Glance at my credit with Hippolyta, Knowing I know thy love to Theseus? Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night From Perigenia," whom he ravished? And make him with fair Æglé break his faith, With Ariadne, and Antiopa? Tita. These are the forgeries of jealousy: y Perigenia,] Our ancient authors were not scrupulous about proper names, -the real name was Perigune, Ægle, Ariadne, and Antiopa, were all at different times mistresses of Theseus.-STEEVENS. 2 And never, since the middle summer's spring, &c.] The middle summer's spring, is, I apprehend, the season when trees put forth their second, or, as they are frequently called, their midsummer shoots.-HENLEY. b pelting-] Despicable, mean, sorry, wretched. overborne their continents:] Borne down the banks that contain them. The word continents is used in Lear in the same sense.-JOHNSON. murrain-] The plague in cattle here used as an adjective, signifying dead of the murrain. C The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud;] Nine men's morris is a game still played by the shepherds, cowkeepers, &c. in the midland counties, as follows: A figure is made on the ground by cutting out the turf; and two persons take each nine stones, which they place by turns in the angles, and afterwards move alternately, as at chess or draughts. He who can place three in a straight line, may then take off any one of his adversary's, where he pleases, till one, having lost all his men, loses the game.-ALCHORNE. e the quaint mazes in the wanton green,] This alludes to a sport still followed by boys; i. e. what is now called running the figure of eight. STERVENS. 268 MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM. For lack of tread, are undistinguishable : From our debate, from our dissention; Obe. Do you amend it then: it lies in you: I do but beg a little changeling boy, To be my henchman. Tita. Set your heart at rest, The fairy land buys not the child of me. The human mortals-] Men, as distinguished from fairies; who, though not human were subject to mortality.-The death of fairies was questioned by Mr. Ritson; but Spenser has established the fact beyond a doubt, by giving the pedigree of Oberon himself, who succeeded Elferon, and, after his death, was succeeded by Tanaquil, or Gloriana.-See Spenser's Fairy Queen, b. 2 c. x. from the seventieth stanza to the end. 8- · distemperature—] i. e. The discord of the king and queen.—MALONE. Or, the perturbation of the elements.-STEEVENS. The childing autumn,]—is the pregnant autumn, frugifer autumnus.— STEEVENS. k By their increase,] i. e. By their produce. henchman.] Page of honour. This office was abolished at court by Queen Elizabeth.-GREY. And grow big-bellied, with the wanton wind: To fetch me trifles, and return again, Obe. How long within this wood intend you stay? If you will patiently dance in our round, And see our moonlight revels, go with us; If not, shun me, and I will spare your haunts. Obe. Give me that boy, and I will go with thee. Tita. Not for thy fairy kingdom.—Fairies, away: We shall chide down-right, if I longer stay. [Exeunt TITANIA, and her train. Obe. Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove, Till I torment thee for this injury.— My gentle Puck, come hither: Thou remember'st Since once I sat upon a promontory, And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin's back, Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath, And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, Puck. I remember. Obe. That very time I saw, (but thou could'st not,) At a fair vestal, throned by the west; And loos'd his love-shaft smartly from his bow, But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft In maiden meditation, fancy-free :' 1 -fancy-free:] i. e. Exempt from the power of love.-The whole of this beautiful passage is designed as a compliment to Queen Elizabeth.-Dr. War Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell: Before, milk-white; now purple with love's wound,— Fetch me that flower; the herb I show'd thee once; Puck. I'll put a girdle round about the earth Obe. Having once this juice, I'll watch Titania when she is asleep, And drop the liquor of it in her eyes; The next thing then she waking looks upon, On meddling monkey, or on busy ape,) And ere I take this charm off from her sight, I'll make her render up her page to me. [Exit PUCK. Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA following him. Dem. I love thee not, therefore pursue me not. Where is Lysander, and fair Hermia? The one I'll slay, the other slayeth me. Thou told'st me, they were stol'n into this wood, Because I cannot meet with Hermia. Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more. Hel. You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant; But yet you draw not iron, for my heart m burton has attempted to shew that the mermaid meant Mary Queen of Scots : but this was a task which it exceeded even his ingenuity to accomplish. love-in-idleness.] The flower commonly called pansies, or heart's-ease, is named love-in-idleness in Warwickshire, and in Lyte's Herbal. There is a reason why Shakspeare says it is "now purple with love's wound," because one or two of its petals are of a purple colour.-TOLLET. wood-] i. e. Mad. Is true as steel: Leave you your power to draw, Dem. Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Tell you I do not, nor I cannot love you? Hel. And even for that do I love you the more. The more you beat me, I will fawn on you: Dem. Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; For I am sick, when I do look on thee. Hel. And I am sick, when I look not on you. To leave the city, and commit yourself Into the hands of one that loves you not; Hel. Your virtue is my privilege for that. When all the world is here to look on me? Dem. I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts. Hel. The wildest hath not such a heart as you. Dem. I will not stay thy questions; let me go: |