The. In himself he is;

But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
The other muft be held the worthier.

Her. I would, my father look'd but with my eyes.
The. Rather your eyes muft with his judgment look.
Her. I do intreat your Grace to pardon me :
I know not, by what power I am made bold; :
Nor how it may concern my modefty,

In fuch a prefence here, to plead my thoughts:
But, I beseech your Grace, that I may know
The worst that may befal me in this cafe,
If I refufe to wed Demetrius.

The. Either to die the death, or to abjure
For ever the fociety of men.

Therefore, fair Hermia, question your defires;
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun;

For

aye to be in fhady cloifter mew'd, wo

To live a barren fifter all your life,

Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitless, moon?
Thrice bleffed they, that mafter fo their blood,
To unde go fuch maiden pilgrimage!
But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd,
Than that, which withering on the virgin thorn,
Grows, lives and dies, in fingle bleffedness.

Her. So will I grow, fo live, fo die, my lord,
Ere I will yield my virgin patent up

Unto his lordship, to whofe unwifh'd yoak
My foul confents not to give Sav'reignty.

The. Take time to paufe: and by the next new moon,

(The fealing day betwixt my love and me,

For everlafting bond of fellowship)

Upon that day either prepare to die,
For difobedience to your father's will
Or elfe to wed Demetrius, as he would;
Or on Diana's altar to proteft,

For aye, aufterity and fingle life,

Dem. Relent, fweet Hermia; and, Lysander, yield

Thy crazed title to my certain right.

E 2

Lyf

Lys. You have her father's love, Demetrius ;
Let me have Hermia's; do you marry him.

Ege. Scornful Lyfander! true, he hath my love;
And what is mine, my love fhall render him.
And the is mine, and all my right of her
I do eftate unto Demetrius.

Lys. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well poffeft: my love is more than his:
My fortune's every way as fairly rank'd,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius :

And, which is more than all these boasts can be, I
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia.

Why should not I then profecute my right?
Demetrius (I'll avouch it to his head)
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena;
And won her foul; and the, fweet lady, doats,
Devoutly doats, doats in idolatry,

Upon this fpotted and inconftant man.

The. I must confefs, that I have heard fo much,
And with Demetrius thought t' have fpoke thereof
But, being over-full of felf-affairs, c. Jaths as to abonft •1
My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, comes 15 „rodT
And come, Egeus; you fhall go with me;
I have fome private (chooling for you both.
For you, fair Hermia, look, you arm yourfelf
To fit your fancies to your father's will; bong
Or elfe the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of fingle life.
Come; my Hippolita ; what cheer, my love?
Demetrius, and Egeus, go along;

I must employ you in fome bufinefs
Against our nuptials, and confer with you
Of fome thing nearly that concerns yourselves.
Ege. With duty and defire we follow you.

Manent Lyfander and Hermia.

[Exeunt:

Ly. How now, my love? why is your cheek fo pale ? ̧How chance, the roles there do fade fo fast?

Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well

Beteem

Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.

Lyf. Hermia, for aught that ever I could read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,

The courfe of true love never did run fmooth;
But, either it was different in blood-

Her. O crofs!-too high to be enthrall'd to low ! (1)
Lys. Or elfe mifgraffed, in respect of years

Her. O fpight! too old, to be engag'd to young g!
Lyf. Or else it flood upon the choice of friends-
Her. O hell! to choofe love by another's eye!
Ly. Or if there were a fympathy in choice,
War, death, or fickness did lay fiege to it;
Making it momentary as a found,
Swift as a fhadow, fhort as any dream,
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,
That (in a spleen) unfolds both heav'n and earth;
And ere a man hath power to fay, Behold!
The jaws of darknefs do devour it up;

So quick bright things come to confufion.

Her. If then true lovers have been ever croit, It stands as an edict in destiny :

Then, let us teach our trial patience:

Because it is a customary cross,

As due to love, as thoughts and dreams, and fighs,
Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers!

Lyf. A good perfuafion; therefore hear me, Hermia.

(1) Too high, to be enthrall'd to Love.] This Reading poffeffes all the Editions, but carries no juft meaning in it. Nor was Hermia dif. pleafed at being in Love; but regrets the Inconveniences, that ge nerally attend the Paffion: Either, the Parties are difproportioned, in degree of Blood and Quality; or unequal, in refpect of Years or brought together by the Appointment of Friends, and not by their own Choice. Thefe are the Complaints reprefented by Lyfander; and Hermia, to anfwer to the firft, as fhe has done to the other two, muft neceffarily fay;

O cro's!

too high to be enthrall'd to low !

So the Antithefis is kept up in the Terms; and fo fhe is made to condole the Difproportion of Blood and Quality in Lovers,

I have a widow-aunt, a dowager

Of great revenue, and the hath no child;'
From Athens is her house remov'd feven leagues,
And the refpects me as her only fon."
There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;
And to that place the fharp Athenian law
Cannot purfue us. If thou lov'ft me then,
Steal forth thy father's houfe to-morrow night;
And in the wood, a league without the town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena
To do obfervance to the morn of May,
There will I ftay for thee.

Her. My good Lyfander,

I fwear to thee by Capid's ftrongest bow
By his beft arrow with the golden head,
By the fimplicity of Venus' doves.

By that, which knitteth fouls, and profpers loves ;
And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage Queen,
When the falle Trojan under fail was feen;
By all the vows that ever men have broke,
In number more than ever women spoke
In that fame place thou haft appointed me,
To-morrow truly will I meet with thee.
Lyf Keep promife, love.

Look, here comes Helena.

Enter Helena.

Her. God fpeed, fair Helena! whither away
Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unfay;
Demetrius loves you, fair; O happy fair!

Your eyes are load-ftars, and your tongue's sweet air
More tuneable than lark to fhepherd's ear,
When wheat is green, when haw-thorn buds appear.
Sickness is catching: oh, were favour fo!
Your words I'd catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;
My ear fhould catch your voice, my eye your eye;
My tongue fhould catch your tongue's fweet melody.
Were the world mine, Demetrius being 'bated,
The reft I'll give to be to you tranflated.
O teach me, how you look and with what art
You fway the motion of Demetrius' heart.

Her.

Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me ftill.

Hel. Oh, that your frowns would teach my fmiles fuch skill!

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;
Lylander and myself will fly this place,
Before the time I did Lafander see, ́.
Seem'd Athens like a Paradife to me,

then, what graces in my love do dwell,
That he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell?
Lys. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold;
To-morrow-night, when Phebe doth behold.
Her filver vifage in the watry glass,

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

Her. And in the wood, where often you and I
Upon faint primrofe-beds were wont to lie,
Emptying our bofoms of their counfels fweet; (2)
There, my Lyfander and myself shall meet;
And thence from Athens turn away our eyes,
To feek new friends and ftranger companies.

(2) Emptying our Refoms of their Counfels (well'd; There my Lyfander and myself fall meet ;

And thence from Athens turn away cur Eyes,

To feek new Friends, and frange Companions.]

This whole Scene is ftrictly in Rhyme; and that it deviates in thefe two Couplets, I am perfuaded, is owing to the Ignorance of the first, and the Inacuracy of the later Editors I have therefore ventured to reflore the Rhymes, as I make no doubt but the Peet firft gave them. Saucet was eafily corrupted into fwell'd, becaufe that made an Antithefts to Emptying and frange Companions our Editors thought was plain Engli; but firanger Companies, a little quaint and unintelligible. Our Author very often uses the Substantive Stranger adjectively; and Companies, to fignify Companions. E 4

Farewel