This Man has my Consent to Marry her Stand forth Lysander this most Noble Duke This has Bewitch'd the Bosom of my Child Thou thou Lysander thou hast given her Spells In Bracelets of thy Hair Rings Lockets Verses Arts that prevail on unexperienc'd Youth With cunning thou hast stoln my Daughter's Heart Turn'd her Obedience which is due to me To Stubborness If therefore Royal Sir My Daughter does not here before your Grace Consent to Marry with Demetrius Let the stern Law punish her Disobedience And Cage her in a Nunnery Du. Be advis'd Fair Hermia To you your Father should be as a God The Maker of those Beauties yes and one To whom you are but as a Form in Wax By him Imprinted and within his Pow'r To leave the Figure or to race it out Her O would my Father look'd but with my Eyes Du. No no your Eyes must with his Judgment look Her Let me intreat you Sir to Pardon me I know not by what Power I am made bold Nor how it may concern my Modesty In such a Presence to unfold my thoughts But I beseech your Grace that I may know The worst that may befal me in this case If I refuse to Wed Demetrius Du. You must Abjure For ever the Society of Men. Therefore Fair Hermia question your Desires Know of your Youth examine well your Blood Whether if you refuse your Father's Choice You can indure the Habit of a Nun To be immur'd for ever in a Cloister Her Is there no Mean No other Choice my Lord Du. None Hermia none Therefore prepare to be Obedient Or like a Rose to wither on the Tree Consider well take till to morrow Morning And give me then your Resolution De. Relent sweet Hermia and Lysander yield Your doubtful Title to my certain right Ly. You have her Father's Love Demetrius Let me have Hermia's Marry marry him Eg. Scornful Lysander true he has my Love And what is mine my Love shall render him And she is mine and all my right in her I give and settle on Demetrius Ly. I am my Lord as Nobly Born as he My Fortune 's every way as great as his And without boast my Love is more than his But what is more than all these boasts can be I am Belov'd of Beautious Hermia Why should this Faithless Man Invade my Right He who solicited Old Nedar's Daughter And won her Love The Beautious Hellena Tho' she 's neglected she poor Lady dotes Upon this spotted and inconstant Man Du. 'T is true Lysander I have heard as much Hermia resolve to be obedient Or as the Law ordains it you must take An everlasting Farewel of the World To Morrow in the Morning give your answer so farewell Ex. all but Her and Ly. Ly. O my true Hermia I have never found By Observation nor by History That Lovers run a smooth and even course Either they are unequal in their Birth Her O cross too high to be impos'd on Love Ly. Or if there be a Simpathy in choice War Sickness or pale Death lay Siege to it Making it momentary as a sound Swift as the Lightning in the blackest night That at one Instant shews both Heav'n and Earth Yet e'er a man can say behold the Flame The jaws of darkness have devour'd it up So quick even brightest things run to Confusion Her If then true Lovers have been ever cross'd It stands as a Decree in Destiny Then let us teach each other Patience Because it is a customary thing Ly. 'T is well advis'd my Hermia Pray hear me I have an Aunt a Widow She has no Child and is extreamly rich She chose me loves me bred me as her Son Has setled all her Fortune upon me To her we 'll fly and there my sweetest Hermia There if you give consent I 'll marry you And thither this Inhuman Cruel Law Cannot pursue us If thou lov'st me then Steal from thy Father's House this very night And in the Wood a mile without the Town Near the great spreading Oak I 'll stay for thee And at some little distance from that place Have all things ready to convey thee thence Her Oh my Lysander I swear to thee by Cupid's strongest Bow By his best Arrow with the Golden Head By all the Oaths which ever Men have broke In number more than ever Women spoke I will where thou appoint'st meet my Lysander Ly. Enough my Love look here comes Hellena Enter Hellena Her Welcome fair Hellena Hel. You mock me Hermia when you call me fair 'T is you are fair 't is you Demetrius loves Sickness is catching oh were Beauty so I 'd catch your Graces Hermia e'er I go My Ear should catch your Voice my Eye your Eye My Tongue should catch your Tongue 's sweet Harmony O teach me how you look and with what art You charm and govern my Demetrius's Heart Her I frown upon him yet he loves me still Hel. Oh that your frowns could teach my smiles