The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

I followed fast, but faster he did fly, That fallen am I in dark uneven way, And here will rest me. [Lies down] Come, thou gentle day.

For if but once thou show me thy grey light, I"ll find Demetrius, and revenge this spite. [Sleeps]

Re-enter PUCK and DEMETRIUS

PUCK. Ho, ho, ho! Coward, why com"st thou not?

DEMETRIUS. Abide me, if thou dar"st; for well I wot Thou run"st before me, shifting every place, And dar"st not stand, nor look me in the face.

Where art thou now?

PUCK. Come hither; I am here.

DEMETRIUS. Nay, then, thou mock"st me. Thou shalt buy this dear, If ever I thy face by daylight see; Now, go thy way. Faintness constraineth me To measure out my length on this cold bed.

By day"s approach look to be visited.

[Lies down and sleeps]

Enter HELENA

HELENA. O weary night, O long and tedious night, Abate thy hours! Shine comforts from the east, That I may back to Athens by daylight, From these that my poor company detest.

And sleep, that sometimes shuts up sorrow"s eye, Steal me awhile from mine own company. [Sleeps]

PUCK. Yet but three? Come one more; Two of both kinds makes up four.

Here she comes, curst and sad.

Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor females mad.

Enter HERMIA

HERMIA. Never so weary, never so in woe, Bedabbled with the dew, and torn with briers, I can no further crawl, no further go; My legs can keep no pace with my desires.

Here will I rest me till the break of day.

Heavens shield Lysander, if they mean a fray!

[Lies down and sleeps]

PUCK. On the ground Sleep sound; I"ll apply To your eye, Gentle lover, remedy.

[Squeezing the juice on LYSANDER"S eyes]

When thou wak"st, Thou tak"st True delight In the sight Of thy former lady"s eye; And the country proverb known, That every man should take his own, In your waking shall be shown: Jack shall have Jill; Nought shall go ill; The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.

Exit

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ACT IV. SCENE I.

The wood. LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, HELENA, and HERMIA, lying asleep

Enter t.i.tANIA and Bottom; PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED, and other FAIRIES attending; OBERON behind, unseen

t.i.tANIA. Come, sit thee down upon this flow"ry 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.

BOTTOM. Where"s Peaseblossom?

PEASEBLOSSOM. Ready.

BOTTOM. Scratch my head, Peaseblossom.

Where"s Mounsieur Cobweb?

COBWEB. Ready.

BOTTOM. Mounsieur Cobweb; good mounsieur, get you your weapons in your hand and kill me a red-hipp"d humble-bee on the top of a thistle; and, good mounsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, mounsieur; and, good mounsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loath to have you overflown with a honey-bag, signior. Where"s Mounsieur Mustardseed?

MUSTARDSEED. Ready.

BOTTOM. Give me your neaf, Mounsieur Mustardseed. Pray you, leave your curtsy, good mounsieur.

MUSTARDSEED. What"s your will?

BOTTOM. Nothing, good mounsieur, but to help Cavalery Cobweb to scratch. I must to the barber"s, mounsieur; for methinks I am marvellous hairy about the face; and I am such a tender a.s.s, if my hair do but tickle me I must scratch.

t.i.tANIA. What, wilt thou hear some music, my sweet love?

BOTTOM. I have a reasonable good ear in music. Let"s have the tongs and the bones.

t.i.tANIA. Or say, sweet love, what thou desirest to eat.

BOTTOM. 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.

t.i.tANIA. I have a venturous fairy that shall seek The squirrel"s h.o.a.rd, and fetch thee new nuts.

BOTTOM. 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.

t.i.tANIA. Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms.

Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away. Exeunt FAIRIES So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle Gently entwist; the female ivy so Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.

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

Enter PUCK

OBERON. [Advancing] Welcome, good Robin. Seest thou this sweet sight?

Her dotage now I do begin to pity; For, meeting her of late behind the wood, Seeking sweet favours for this hateful fool, 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 flowerets" eyes, 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.

[Touching her eyes]

Be as thou wast wont to be; See as thou was wont to see.

Dian"s bud o"er Cupid"s flower Hath such force and blessed power.

Now, my t.i.tania; wake you, my sweet queen.

t.i.tANIA. My Oberon! What visions have I seen!

Methought I was enamour"d of an a.s.s.

OBERON. There lies your love.

t.i.tANIA. How came these things to pa.s.s?

O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now!

OBERON. Silence awhile. Robin, take off this head.

t.i.tania, music call; and strike more dead Than common sleep of all these five the sense.

t.i.tANIA. Music, ho, music, such as charmeth sleep!

PUCK. Now when thou wak"st with thine own fool"s eyes peep.

OBERON. Sound, music. Come, my Queen, take hands with me, [Music]

And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be.

Now thou and I are new in amity, And will to-morrow midnight solemnly Dance in Duke Theseus" house triumphantly, And bless it to all fair prosperity.

There shall the pairs of faithful lovers be Wedded, with Theseus, an in jollity.

PUCK. Fairy King, attend and mark; I do hear the morning lark.

OBERON. Then, my Queen, in silence sad, Trip we after night"s shade.

We the globe can compa.s.s soon, Swifter than the wand"ring moon.

t.i.tANIA. Come, my lord; and in our flight, Tell me how it came this night That I sleeping here was found With these mortals on the ground. Exeunt

To the winding of horns, enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train

THESEUS. Go, one of you, find out the forester; For now our observation is perform"d, And since we have the vaward of the day, My love shall hear the music of my hounds.

Uncouple in the western valley; let them go.