ACT IV.

SCENE I. The same.

Enter TITANIA and BOTTOM, Fairies attending; OBERON behind unseen.

Tita. Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy",

And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head,
And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.

Bot. Where's Peas-blossom?

Peas. Ready.

Bot. Scratch my head, Peas-blossom.-Where's monsieur Cobweb?

Cob. Ready.

Bot. Monsieur Cobweb; good monsieur, get your weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hipped humble-bee on the top of a thistle; and, good monsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur; and, good monsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loth to have you overflown with a honey-bag, signior. Where's monsieur Mustard-seed?

Must. Ready.

Bot. Give me your neif, monsieur Mustard-seed. Pray you, leave your courtesy, good monsieur. Must. What's your will?

Bot. Nothing, good monsieur, but to help cavalero Cobweb to scratch. I must to the barber's, monsieur; for, methinks, I am marvellous hairy about the face: and I am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me, I must scratch.

7

do coy,] To coy,

is to sooth, to stroke.

Tita. What, wilt thou hear some musick, my sweet

love?

Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in musick: let us have the tongs and the bones.

9

Tita. Or, say, sweet love, what thou desir'st to eat.

Bot. Truly, a peck of provender; I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks, I have a great desire to a bottle of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow. Tita. I have a venturous fairy that shall seek

The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee new nuts.

Bot. I had rather have a handful, or two, of dried peas. But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me; I have an exposition of sleep come upon me.

Tita. Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms. Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away.1

So doth the woodbine, the sweet honeysuckle2,
Gently entwist, the female ivy3 so

Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.

O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee! [They sleep.

Obe. Welcome, good Robin. See'st thou this sweet sight?

Her dotage now I do begin to pity.

For meeting her of late, behind the wood,
Seeking sweet savours for this hateful fool,

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the tongs] The old rustick musick of the tongs and key. 1 · and be all ways away.] i. e. disperse yourselves, and scout out severally, in your watch, that danger approach us from no quarter.

2. So doth the woodbine, the sweet honeysuckle, &c.] What Shakspeare seems to mean, is this. So the woodbine, i. e. the sweet honeysuckle, doth gently entwist the barky fingers of the elm, and so does the female ivy enring the same fingers. This passage has given rise to various conjectures.

3

the female ivy-] Though the ivy here represents the female, there is an evident reference in the words enrings and fingers, to the ring of the marriage rite.

HENLEY.

I did upbraid her, and fall out with her:
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
And that same dew, which sometime on the buds
Was wont to swell, like round and orient pearls,
Stood now within the pretty flourets' eyes1,
Like tears, that did their own disgrace bewail.
When I had, at my pleasure, taunted her,
And she, in mild terms, begg'd my patience,
I then did ask of her her changeling child;
Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent
To bear him to my bower in fairy land.
And now I have the boy, I will undo
This hateful imperfection of her eyes.

And, gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp
From off the head of this Athenian swain;
That he awaking when the other do,
May all to Athens back again repair;
And think no more of this night's accidents,
But as the fierce vexation of a dream.
But first I will release the fairy queen.
Be, as thou wast wont to be;

[Touching her eyes with an herb.

See, as thou wast wont to see:

Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower 5

Hath such force and blessed power.

Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen.
Tita. My Oberon! what visions have I seen!
Methought, I was enamour'd of an ass.

Obe. There lies your love.

Tita.

How came these things to pass? O, how mine eyes do loath his visage now!

4 flourets' eyes,] The eye of the flower is the technical term for its center.

5 Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower-] Dian's bud, is the bud of Agnus Castus, or Chaste Tree. Cupid's flower is the Viola Tricolor, or Love in Idleness.

Tita. What, wilt thou hear some musick, my sweet

love?

Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in musick; let us have the tongs and the bones.

9

Tita. Or, say, sweet love, what thou desir'st to eat. Bot. Truly, a peck of provender; I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks, I have a great desire to a bottle of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow. Tita. I have a venturous fairy that shall seek

The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee new nuts.

Bot. I had rather have a handful, or two, of dried peas. But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me; I have an exposition of sleep come upon me.

Tita. Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms. Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away.

So doth the woodbine, the sweet honeysuckle2,
Gently entwist, the female ivy3 so

Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.

O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee! [They sleep.

Obe. Welcome, good Robin. See'st thou this sweet sight?

Her dotage now I do begin to pity.

For meeting her of late, behind the wood,
Seeking sweet savours for this hateful fool,

9 the tongs] The old rustick musick of the tongs and key. and be all ways away.] i. e. disperse yourselves, and scout out severally, in your watch, that danger approach us from no quarter.

2. So doth the woodbine, the sweet honeysuckle, &c.] What Shakspeare seems to mean, is this- So the woodbine, i. e. the sweet honeysuckle, doth gently entwist the barky fingers of the elm, and so does the female ivy enring the same fingers. This passage has given rise to various conjectures.

3

the female ivy-] Though the ivy here represents the female, there is an evident reference in the words enrings and fingers, to the ring of the marriage rite.

HENLEY.

I did upbraid her, and fall out with her:
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
And that same dew, which sometime on the buds
Was wont to swell, like round and orient pearls,
Stood now within the pretty flourets' eyes1,
Like tears, that did their own disgrace bewail.
When I had, at my pleasure, taunted her,
And she, in mild terms, begg'd my patience,
I then did ask of her her changeling child;
Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent
To bear him to my bower in fairy land.
And now I have the boy, I will undo
This hateful imperfection of her eyes.
And, gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp
From off the head of this Athenian swain;
That he awaking when the other do,
May all to Athens back again repair;
And think no more of this night's accidents,
But as the fierce vexation of a dream.
But first I will release the fairy queen.

Be, as thou wast wont to be;

[Touching her eyes with an herb.

See, as thou wast wont to see:

Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower 5

Hath such force and blessed power.

Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen.
Tita. My Oberon! what visions have I seen!
Methought, I was enamour'd of an ass.

Obe. There lies your love.

Tita.

How came these things to pass?

O, how mine eyes do loath his visage now!

4 flourets' eyes,] The eye of the flower is the technical term

for its center.

5 Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower-] Dian's bud, is the bud of Agnus Castus, or Chaste Tree. Cupid's flower is the Viola Tricolor, or Love in Idleness.