such Skill Her I give him Curses when he gives me Love Hel. Oh that my Prayers could such Affection move Her His Folly Hellena is none of mine Hel. No 't is your Beauty wou'd that Fault were mine Her Take comfort he no more shall see my Face Ly. To you fair Hellena we 'll disclose our minds This very night when Luna does behold Her Silver Visage in the Watry Glass Decking with liquid-Pearl the bladed-Grass A time propitious to unhappy Lovers We from this cursed Town will steal away Her And in the Wood where often you and I Upon faint Primrose Beds have laid us down Emptying our Bosoms of our secret thoughts There my Lysander and my self shall meet To seek new Friends new Habitations Ly. Madam farewell O may the Pow'rs above Make Hellen happy in Demetrius's Love Exeunt Lysander and Hermia Hel. Oh why should she be more belov'd than I My Beauty is as much extol'd as hers But what of that Demetrius thinks not so He will not see that which all others do Love looks not with the Eyes but with the Mind Therefore the God of Love is painted blind Love never had of Judgment any Taste Wings and no Eyes must figure thoughtless Haste For the same reason Love is call'd a Child Because so often in his choice beguil'd As Boys ev'n at their Sports themselves forswear So the Boy Love is perjur'd every where Before Demetrius saw fair Hermia's Eyes He swore his Heart was made my Beauty's Prize But when from Hermia new heat he felt His frozen Oaths did in an Instant melt I 'll to Demetrius tell him of their flight The place they meet at by the Moon 's pale light Then to the Wood he will pursue the Maid And if he thanks me I am overpaid Exit Enter Quince the Carpenter Snug the Joyner Bottom the Weaver Flute the Bellows-mender Snout the Tinker and Starveling the Taylor Qu. Is all our Company here Bo. You had best call 'em generally Man by Man according to the
wak'st with thy own Fools Eyes peep He takes off the Ass's Head Ob. Titania call for Musick Tit. Let us have all Variety of Musick All that should welcome up the rising Sun The Scene changes to a Garden of Fountains A Sonata plays while the Sun rises it appears red through the Mist as it ascends it dissipates the Vapours and is seen in its full Lustre then the Scene is perfectly discovered the Fountains enrich'd with gilding and adorn'd with Statues The view is terminated by a Walk of Cypress Trees which lead to a delightful Bower Before the Trees stand rows of Marble Columns which support many Walks which rise by Stairs to the top of the House the Stairs are adorn'd with Figures on Pedestals and Rails and Balasters on each side of ' em Near the top vast Quantities of Water break out of the Hills and fall in mighty Cascade's to the bottom of the Scene to feed the Fountains which are on each side In the middle of the Stage is a very large Fountain where the Water rises about twelve Foot Then the 4 Seasons enter with their several Attendants One of the Attendants begin NOW the Night is chac'd away All salute the rising Sun 'T is the happy happy Day The Birth-Day of King Oberon Two others sing in Parts Let the Fifts and the Clarions and shrill Trumpets sound And the Arch of high Heav'n the Clangor resound A Machine appears the Clouds break from before it and Phoebus appears in a Chariot drawn by four Horses and Sings When a cruel long Winter has frozen the Earth And Nature Imprison'd seeks in vain to be free I dart forth my Beams to give all things a Birth Making Spring for the Plants every flower and each Tree 'T is I who give Life Warmth and Being to all Even Love who rules all things in Earth Air and Sea Would languish and fade and to nothing woul fall The World to its Chaos would return but for me Chorus Hail Great Parent of us all Light and Comfort of the Earth Before thy Shrine the Seasons fall Thou who givest all Beings Birth Spring Thus the ever Grateful Spring Does her yearly Tribute bring All your Sweets before him lay Then round his Altar Sing and Play Summer Here 's the Summer Sprightly Gay Smiling Wanton Fresh and Fair Adorn'd with all the Flowers of May Whose various Sweets perfume the Air. Autumn See my many Colour'd Fields And loaded Trees my Will obey All the Fruit that Autumn yields I offer to the God of Day Winter Now Winter comes Slowly Pale Meager and Old First trembling with Age and then quiv'ring with Cold Benum'd with hard Frosts and with Snow cover'd o're Prays the SUN to Restore him and Sings as before Chorus Hail Great Parent c. A DANCE of the Four Seasons Ob. Now my