A Midsommer Nights Dreame

William Shakespeare

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by William Shakespeare

July, 2000 [Etext #2242]

***The Project Gutenberg's Etext of Shakespeare's First Folio***

********************A Midsommer Nights Dreame*******************

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Project Gutenberg's Etext of Shakespeare's The first Part of

Henry the Sixt

In addition to the notes below, and so you will *NOT* think all

the spelling errors introduced by the printers of the time have

been corrected, here are the first few lines of Hamlet, as they

are presented herein:

Fran. Nay answer me: Stand & vnfold

Bar. Long liue the King

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extreme attachment to these errors, and many have accorded them a

very high place in the "canon" of Shakespeare. My father read an

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here is the Project Gutenberg Etext of Shakespeare's The first

Part of Henry the Sixt.

Michael S. Hart

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David Reed

Drawes on apace: foure happy daies bring in

This old Moon wanes; She lingers my desires

Long withering out a yong mans reuennew

Hip. Foure daies wil quickly steep the[m]selues in nights

Foure nights wil quickly dreame away the time:

And then the Moone, like to a siluer bow,

Now bent in heauen, shal behold the night

Of our solemnities

The. Go Philostrate,

Stirre vp the Athenian youth to merriments,

Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth,

Turne melancholy forth to Funerals:

The pale companion is not for our pompe,

Enter Egeus and his daughter Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius.

Ege. Happy be Theseus, our renowned Duke

The. Thanks good Egeus: what's the news with thee?

Against my childe, my daughter Hermia.

Stand forth Demetrius.

My Noble Lord,

This man hath my consent to marrie her.

With faining voice, verses of faining loue,

And stolne the impression of her fantasie,

With bracelets of thy haire, rings, gawdes, conceits,

Of strong preuailment in vnhardned youth)

With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughters heart,

Turn'd her obedience (which is due to me)

To stubborne harshnesse. And my gracious Duke,

Be it so she will not heere before your Grace,

Consent to marrie with Demetrius,

I beg the ancient priuiledge of Athens;

Immediately prouided in that case

One that compos'd your beauties; yea and one

By him imprinted: and within his power,

Demetrius is a worthy Gentleman

Her. So is Lysander

The. In himselfe he is.

But in this kinde, wanting your fathers voyce,

The other must be held the worthier

Her. I would my father look'd but with my eyes

The. Rather your eies must with his iudgment looke

Her. I do entreat your Grace to pardon me.

Bot. I will discharge it, in either your straw-colour

beard, your orange tawnie beard, your purple in graine

beard, or your French-crowne colour'd beard, your perfect

yellow

at all, and then you will play bare-fac'd. But masters here

desire you, to con them by too morrow night: and meet

me in the palace wood, a mile without the Towne, by

Moone-light, there we will rehearse: for if we meete in

the Citie, we shalbe dog'd with company, and our deuises

knowne. In the meane time, I wil draw a bil of properties,

Bot. Enough, hold or cut bow-strings.

Actus Secundus.

Enter a Fairie at one dore, and Robin goodfellow at another.

Rob. How now spirit, whether wander you?

Fai. Ouer hil, ouer dale, through bush, through briar,

The Cowslips tall, her pensioners bee,

I must go seeke some dew drops heere,

Farewell thou Lob of spirits, Ile be gon,

Rob. The King doth keepe his Reuels here to night,

Take heed the Queene come not within his sight,

For Oberon is passing fell and wrath,

Because that she, as her attendant, hath

A louely boy stolne from an Indian King,

She neuer had so sweet a changeling,

And iealous Oberon would haue the childe

Knight of his traine, to trace the Forrests wilde.

But she (perforce) with-holds the loued boy,

Crownes him with flowers, and makes him all her ioy.

And now they neuer meete in groue, or greene,

By fountaine cleere, or spangled star-light sheene,

Or else you are that shrew'd and knauish spirit

Cal'd Robin Good-fellow. Are you not hee,

That frights the maidens of the Villagree,

Skim milke, and sometimes labour in the querne,

And bootlesse make the breathlesse huswife cherne,

Misleade night-wanderers, laughing at their harme,

You do their worke, and they shall haue good lucke.

