A Midsummer Night's Dream Part 3

And ere I take this charme off from her sight, (As I can take it with another hearbe) Ile make her render vp her Page to me.

But who comes heere? I am inuisible, And I will ouer-heare their conference.

Enter Demetrius, Helena following him.

Deme. I loue thee not, therefore pursue me not, Where is Lysander, and faire Hermia?

The one Ile stay, the other stayeth me.

Thou toldst me they were stolne into this wood; And heere am I, and wood within this wood, Because I cannot meet my 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 Is true as steele. Leaue you your power to draw, And I shall haue no power to follow you

Deme. Do I entice you? do I speake you faire?

Or rather doe I not in plainest truth, Tell you I doe not, nor I cannot loue you?

Hel. And euen for that doe I loue thee the more; I am your spaniell, and Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawne on you.

Vse me but as your spaniell; spurne me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me; onely giue me leaue (Vnworthy as I am) to follow you.

What worser place can I beg in your loue, (And yet a place of high respect with me) Then to be vsed as you doe your dogge

Dem. Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit, For I am sicke when I do looke on thee

Hel. And I am sicke when I looke not on you

Dem. You doe impeach your modesty too much, To leaue the Citty, and commit your selfe Into the hands of one that loues you not, To trust the opportunity of night.

And the ill counsell of a desert place, With the rich worth of your virginity

Hel. Your vertue is my priuiledge: for that It is not night when I doe see your face.

Therefore I thinke I am not in the night, Nor doth this wood lacke worlds of company, For you in my respect are all the world.

Then how can it be said I am alone, When all the world is heere to looke on me?

Dem. Ile run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, And leaue thee to the mercy of wilde beasts

Hel. The wildest hath not such a heart as you; Runne when you will, the story shall be chang'd: Apollo flies and Daphne holds the chase; The Doue pursues the Griffin, the milde Hinde Makes speed to catch the Tyger. Bootlesse speede, When cowardise pursues, and valour flies

Demet. I will not stay thy questions, let me go; Or if thou follow me, doe not beleeue, But I shall doe thee mischiefe in the wood

Hel. I, in the Temple, in the Towne, and Field You doe me mischiefe. Fye Demetrius, Your wrongs doe set a scandall on my s.e.xe: We cannot fight for loue, as men may doe; We should be woo'd, and were not made to wooe.

I follow thee, and make a heauen of h.e.l.l, To die vpon the hand I loue so well.

Enter.

Ob. Fare thee well Nymph, ere he do leaue this groue, Thou shalt flie him, and he shall seeke thy loue.

Hast thou the flower there? Welcome wanderer.

Enter Pucke.

Puck. I there it is

Ob. I pray thee giue it me.

I know a banke where the wilde time blowes, Where Oxslips and the nodding Violet growes, Quite ouer-cannoped with luscious woodbine, With sweet muske roses, and with Eglantine; There sleepes Tytania, sometime of the night, Lul'd in these flowers, with dances and delight: And there the snake throwes her enammel'd skinne, Weed wide enough to rap a Fairy in.

And with the iuyce of this Ile streake her eyes, And make her full of hatefull fantasies.

Take thou some of it, and seek through this groue; A sweet Athenian Lady is in loue With a disdainefull youth: annoint his eyes, But doe it when the next thing he espies, May be the Lady. Thou shalt know the man, By the Athenian garments he hath on.

Effect it with some care, that he may proue More fond on her, then she vpon her loue; And looke thou meet me ere the first c.o.c.ke crow

Pu. Feare not my Lord, your seruant shall do so.

Enter.

Enter Queene of Fairies, with her traine.

Queen. Come, now a Roundell, and a Fairy song; Then for the third part of a minute hence, Some to kill Cankers in the muske rose buds, Some warre with Reremise, for their leathern wings.

To make my small Elues coates, and some keepe backe The clamorous Owle that nightly hoots and wonders At our queint spirits: Sing me now asleepe, Then to your offices, and let me rest

Fairies Sing. You spotted Snakes with double tongue, Th.o.r.n.y Hedgehogges be not seene, Newts and blinde wormes do no wrong, Come not neere our Fairy Queene.

Philomele with melodie, Sing in your sweet Lullaby.

Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby, Neuer harme, nor spell, nor charme, Come our louely Lady nye, So good night with Lullaby

2.Fairy. Weauing Spiders come not heere, Hence you long leg'd Spinners, hence: Beetles blacke approach not neere; Worme nor Snayle doe no offence.

Philomele with melody, &c

1.Fairy. Hence away, now all is well; One aloofe, stand Centinell.

Shee sleepes.

Enter Oberon.

Ober. What thou seest when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true Loue take: Loue and languish for his sake.

Be it Ounce, or Catte, or Beare, Pard, or Boare with bristled haire, In thy eye that shall appeare, When thou wak'st, it is thy deare, Wake when some vile thing is neere.

Enter Lisander and Hermia.

Lis. Faire loue, you faint with wandring in y woods, And to speake troth I haue forgot our way: Wee'll rest vs Hermia, If you thinke it good, And tarry for the comfort of the day

Her. Be it so Lysander; finde you out a bed, For I vpon this banke will rest my head

Lys. One turfe shall serue as pillow for vs both, One heart, one bed, two bosomes, and one troth

Her. Nay good Lysander, for my sake my deere Lie further off yet, doe not lie so neere

Lys. O take the sence sweet, of my innocence, Loue takes the meaning, in loues conference, I meane that my heart vnto yours is knit, So that but one heart can you make of it.

Two bosomes interchanged with an oath, So then two bosomes, and a single troth.

Then by your side, no bed-roome me deny, For lying so, Hermia, I doe not lye

Her. Lysander riddles very prettily; Now much beshrew my manners and my pride, If Hermia meant to say, Lysander lied.

But gentle friend, for loue and courtesie Lie further off, in humane modesty, Such separation, as may well be said, Becomes a vertuous batchelour, and a maide, So farre be distant, and good night sweet friend; Thy loue nere alter, till thy sweet life end

Lys. Amen, amen, to that faire prayer, say I, And then end life, when I end loyalty: Heere is my bed, sleepe giue thee all his rest

Her. With halfe that wish, the wishers eyes be prest.

Enter Pucke. They sleepe.

Puck. Through the Forest haue I gone, But Athenian finde I none, One whose eyes I might approue This flowers force in stirring loue.

Nigh and silence: who is heere?

Weedes of Athens he doth weare: This is he (my master said) Despised the Athenian maide: And heere the maiden sleeping sound, On the danke and durty ground.

Pretty soule, she durst not lye Neere this lacke-loue, this kill-curtesie.

Churle, vpon thy eyes I throw All the power this charme doth owe: When thou wak'st, let loue forbid Sleepe his seate on thy eye-lid.

So awake when I am gone: For I must now to Oberon.