfe-affaires,

123My minde did lose it. But Demetrius come,

124And come Egeus, you shall go with me,

125I haue some priuate schooling for you both.

126For you faire Hermia, looke you arme your selfe,

127To fit your fancies to your Fathers will;

128Or else the Law of Athens yeelds you vp

129(Which by no meanes we may extenuate)

130To death, or to a vow of single life.

131Come my Hippolita, what cheare my loue?

132Demetrius and Egeus go along:

133I must imploy you in some businesse

134Against our nuptiall, and conferre with you

135Of something, neerely that concernes your selues.

136Ege. With dutie and desire we follow you.Exeunt

138Lys. How now my loue? Why is your cheek so pale?

139How chance the Roses there do fade so fast?

140Her. Belike for want of raine, which I could well

141Beteeme them, from the tempest of mine eyes.

142Lys. For ought that euer I could reade,

143Could euer heare by tale or historie,

144The course of true loue neuer did run smooth,

145But either it was different in blood.

146Her. O crosse! too high to be enthral'd to loue.

147Lys. Or else misgraffed, in respect of yeares.

148Her. O spight! too old to be ingag'd to yong.

149Lys. Or else it stood vpon the choise of merit.

150Her. O hell! to choose loue by anothers eie.

151Lys. Or if there were a simpathie in choise,

152Warre, death, or sicknesse, did lay siege to it;

153Making it momentarie, as a sound:

154Swift as a shadow, short as any dreame,

155Briefe as the lightning in the collied night,

156That (in a spleene) vnfolds both heauen and earth;

157And ere a man hath power to say, behold,

158The iawes of darkness do deuoure it vp:

159So quicke bright things come to confusion.

160Her. If then true Louers haue beene euer crost,

161It stands as an edict in destinie:

162Then let vs teach our triall patience,

163Because it is a customarie crosse,

164As due to loue, as thoughts, and dreames, and sighes,

165Wishes and teares; poore Fancies followers.

166Lys. A good perswasion; therefore heare me Hermia,

167I haue a Widdow Aunt, a dowager,

168Of great reuennew, and she hath no childe,

169From Athens is her house remou'd seuen leagues,

170And she respects me, as her onely sonne:

171There gentle Hermia, may I marrie thee,

172And to that place, the sharpe Athenian Law

173Cannot pursue vs. If thou lou'st me, then

174Steale forth thy fathers house to morrow night:

175And in the wood, a league without the towne,

176(Where I did meete thee once with Helena,

177To do obseruance for a morne of May)

178There will I stay for thee.

179Her. My good Lysander,

180I sweare to thee, by Cupids strongest bow,

181By his best arrow with the golden head,

182By the simplicitie of Venus Doues,

183By that which knitteth soules, and prospers loue,

184And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage Queene,

185When the false Troyan vnder saile was seene,

186By all the vowes that euer men haue broke,

187(In number more then euer women spoke)

188In that same place thou hast appointed me,

189To morrow truly will I meete with thee.

190Lys. Keepe promise loue: looke here comes Helena.

192Her. God speede faire Helena, whither away?

193Hel. Cal you me faire? that faire againe vnsay,

194Demetrius loues you faire: O happie faire!

195Your eyes are loadstarres, and your tongues sweet ayre

196More tuneable then Larke to shepheards eare,

197When wheate is greene, when hauthorne buds appeare,

198Sicknesse is catching: O were fauor so,

199Your words I catch, faire Hermia ere I go,

200My eare should catch your voice, my eye, your eye,

201My tongue should catch your tongues sweet melodie,

202Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated,

203The rest Ile giue to be to you translated.

204O teach me how you looke, and with what art

205you sway the motion of Demetrius hart.

206Her. I frowne vpon him, yet he loues me still.

207Hel. O that your frownes would teach my smiles

208such skil.

209Her. I giue him curses, yet he giues me loue.

210Hel. O that my prayers could such affection mooue.

211Her. The more I hate, the more he followes me.

212Hel. The more I loue, the more he hateth me.

213Her. His folly Helena is none of mine.

214Hel. None but your beauty, wold that fault wer mine

215Her. Take comfort: he no more shall see my face,

216Lysander and my selfe will flie this place.

217Before the time I did Lysander see,

218Seem'd Athens like a Paradise to mee.

219O then, what graces in my Loue do dwell,

220That he hath turn'd a heauen into hell.

221Lys. Helen, to you our mindes we will vnfold,

222To morrow night, when Phoebe doth behold

223Her siluer visage, in the watry glasse,

224Decking with liquid pearle, the bladed grasse

225(A time that Louers flights doth still conceale)

226Through Athens gates, haue we deuis'd to steale.

227Her. And in the wood, where often you and I,

228Vpon faint Primrose beds, were wont to lye,

229Emptying our bosomes, of their counsell sweld:

230There my Lysander, and my selfe shall meete,

231And thence from Athens turne away our eyes

232To seeke new friends and strange companions,

233Farwell sweet play-fellow, pray thou for vs,

234And good lucke grant thee thy Demetrius.

235Keepe word Lysander we must starue our sight,

236From louers foode, till morrow deepe midnight.

238Lys. I will my Hermia. Helena adieu,

239As you on him, Demetrius dotes on you. Exit Lysander.

240Hele. How happy some, ore othersome can be?

241Through Athens I am thought as faire as she.

242But what of that? Demetrius thinkes not so:

243He will not know, what all, but he doth know,

244And as hee erres, doting on Hermias eyes;

245So I, admiring of his qualities:

246Things base and vilde, holding no quantity,

247Loue can transpose to forme and dignity,

248Loue lookes not with the eyes, but with the minde,

249And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blinde.

250Nor hath loues minde of any iudgement taste:

251Wings and no eyes, figure, vnheedy haste.

252And therefore is Loue said to be a childe,

253Because in choise he is often beguil'd,

254As waggish boyes in game themselues forsweare;

255So the boy Loue is periur'd euery where.

256For ere Demetrius lookt on Hermias eyne,

257He hail'd downe oathes that he was onely mine.

258And when this Haile some heat from Hermia felt,

259So he dissolu'd, and showres of oathes did melt,

260I will goe tell him of faire Hermias flight:

261Then to the wood will he, to morrow night

262Pursue her; and for his intelligence,

263If I haue thankes, it is a deere expence:

264But heerein meane I to enrich my paine,

265To haue his sight thither, and backe againe. Exit.