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And, sleep, that sometime shuts up sorrow's eye,
Steal me a while from mine own company.

Puck. Yet but three? come one more;

[Sleeps.

Two of both kinds makes up four.

Here she comes, curst, and sad :-
Cupid is a knavish lad,

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Thus to make poor females mad.

Enter HERMIA.

Her. 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!

Puck. On the ground

Sleep sound:

I'll apply

To your eye,

Gentle lover, remedy.

[Lies down.

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[Squeezing the Juice on LYSANDER's Eye. 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:

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Jack

Jack shall have Jill;

Nought shall go ill;

The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be

well.

[Exit PUCK.

[They sleep.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

A Wood. Enter Queen of the Fairies, BOTTOM, Fairies attending, and the King behind them.

Queen.

COME, sit thee down upon this flowery 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.
Bot. Where's Pease-blossom?

Pease. Ready.

Bot. Scratch my head, Pease-blossom.-Where's monsieur Cobweb?

Cob. Ready.

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Bot. Monsieur Cobweb; good monsieur, get your weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hip'd humble bee on the top of a thistle; and, good monsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur; and, good monsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loth to have you over-flown with a honey-bag, signior.Where's monsieur Mustard-seed?

Must. Ready.

Bot.

Bot. Give me your neif, monsieur Mustard-seed. Pray you, leave your courtesy, good monsieur.

Must. What's your will?

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Bot. Nothing, good monsieur, but to help cavalero Cobweb to scratch. I must to the barber's, monsieur; for, methinks, I am marvellous hairy about the face and I am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me, I must scratch.

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Queen. What, wilt thou hear some musick, my sweet love?

Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in musick: let us have the tongs and the bones. 30 Queen. Or, say, sweet love, what thou desir'st to eat. Bot. 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.

Queen. I have a venturous fairy that shall seek The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee new nuts.

Bot. I had rather have a handful, or two, of dried pease. But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me; I have an exposition of sleep come upon me. 40 Queen. Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my

arms.

Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away.

So doth the woodbine, the sweet honey-suckle,
Gently entwist, the female ivy so

Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.

O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!

OBERON

OBERON advances. Enter PUCK.

Ob. Welcome, good Robin.

sight?

Seest thou this sweet

Her dotage now I do begin to pity.
For meeting her of late, behind the wood,
Seeking sweet savours 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 flowret's 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 the Athenian swain;
That he awaking when the others 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 ;

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Be, as thou wast wont to be;

[Touching her Eyes with an Herb.

See, as thou wast wont to see :
Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower

Hath such force and blessed power.

Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen.
Queen. My Oberon! what visions have I seen!
Methought, I was enamour'd of an ass.

Ob. There lies your love.

Queen. How came these things to pass?

Oh, how mine eye doth loath his visage now!

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Ob. Silence, a while. Robin, take off this

head.

Titania, musick call; and strike more dead

Than common sleep, of all these five the sense.

Queen. Musick, ho! musick; such as charmeth

sleep.

Puck. When thou awak'st, with thine own fool's

eyes peep.

Ob. Sound, musick. [Still musick.] Come my queen, take hands with me,

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,

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And bless it to all fair posterity:

There shall these pairs of faithful lovers be
Wedded, with Theseus, all in jollity.
G

Puck.

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