Puck this Herb apply To the Mistaken Lover's Eye The powerful Juice will clear his Sight Make 'em Friends and set all right Tit. Come my Lord and tell me how How I sleeping here was found With these Mortals on the Ground Ex. All but Puck Rob. On the Ground sleeping sound I apply to your eye gentle Lover Remedy When thou wak'st then thou tak'st True Delight in thy former Lady's sight And the Country Proverb known That every Man should take his own In your waking shall be shown Jack shall have Gill nought shall go ill The Man shall have his Mare again and all shall be well Exit ACT V. Enter Duke Egeus and Train Du. GO one of you find out the Forrester I long to hear the Musick of my Hounds They shall uncouple in the Western Vally Eg. I mark'd it lately 't was a gallant chiding Beside the Groves the Hills and distant Vales The Skies the Fountains every Region near Seem'd all one mutual cry I never heard So Musical a discord such sweet Thunder Du. My Hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind So flew'd so sanded and their Heads are hung With Ears that sweep away the morning dew Crook-kneed and Dew-lapt like Thessalian Bulls Slow in pursuit but match'd in Mouth like Bells Each under each a cry more tunable Was never hollow'd too nor cheer'd with Horn Judg when you hear But soft what Nymphs are these Eg. My Leigh this is my Daughter here asleep And this Lysander this Demetrius This Helena how came they here together Du. No doubt They rose to grace our Solemn Hunting here But speak Egeus is not this the Day Hermia should give her answer Eg. It is my Leige Du. Go bid the Huntsmen wake 'em with their Musick A Composition in imitation of Hunting at the end of it a Shout the Lovers wake God morrow friends Saint Vallentines is past How came these Wood-birds but to couple now Ly. Pardon me gracious Sir Du. Stand up Lysander I know you two are Rival Enemies How comes this noble Concord in the World That hatred is so far from Jealousie To sleep by hate Ly. Sir I shall answer you amazedly I do not sleep yet scarce am half awake I do not truly know how I came hither But as I think for I would truly speak Yes now I think I can remember it Hither I came with beauteous Hermia Our intent was to fly from hence and so Evade the danger of your Cruel Law Eg. Enough most Noble Duke he owns enough I ask your Justice for this breach of Law They would have stol'n away they would Demetrius They meant to have defeated you and me You of your Wife and me of my Consent De. All this fair Helen told me my good Lord And hither I in Fury follow'd 'em Hither the too kind Helen follow'd me And here by some strange pow'r I know not how My Love to Hermia melted like the Snow And now she seems but as an idle Toy Which in my Infancy I doted on And all my Faith the Vertue of my Heart Joy of my Life and Pleasure of my Eye Is only Helena's I was my Lord Betroth'd to her e're I saw Hermia But then my sickly Palate loath'd its Food Now I 'm in Health come to my natural tast And now I wish I love I long for it And will be ever true to Helena Du. Then we came hither in a happy time Egeus I must over-rule your Will For in the Temple when our Hunting's done These Lovers shall eternally be joyn'd Egeus I will be a Father too And give fair Helen to Demetrius Then feast these Lovers Royally away Ex. all but the Lovers Ly. How have I dream'd and thought I was awake And now I am awake think I dream still Hel. I never was so happy when awake Nay pray disturb me not let me dream on De. These things seem strange and undistinguishable Like Mountains far far off turn'd into Clouds Her Methinks I see 'em with a parted Eye Where every thing seems double Hel. I think so too And I have found Demetrius like a Jewel Long sought for hardly credited when found De. Pray
Heaven we dream not still Did you not think the Duke himself was here Her Yes and my Father Hel. And bid us follow him Ly. Ay to the Temple Hel. And said he 'd give me to Demetrius And feast us Royally Ly. Nay then we are awake let 's follow him And as we go let us recount our Dreams Exeunt A noise of Hunting at a distance Bottom wakes Bot. When my Cue comes call me and I will answer My next is most fair Pyramus hey ho Peter Quince Snout the Tinker Starveling ' Ods my life stoln hence and left me asleep I have had a most rare Vision I had a Dream past the Wit of Man to say what Dream it was Man is but an Ass if he go about to expound this Dream Methought I was no Man can tell what Methought I was and methought I