Are not you he?

Rob. Thou speak'st aright;

I am that merrie wanderer of the night:

I iest to Oberon, and make him smile,

Sometime for three-foot stoole, mistaketh me,

Then slip I from her bum, downe topples she,

And tailour cries, and fals into a coffe.

And waxen in their mirth, and neeze, and sweare,

A merrier houre was neuer wasted there.

But roome Fairy, heere comes Oberon

Fair. And heere my Mistris:

Would that he were gone.

Enter the King of Fairies at one doore with his traine, and the

Ob. Ill met by Moone-light.

I haue forsworne his bed and companie

Ob. Tarrie rash Wanton; am not I thy Lord?

When thou wast stolne away from Fairy Land,

And in the shape of Corin, sate all day,

Playing on pipes of Corne, and versing loue

To amorous Phillida. Why art thou heere

Come from the farthest steepe of India?

But that forsooth the bouncing Amazon

Your buskin'd Mistresse, and your Warrior loue,

To Theseus must be Wedded; and you come,

To giue their bed ioy and prosperitie

Ob. How canst thou thus for shame Tytania.

Glance at my credite, with Hippolita?

Knowing I know thy loue to Theseus?

Que. These are the forgeries of iealousie,

And neuer since the middle Summers spring

Met we on hil, in dale, forrest, or mead,

By paued fountaine, or by rushie brooke,

Or in the beached margent of the sea,

But with thy braules thou hast disturb'd our sport.

As in reuenge, haue suck'd vp from the sea

Contagious fogges: Which falling in the Land,

Hath euerie petty Riuer made so proud,

That they haue ouer-borne their Continents.

The Oxe hath therefore stretch'd his yoake in vaine,

The humane mortals want their winter heere,

No night is now with hymne or caroll blest;

Therefore the Moone (the gouernesse of floods)

That Rheumaticke diseases doe abound.

And through this distemperature, we see

The seasons alter; hoared headed Frosts

Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson Rose,

And on old Hyems chinne and Icie crowne,

An odorous Chaplet of sweet Sommer buds

Is as in mockry set. The Spring, the Sommer,

And this same progeny of euills,

Ober. Do you amend it then, it lies in you,

I do but beg a little changeling boy,

Qu. Set your heart at rest,

The Fairy land buyes not the childe of me,

His mother was a Votresse of my Order,

And in the spiced Indian aire, by night

Full often hath she gossipt by my side,

And sat with me on Neptunes yellow sands,

Marking th' embarked traders on the flood,

When we haue laught to see the sailes conceiue,

And grow big bellied with the wanton winde:

Which she with pretty and with swimming gate,

Following (her wombe then rich with my yong squire)

Would imitate, and saile vpon the Land,

And for her sake I will not part with him

Ob. How long within this wood intend you stay?

Qu. Perchance till after Theseus wedding day.

If you will patiently dance in our Round,

If not, shun me and I will spare your haunts

Ob. Giue me that boy, and I will goe with thee

Qu. Not for thy Fairy Kingdome. Fairies away:

We shall chide downe right, if I longer stay.

Vttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,

That the rude sea grew ciuill at her song,

And certaine starres shot madly from their Spheares,

Puc. I remember

Ob. That very time I say (but thou couldst not)

Flying betweene the cold Moone and the earth,

Cupid all arm'd; a certaine aime he tooke

At a faire Vestall, throned by the West,

Quencht in the chaste beames of the watry Moone;

It fell vpon a little westerne flower;

And maidens call it, Loue in idlenesse.

The iuyce of it, on sleeping eye-lids laid,

Will make or man or woman madly dote

Vpon the next liue creature that it sees.

Fetch me this hearbe, and be thou heere againe,

Ere the Leuiathan can swim a league

Pucke. Ile put a girdle about the earth, in forty minutes

Ober. Hauing once this iuyce,

Ile watch Titania, when she is asleepe,

And drop the liquor of it in her eyes:

The next thing when she waking lookes vpon,

(Be it on Lyon, Beare, or Wolfe, or Bull,

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.

