Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lyfander?

I am as fair now, as I was erewhile.

Since night, you lov'd me; yet, fince night, you left me: Why, then you left me, O the gods forbid !

In earnest, fhall I fay?

Lys. Ay, by my life;

And never did defire to fee thee more.
Therefore, be out of hope, of queftion, doubt,
Be certain, nothing truer; 'tis no jest,

That I do hate thee, and love Helena.

Her. O me! you jugler! oh, you canker-blossom ! You thief of love! what, have you come by night, And ftol'n my love's heart from him?

Hel. Fine, i'faith!

Have you no modefty, no maiden shame,
No touch of bafhfulness? What, will you tear
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?
Fie, fie! you counterfeit, you puppet, you!
Her. Puppet! why fo! Ay, that way goes the
Now I perceive that the hath made compare
Between our ftatures, fhe hath urg'd her height;
And with her perfonage, her tall perfonage,

game.

Her height, forfooth, fhe hath prevail'd with him.—
And are you grown fo high in his esteem,
Because I am fo dwarfish, and fo low?
How low am I, thou painted maypole? fpeak;

How low am I? I am not yet so low,

But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.

Hel. I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen,

canker-bloom!]-a worm that preys on the buds of flowers.
touch]-fenfe; fpice, remain.

a touch, a feeling

"Haft thou
"Of their afflictions."

TEMPEST, A&t V, S. 1.

Let

g

Let her not hurt me: I was never curst;

I have no gift at all in shrewishness;

I am a right maid for my cowardice;

Let her not strike me: You, perhaps, may think,
Because she's fomething lower than myself,
That I can match her.

Her. Lower! hark, again.

Hel. Good Hermia, do not be fo bitter with me.
I evermore did love you, Hermia,

Did ever keep your counfels, never wrong'd you;
Save that, in love unto Demetrius,

I told him of your stealth unto this wood:
He follow'd you; for love, I follow'd him.
But he hath chid me hence; and threaten'd me
To ftrike me, fpurn me, nay to kill me too :
And now,
now, fo you will let me quiet go,

To Athens will I bear my folly back,
And follow you no further: Let me go :
You fee how fimple and how fond I am.

b

Her. Why, get you gone: Who is't that hinders you? Hel. A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.

Her. What, with Lyfander?

Hel. With Demetrius.

Lyf. Be not afraid; fhe shall not harm thee, Helena. Dem. No, fir; fhe fhall not, though you take her part. Hel. O, when fhe's angry, fhe is keen and shrewd : She was a vixen, when fhe went to school;

And, though she be but little, fhe is fierce.

Her. Little again? nothing but low and little ?— Why will you fuffer her to flout me thus ?

Let me come to her.

Lyf. Get you gone, you dwarf;

carft;]-quarrelfome.

You

You'minimus, of hind'ring knot-grafs made;
You bead, you acorn.

Dem. You are too officious,

In her behalf that scorns your services.
Let her alone; fpeak not of Helena;

Take not her part: for if thou doft* intend
Never fo little fhew of love to her,

Thou shalt 'aby it.

Lys. Now fhe holds me not;

Now follow, if thou dar'ft, to try whose right,

Or thine or mine, is moft in Helena.

Dem. Follow ?

nay, I'll

[Exit Lyfander and Demetrius.

Her. You, mistress, all this "coyl is 'long of you:

Nay, go not back.

Hel. I will not trust you, I;

Nor longer stay in your curft company.

Your hands, than mine, are quicker for a fray;

My legs are longer though, to run away.

[Exeunt: Hermia pursuing Helena. Ob. This is thy negligence: ftill thou mistak'st, Or else commit'it thy knaveries willingly.

Puck. Believe me, king of fhadows, I mistook.
Did not you tell me, I fhould know the man
By the Athenian garments he had on?
And so far blameless proves my enterprize,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes:
And fo far am I glad it did foa fort,
As this their jangling I esteem a sport.

i You minim, you-you diminutive, you reptile.
k intend-make tender of.

n

cheek by jowl.]—fide by fide.

1aby it.]-pay dearly for it.

coyl is 'long of you :]-disturbance is occafioned by you. • in your curft company.]-in company with such a vixen.

P wilfully.

a fort,]-fall out.

Ob.

Ob. Thou feest, these lovers feek a place to fight:
Hie therefore, Robin, overcaft the night;
The ftarry welkin cover thou anon
With drooping fog, as black as Acheron ;
And lead these testy rivals so astray,
As one come not within another's way.
Like to Lyfander fometime frame thy tongue,
Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
And sometimes rail thou like Demetrius ;
And from each other look thou lead them thus,
'Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting fleep
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep:
Then crush this herb into Lyfander's eye;
Whofe liquor hath this 'virtuous property,
To take from thence all error, with his might,
And make his eye-balls roll with wonted fight.
When they next wake, all this 'derifion

Shall feem a dream, and fruitlefs vifion;
And back to Athens fhall the lovers 'wend,
With league, whofe date 'till death fhall never end.
Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,

I'll to my queen, and beg her Indian boy;
And then I will her charmed eye release
From monfter's view, and all things fhall be

peace.

Puck. My fairy lord, this must be done with haste;
For night's fwift dragons cut the clouds full fast,
And yonder fhines Aurora's harbinger;

At whofe approach, ghofts, wandering here and there,
Troop home to church-yards: damned spirits all,
That in cross-ways and floods have burial,

Already to their wormy beds are gone;

For fear left day fhould look their fhames upon,

virtuous property,]—falutary effect. derifion]-fcene of mockery.

E 2

• wend,]-go.

They

They wilfully themselves exile from light,
And must for aye confort with black-brow'd night.
03. But we are spirits of another fort:

I with "the morning's love have oft made sport ;
And, like a forefter, the groves may tread,
Even till the eastern gate, all fiery-red,
Opening on Neptune with fair bleffed beams,
Turns into yellow gold his falt-green streams.
But, notwithstanding, hafte; make no delay :
We may effect this business yet ere day.

Puck. Up and down, up and down;

I will lead them up and down:
I am fear'd in field and town;

Goblin, lead them up and down.
Here comes one.

Enter Lyfander.

[Exit Ob.

Lys. Where art thou, proud Demetrius? speak thou

now.

Puck. Here, villain; drawn and ready. Where art thou? Lys. I will be with thee straight.

Puck. Follow me then

To plainer ground.

[Lyf. goes out, as following Dem.

Enter Demetrius.

Dem. Lyfander! speak again.

Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou filed?

Speak-In fome bush?-where doft thou hide thy head? Puck. Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars, Telling the bushes that thou look'st for wars,

And wilt not come? Come, recreant; come, thou child;

the morning's love have oft made Sport ;]-have oft paid a sportsman's devoirs to the morning;-or the words may allude to the amours of Tithonus and Aurora-morning light.

w In fome bush ?]-Art thou crept into some bu?—