had but that Man is an arrant Fool who will offer to say what methought I had I will get Peter Quince to write a Ballad of this Dream it shall be called Bottom's Dream because it has no bottom And I will sing it my self at the latter end of our Play before the Duke Enter Quince Flute Snout Starveling Qu. I have sought far and near and cannot find him St. So have I. Out of doubt he is Translated Qu. If we find him not our Play is marr'd it cannot be done without him He has simply the best Wit of any Handicraft Man in the whole Town Qu. Yes and the best Person too then he is a very Raven for a sweet Voice Enter Snug Sn. O Masters the Duke 's going to the Temple the Lords and the Ladies are to be Married this Morning If our Play had gone forward we had been all made Men. Snout Ah sweet Bully Bottom thou hast lost God knows what An the Duke had not given him God knows what for Playing Pyramus I 'll be hang'd Bot. O are you here my Lads my hearts of Iron Qu. He 's here he 's here Bottom's here O most couragious day O happy day Bot. Masters I am to discourse wonders to you but ask me not what for if I tell you I am no true man For I will tell every thing as it fell out Qu. Let us hear it then sweet Bottom Bot. Not a word all I will tell you is Get your Apparel together good strings to your Beards new Ribbons Powder and Wash and meet presently at the Palace Our Play shall be preferr'd Let Thisbe have clean Linnen and let not him that Plays the Lion pare his Nails they shall hang out for the Lion's Claws And let no man eat Onions or Garlick for we must utter most sweet breath No more words but away Exeunt Enter Duke Egeus Lovers and Attendants Eg. Are not these Stories strange my Gracious Lord Du. More strange than true I never could believe These Antick Fables nor these Fairy toys Lovers and Lunaticks have pregnant brains They in a moment by strong fancy see More than cool reason o're could comprehend The Poet with the mad-man may be joyn'd He 's of imagination all made up And see 's more Devils than all Hell can hold Can make a Venus of an Ethiop And as imagination rolls about He gives the airy Fantasms of his Brain A Local habitation and a name And so these Lovers wandring in the night Through unfrequented ways brim full of fear Hoe easie is a Bush suppos'd a Bear While a short Simphony Plays Enter Oberon Titania Robin-Good-fellow and all the Fayries I hear strange Musick warbling in the Air. Ob. 'T is Fairy Musick sent by me To cure your Incredulity All was true the Lovers told You shall stranger things behold Mark the wonders shall appear While I feast your eye and ear Du. Where am I does my sence inform me right Or is my hearing better than my sight Tit. When to Parlors we retire And Dance before a dying fire Ob. Or when by night near Woods or Streams We wanton by the Moons pale beams Then gross shades and twinkling light Expose our Shapes to mortal sight But in the bright and open day When in Sol's Glorious beams we play Our bodies are in that fierce light Too thin and pure for humane sight Tit. Sir then cast your eyes above See the Wife of mighty Jove Juno appears in a Machine drawn by Peacocks Ob. Juno who does still preside Over the Sacred Nuptial Bed Comes to bless their days and nights With all true joys and chaste delights While a Symphony Plays the Machine moves forward and the Peacocks spread their Tails and fill the middle of the Theater JUNO Sings THrice happy Lovers may you be For ever ever free From that tormenting Devil Jealousie From all that anxious Care and Strife That attends a married Life Be to one another true Kind to her as she to you And since the Errors of this Night are past May he be ever Constant she be ever Chast The Machine ascends Ob. Now my gentle Puck away Haste and over-cast the Day Let thick Darkness all around Cover that Spot of Fairy Ground That so the gloomy Shades of Night May usher in a glorious Light While the Scene is darken'd a single Entry is danced Then a Symphony is play'd after that the Scene is suddainly Illuminated and discovers a transparent Prospect of a Chinese Garden the Architecture the Trees the Plants the Fruit the Birds the Beasts quite different from what we have in this part of the World It is terminated by an Arch through which is seen other Arches with close Arbors and a row of Trees to the end of the View Over it is a hanging Garden which rises by several ascents to the top of the House it is bounded on either side with pleasant Bowers variours Trees and numbers of