But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
The other muft be held the worthier.
Her. I would, my father look'd but with my eyes.
The. Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.
Her. I do intreat your Grace to pardon me:
I know not, by what pow'r I am made bold;
Nor how it may concern my modesty,
In fuch a prefence here, to plead my thoughts:
But, I beseech your Grace, that I may know
The worst that may befal me in this case,
If I refufe to wed Demetrius.
The. Either to die the death, or to abjure
For ever the fociety of men.
Therefore, fair Hermia, queftion your defires;
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun;
For aye to be in fhady cloister mew'd,
To live a barren fifter all your life,
Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitlefs, moon?
Thrice bleffed they, that master so their blood,
To undergo fuch maiden pilgrimage!
But earthlier happy is the rofe diftill'd,
Than that, which, withering on the virgin thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies, in fingle bleffedness.
Her. So will I grow, fo live, fo die, my lord,
Ere I will yield my virgin patent up
Unto his lordship, to whofe unwish'd yoak
My foul confents not to give Sov'reignty.
The. Take time to pause; and by the next new moon,
(The fealing day betwixt my love and me,
For everlasting bond of fellowship)
Upon that day either prepare to die,
For difobedience to your father's will;
Or elfe to wed Demetrius, as he would;
Or on Diana's altar to proteft,
For aye, aufterity and fingle life.
Dem. Relent, fweet Hermia; and, Lyfander, yield
Thy crazed title to my certain right.
Lyf. You have her father's love, Demetrius;
Let me have Hermia's; do you marry him.
Ege. Scornful Lyfander! true, he hath my love;
And what is mine, my love fhall render him.
And she is mine, and all my right of her
I do eftate unto Demetrius:
Lyf. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well poffeft: my love is more than his:
My fortune's every way as fairly rank'd,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius :
And, which is more than all these boasts can be,
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia.
Why fhould not I then profecute my right?
Demetrius (I'll avouch it to his head)
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena;
And won her foul; and fhe, fweet lady, doats,
Devoutly doats, doats in Idolatry,
Upon this fpotted and inconftant man.
The. I must confefs, that I have heard fo much,
And with Demetrius thought t'have spoke thereof;
But, being over-full of felf-affairs,
My mind did lofe it, But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you fhall go with me;
I have fome priváte schooling for you both.
For you, fair Hermia, look, you arm your felf
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or elfe the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of fingle life.
Come, my Hippolita ; what cheer, my love?
Demetrius, and Egeus, go along;
I must employ you in fome business
Against our nuptials, and confer with you
Of fomething nearly that concerns your felves.
Ege. With duty and defire we follow you. [Exeunt.
Manent Lyfander and Hermia.
Lyf. How now, my love? why is your cheek fo pale? How chance, the roses there do fade fo faft?
Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well
Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.
Lyf. Hermia, for aught that ever I could read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The courfe of true love never did run fmooth;
But, either it was different in blood-
Her. O crofs!-too high, to be enthrall'd to low!-(1)
Lyf. Or elfe mifgraffed, in refpect of years-
Her. O fpight! too old, to be engag'd to young!
Lyf. Or elfe it ftood upon the choice of friends
Her. O hell! to chufe love by another's eye!
Lyf. Or if there were a fympathy in choice,
War, death, or fickness did lay fiege to it;
Making it momentary as a found,
Swift as a fhadow, fhort as any dream,
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,
That (in a fpleen) unfolds both heav'n and earth 3:
And ere a man hath power to fay, Behold!
The jaws of darkness do devour it up;
So quick bright things come to confufion.-
Her. If then true lovers have been ever croft,
It ftands as an edict in destiny:
Then, let us teach our tryal patience:
Because it is a customary crofs,
As due to love, as thoughts and dreams, and fighs,
Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers!
Lyf. A good perfuafion; therefore hear me, Hermia.
