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Her. I give him curfes, yet he gives me love.
Hel. Oh, that my pray'rs could fuch affection move!
Her. The more I hate, the more he follows me.
Hel. The more I love, the more he hateth me.
Her. His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine.

Hel. None, but your beauty; would that fault were mine!

Her. Take comfort; he no more fhall fee my face;
Lyfander and myself will fly this place.
Before the time I did Lyfander fee,
Seem'd Athens like a Paradife to me.

O then, what graces in my love do dwell,
That he hath turn'd a heaven into hell?

Lyf. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold,
To-morrow night, when Phebe doth behold
Her filver vifage in the wat'ry glafs;

Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass;
(A time, that lovers flights doth ftill conceal)
Through Athens' gate have we devis'd to steal.

Her. And in the wood, where often you and I
Upon faint primrose beds were wont to lye,
Emptying our bofoms of their counfels sweet; 3
There, my Lyfander, and myself shall meet;

* I. II. III. IV. His folly. He lena, is none of mine.

Perhaps every reader may not. difcover the propriety of these lines. Hermia is willing to comfort Helena, and to avoid all appearance of triumph over her. She therefore bids her not to

confider the power of pleafing, as an advantage to be much envied or much defired, fince Hermia, whom the confiders as poffeffing it in the fupreme degree,

has found no other effect of it than the lofs of happiness.

3 Emptying our Bofoms of their Counfels fwell'd;

9

And

There my Lyfander and myself
fball meet;
And thence from Athens turn
away our Eyes,
To feek new Friends, and ftrange
Companions.

This whole Scene is strictly in
thefe two Couplets, I am perfuad-
Rhyme; and that it deviates in
ed, is owing to the Ignorance of
the first, and the naccuracy of the
later Editors: I have therefore

ventur'd to reflore the Rhymes,

as I make no doubt but the Poet firft gave them. Sweet was eafily corrupted into favell'd, becaufe that made an Antithefis to Emp tying:

And then from Athens turn away our eyes,
To feek new Friends and ftranger Companies.
Farewel, fweet play-fellow; pray thou for us,
And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius!
Keep word, Lyfander-we muft ftarve our fight
From Lovers' food, till morrow deep midnight.
[Exit Hermia.
Lys. I will, my Hermia-Helena, adieu;
As you on him, Demetrius doat on you! [Exit Lyf,
Hel. How happy fome, o'er other fome, can be!
Through Athens I am thought as fair as fhe.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not fo:
He will not know; what all, but he, do know,
And as he errs, doating on Hermia's eyes,
So I, admiring of his qualities.

Things bafe and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can tranfpofe to form and dignity:
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath love's mind of any judgement tafte;
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy hafte;
And therefore is Love faid to be a child,
Because in choice he is fo oft beguil'd.
As waggish boys themselves in game forfwear,
So the boy Love is perjur'd every where.
For ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne,
He hail'd down oaths, that he was only mine;
And when this hail fome heat from Hermia felt,
So he diffolv'd, and fhowers of oaths did melt.

tying and frange Companions
our Editors thought was plain
English; but ftranger Companies,
a little quaint and unintelligible.
Our Author very often uses the
Subftantive Stranger adjectively;
and Companies, to fignify Com-
panions: As Rich. II. A&t I.
To tread the stranger paths of
Banifoment.

And Hen. V.

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His Companies unletter'd, rude and fhallow. THEOBALD.

4 In game.] Game here fig. nifies not contentious play, but Sport, jeft. So Spenfer,

Twixt earnest and twixt game,
H 2
I will

I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight:
Then to the wood will he, to-morrow night,
Pursue her; and for this intelligence
If I have thanks, it is a dear expence.
But herein mean I to enrich my pain,
To have his fight thither, and back again.

[Exit.

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Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snowt, and Starveling, s

S here?

Quin. Is all our company to call them generally

Bot. You ale beft to

man by man, according to the fcrip.

Quin. Here is the fcrowl of every man's name, which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude before the Duke and Dutchefs, on his wedding-day at night.

Bot. First, good Peter Quince, fay what the play treats on; then read the names of the actors; and fo grow on to a point.

Quin. Marry, our play is the most lamentable comedy, and moft cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby. Bot. A very good piece of work, I affure you, and

In this Scene Shakespear takes advantage of his knowledge of the theatre, to ridicule the prejudices and competitions of the Players Bottom, who is generally acknowledged the principal Actor, declares his inclination to be for a tyrant, for a part of fury, tumult, and noife, fuch as every young man pants to perform when he first steps upon

the Stage. The fame Bottom, who feems bred in a tiring-room, has another hiftrionical paffion. He is for engroffing every part, and would exclude his inferiors from all poffibility of distinction. He is therefore defirous to play Pyramus, Thife and the Lyon at the fame time.

1. Grow to a point.

a merry

a merry. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the fcrowl. Mafters, fpread yourselves. Quin. Answer, as I call you. Nick Bottom, the

weaver.

Bot. Ready: name what part I am for, and proceed. Quin. You, Nick Bottom, are fet down for Pyramus. Bot. What is Pyramus, a lover, or a tyrant?

Quin. A lover, that kills himself moft gallantly for love.

Bot. That will ask fome tears in the true performing of it; if I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will move ftorms; I will condole in fome measure. To the reft;yet, my chief humour is for a tyrant; I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in: To make all split !———

"The raging rocks,
"And shivering fhocks
"Shall break the locks
"Of prifon gates:
"And Phibbus' carr
"Shall fhine from far,

"And make and mar

"The foolish fates."

This was lofty. Now name the rest of the Players. This is Ercles' vein, a tyrant's vein; a lover is more condoling.

Quin. Francis Flute, the bellows mender.
Flu. Here, Peter Quince.

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Quin. You must take Thifly on you.

Flu. What is Thisby, a wand'ring Knight? Quin. It is the lady, that Pyramus must love. Fi Nay, faith, let not me play a woman; I have a beard coming.

Quin. That's all one, you fhall play it in a mafque ; and you may speak as fmall as you will. 7

Bot. An' I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too; I'll fpeak in a monftrous little voice, Thifne, Thifne; ah, Pyramus, my lover dear, thy Thisby dear, and lady dear.

Quin, No, no, you must play Pyramus; and Flute, you, Thisby.

Bot. Well, proceed.

Quin. Robert Starveling, the taylor.

Star. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. Robin Starveling, you must play Thifty's mother, s

8

Tom Snowt, the tinker.

Snow. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. You, Pyramus's father; myself, Thisby's fa

7 This paffage fhews how the want of women on the old Stage was fupplied. If they had not a young man who could perform the part with a face that might pafs for feminine, the character was acted in a mafk, which was at that time a part of a Lady's drefs fo much in ufe that it did not give any unusual appearance to the Scene: and he that could modulate his voice in a female tone might play the woman very fuccefsfully. It is obferved in Downes's Memoirs of the Play houfe, that one of thefe counterfeit heroines moved the paffions more ftrongly than the women that have face been brought

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