strange Birds flying in the Air on the Top of a Platform is a Fountain throwing up Water which falls into a large Basin A Chinese Enters and Sings THus the gloomy World At first began to shine And from the Power Divine A Glory round it hurl'd Which made it bright And gave it Birth in light Then were all Minds as pure As those Etherial Streams In Innocence secure Not Subject to Extreams There was no Room for empty Fame No cause for Pride Ambition wanted aim A Chinese Woman Sings THus Happy and Free Thus treated are we With Nature's chiefest Delights Chorus Thus happy c. We never cloy But renew our Joy And one Bliss another Invites Chorus We never c. Thus wildly we live Thus freely we give What Heaven as freely bestows Chorus Thus wildly c. We were not made For Labour and Trade Which Fools on each other impose Chorus We were not c. A Chinese Man Sings YES Xansi in your Looks I find The Charms by which my Heart 's betray'd Then let not your Disdain unbind The Prisoner that your Eyes have made She that in Love makes least Defence Wounds ever with the surest Dart Beauty may captivate the Sence But
Kindness only gains the Heart Six Monkeys come from between the Trees and Dance Two Women Sing in Parts 1 Wo. HArk how all Things with one Sound rejoyce And the World seems to have one Voice 2 Wo. Hark how the Echoing Air a Triumph Sings And all around pleas'd Cupids clap their Wings 1 Wo. Sure the dull God of Marriage does not hear We 'll rouse him with a Charm Hymen appear Chorus Appear Hymen appear Both. Our Queen of Night commands you not to stay Chorus Our Queen c. Enter Hymen Hy. See see I obey My Torch has long been out I hate On loose dissembled Vows to wait Where hardly Love out-lives the Wedding-Night False Flames Love's Meteors yield my Torch no Light Six Pedestals of China work rise from under the Stage they support six large Vases of Porcelain in which are six China Orange-trees Both Wo. Turn then thy Eyes upon those Glories there And Catching Flames will on thy Torch appear Hy. My Torch indeed will from such Brightness shine Love ne'er had yet such Altars so divine The Pedestals move toward the Front of the Stage and the Grand Dance begins of Twenty four Persons then Hymen and the Two Women sing together THey shall be as happy as they 're fair Love shall fill all the Places of Care And every time the Sun shall display His Rising Light It shall be to them a new Wedding-Day And when he sets a new Nuptial-Night A Chinese Man and Woman dance The Grand Cho. They shall be c. All the Dancers join in it Ob. At Dead of Night we 'll to the Bride-bed come And sprinkle hallow'd Dew-drops round the Room Tit. We 'll drive the Fume about about To keep all Noxious Spirits out That the Issue they create May be ever fortunate Ob. Stay let us not like very foolish Elves Take care of others and neglect our selves If these should be offended we are lost And all our Hopes and future Fortunes cross'd Tit. It is below the Fairy-Queen to fear Look there Can there be any Danger near When Conquering Beauty fills that Heavenly Sphear Ob. But here are Wits and Criticks and 't is said Their Adders Tongues can sting or hit us dead Tit. Away Let not the Name of Wits alarm us They are so very few they cannot harm us Ob. Consider Sharpers Beau's the very Cits All either are or else they would be Wits Tit. Well let 'em all be Wits and if they shou'd Blast us or nip us in the very Bud The Loss will be their own another Day Are we not in a very hopeful Way To make 'em all amends if they will stay Ob. They are impatient and their Stomachs keen They will not be post pon'd 't is you're Fifteen Tit. Well If their Appetites so fiercely crave We 'll give 'em all the Ready that we have First Losing Gamesters Poets Railing Wits Some Basset-Ladies and all Broken Cits Who live by what from others they purloyn We 'll lend 'em mighty Sums in Fairy-Coin Ob. Ladies in Dreams shall have their Fortunes told The Young shall dream of Husbands and the Old Their Youthful Pleasures shall each Night repeat Tit. Green-Sickness Girls who nautiate wholesom Meat How they their Parents and themselves may cheat Ob. Widows who were by former Husbands vex'd Shall dream how they may over-reach the next Tit. Each separate Lady to supply her Want Shall every Night dream of a new Gallant Ob. Those Beau's who were at Nurse chang'd by my Elves Tit. Shall dream of nothing but their pretty selves Ob. We 'll try a Thousand charming Ways to win ye Tit. If all this will not do the Devil 's in ye FINIS