Where is Lysander, and faire Hermia?

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

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,

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

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

Into the hands of one that loues you not,

And the ill counsell of a desert place,

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:

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

You doe me mischiefe. Fye Demetrius,

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 hell,

To die vpon the hand I loue so well.

Enter.

Ob. I pray thee giue it me.

I know a banke where the wilde time blowes,

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,

With a disdainefull youth: annoint his eyes,

Effect it with some care, that he may proue

And looke thou meet me ere the first Cocke 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

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,

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

Ober. What thou seest when thou dost wake,

Do it for thy true Loue take:

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.

And tarry for the comfort of the day

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;

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

And then end life, when I end loyalty:

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

Enter Pucke. They sleepe.

Puck. Through the Forest haue I gone,

And heere the maiden sleeping sound,

On the danke and durty ground.

Pretty soule, she durst not lye

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.

Enter.

Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweete Demetrius

Hel. O wilt thou darkling leaue me? do not so

De. Stay on thy perill, I alone will goe.

Exit Demetrius.

Hel. O I am out of breath, in this fond chace,

The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace,

Happy is Hermia, wheresoere she lies;

For she hath blessed and attractiue eyes.

How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt teares.

If so, my eyes are oftner washt then hers.

No, no, I am as vgly as a Beare;

For beasts that meete me, runne away for feare,

Therefore no maruaile, though Demetrius

Doe as a monster, flie my presence thus.

What wicked and dissembling glasse of mine,

Lys. And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake.

Transparent Helena, nature her shewes art,

That through thy bosome makes me see thy heart.

Where is Demetrius? oh how fit a word

Hel. Do not say so Lysander, say not so:

Yet Hermia still loues you; then be content

Lys. Content with Hermia? no, I do repent

The tedious minutes I with her haue spent.

Not Hermia, but Helena now I loue;

And leades me to your eyes, where I orelooke

Loues stories, written in Loues richest booke

When at your hands did I deserue this scorne?

Ist not enough, ist not enough, yong man,

That I did neuer, no nor neuer can,

Deserue a sweete looke from Demetrius eye,

But you must flout my insufficiency?

Good troth you do me wrong (good-sooth you do)

In such disdainfull manner, me to wooe.

Should of another therefore be abus'd.

And neuer maist thou come Lysander neere;

The deepest loathing to the stomacke brings:

Are hated most of those that did deceiue:

So thou, my surfeit, and my heresie,

Of all be hated; but the most of me;

And all my powers addresse your loue and might,

To honour Helen, and to be her Knight.

Enter.

Her. Helpe me Lysander, helpe me; do thy best

To plucke this crawling serpent from my brest.

Aye me, for pitty; what a dreame was here?

Lysander looke, how I do quake with feare:

Me-thought a serpent eate my heart away,

And yet sat smiling at his cruell prey.

No, then I well perceiue you are not nye,

Either death or you Ile finde immediately.

Enter.

Bot. Are we all met?

Quin. Pat, pat, and here's a maruailous conuenient

place for our rehearsall. This greene plot shall be our

stage, this hauthorne brake our tyring house, and we will

How answere you that?

Snout. Berlaken, a parlous feare

all is done

Bot. Not a whit, I haue a deuice to make all well.

Write me a Prologue, and let the Prologue seeme to say,

we will do no harme with our swords, and that Pyramus

is not kill'd indeede: and for the more better assurance,

tell them, that I Piramus am not Piramus, but Bottome the

be written in eight and sixe

Star. I feare it, I promise you

Bot. Masters, you ought to consider with your selues, to

bring in (God shield vs) a Lyon among Ladies, is a most

dreadfull thing. For there is not a more fearefull wilde

foule then your Lyon liuing: and wee ought to looke

to it

Snout. Therefore another Prologue must tell he is not

a Lyon

Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and halfe his face

must be seene through the Lyons necke, and he himselfe

must speake through, saying thus, or to the same defect;

Ladies, or faire Ladies, I would wish you, or I would