2 Fai. Hence, away; now all is well: · One, aloof, stand sentinel. Obe. What thou seest, when thou dost wake, [Squeezes the flower on, TITANIA's eye-lids. Do it for thy true-love take; Love, and languish for his sake: Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA. [Exit. Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood; And to speak troth, I have forgot our way; We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, And tarry for the comfort of the day. Her. Be it so, Lysander, find you out a bed, For I upon this bank will rest my head. Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth. Her. Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear, Lie further off yet, do not lie so near. Lys. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence 2; 1 Be it ounce,] The ounce is a small tiger, or tiger-cat. 2 O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence;] Understand the meaning of my innocence, or my innocent meaning. Her. Lysander riddles very prettily: Now much beshrew 3 my manners and my pride, Here is my bed: Sleep give thee all his rest! Her. With half that wish the wisher's eyes be press'd! Enter PUCK. Puck. Through the forest have I gone, On whose eyes I might approve [They sleep. And here the maiden, sleeping sound, Pretty soul! she durst not lie Near this lack-love, kill-courtesy. † Churl, upon thy eyes I throw All the power this charm doth owe*: 3 Now much beshrew, &c.] This word, of which the etymology is not exactly known, implies a sinister wish, and means the same as if she had said "now ill befall my manners," &c. + "this kill-courtesy." MALONE. All the power this charm doth owe:] i.e. all the power it possesses. So awake, when I am gone; For I must now to Oberon. [Exit. Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running. Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius. Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus. Hel. O, wilt thou darkling 5 leave me? do not so. 6 [Exit DEMETRIUS. How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears: For beasts that meet me, run away for fear: Lys. And run through fire I will, for thy sweet sake. Is that vile name, to perish on my sword? Hel. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so: What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though? Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content. 5 6 wilt thou darkling — ] i. e. in the dark. my grace.] My acceptableness, the favour that I can gain. +"Nature shows her art." MALONE. Lys. Content with Hermia? No: I do repent Who will not change a raven for a dove? Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, But fare you well: perforce I must confess, I thought you lord of more true. gentleness. O, that a lady, of one man refus❜d, Should, of another, therefore be abus'd! [Exit. Lys. She sees not Hermia: - Hermia, sleep thou there; And never may'st thou come Lysander near! For, as a surfeit of the sweetest things + "now I love." MALONE. 7 till now ripe not to reason;] i. e. do not ripen to it. Ripe, in the present instance, is a verb. 8 touching now the point of human skill,] i. e. my senses being now at the utmost height of perfection. 9 Reason becomes the marshal to my will,] That is, my will now follows reason. So thou, my surfeit, and my heresy, Of all be hated; but the most of me! And all my powers, address your love and might, [Exit. Her. [starting.] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best, To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast! [Exit. ACT III. SCENE I.—The same. The Queen of Fairies lying asleep. Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING. Bot. Are we all met? Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal; This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our tyring-house; and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the duke. 1 Speak, of all loves;] Of all loves is an adjuration more than once used by our author. 2 In the time of Shakspeare there were many companies of players, sometimes five at the same time, contending for the favour of the publick. Of these some were undoubtedly very unskilful and very |