(1) Too high, to be enthrall'd to Love.] This Reading poffeffes. all the Editions, but carries no just meaning in it. Nor was Hermia difpleas'd at being in Love; but regrets the Inconveniences, that generally attend the Paffion: Either, the Parties are disproportion'd, in degree of Blood and Quality; or unequal, in respect of Years; or brought together by the Appointment of Friends, and not by their own Choice. Thefe are the Complaints represented by Lyfander; and Hermia, to answer to the firft, as the has done to the other two, muft neceffarily fay;
O Cross!too high, to be enthrall'd to ́low! So the Antithefis is kept up in the Terms; and fo fhe is made to condole the Difproportion of Blood and Quality in Lo
I have a widow-aunt, a dowager
Of great revenue, and fhe hath no child;
From Athens is her house remov'd seven leagues,
And the refpects me as her only fon.
There, gentle Hermia, may, I marry thee;
And to that place the fharp Athenian law
Cannot purfue us. If thou lov'ft me then,
Steal forth thy father's houfe to morrow night;
And in the wood, a league without the town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena ·
To do obfervance to the morn of May,
There will I ftay for thee.
Herm. My good Lyfander,
I fwear to thee by Cupid's ftrongest bow,
By his beft arrow with the golden head,
By the Simplicity of Venus' doves,
By that, which knitteth fouls, and profpers loves;
And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage Queen,
When the falfe Trojan under fail was feen;
By all the vows that ever men have broke,
In number more than ever women spoke ;
In that fame place thou haft appointed me,
To morrow truly will I meet with thee.
Lys. Keep promife, love. Look, here comes Helena.
Enter Helena.
Her. God fpeed, fair Helena! whither away? Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unfay; Demetrius loves you, fair; O happy fair!
Your eyes are load-ftars, and your tongue's fweet air More tuneable than lark to fhepherd's ear,
When wheat is green, when haw-thorn buds appear.
Sickness is catching: oh, were favour so!
Your words I'd catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;
My ear fhould catch your voice, my eye your eye;
My tongue fhould catch your tongue' s fweet melody.
Were the world mine, Demetrius being 'bated,
The reft I'll give to be to you tranflated.
O teach me, how you look; and with what art
You fway the motion of Demetrius' heart.
Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me ftill.
Hel. Oh, that your frowns would teach my fmiles fuch skill!
Her. I give him curfes, yet he gives me love.
Hel. Oh, that my pray'rs could fuch affection move!
Her. The more I hate, the more he follows me.
Hel. The more I love, the more he hateth me.
Her. His Folly, Helena, is no fault of mine.
Hel. None, but your beauty; would that fault were
mine!
Her. Take comfort; he no more shall fee
Lyfander and my felf will fly this place.
Before the time I did Lyfander fee,
Seem'd Athens like a Paradife to me.
O then, what graces in my love do dwell,
That he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell?
Lyf. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold;
To morrow night, when Phabe doth behold
Her filver vifage in the wat'ry glafs,
Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grafs;
(A time, that lovers flights doth ftill conceal)
Through Athens' gate have we devis'd to steal.
Her. And in the wood, where often you and I
Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lye,
Emptying our bofoms of their counfels fweet; (2)
There, my Lyfander and my felf fhall meet;
Emptying our Bofoms of their Counfels fwell'd;
There my Lyfander and myself shall meet ;
And thence from Athens turn away our Eyes, To seek new Friends, and strange Companions.] This whole Scene is ftrictly in Rhyme; and that it deviates in these two Couplets, I am perfuaded, is owing to the Ignorance of the firft, and the Inaccuracy of the later, Editors: I have therefore ventur'd to restore the Rhymes, as 1 make no Doubt but the Poet firft gave them. Stweet was eafily corrupted into fwell'd, because That made an Antithefis to Emptying and strange Companions our Editors thought was plain English; but stranger Companies, a little quaint and unintelligible. Our Author very often uses the Subftantive Stranger adjectively i and Companies, to fignify Companions.
|