Her. So is Lyfander.
The. In himself he is;
But in this kind, wanting your Father's Voice,
The other must 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 Power I am made bold,
Nor how it may concern my Modesty
In such a Presence here to plead my Thoughts:
But I beseech your Grace, that I may know
The worst that may befal me in this Cafe,
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.
The. Either to die the Death, or to abjure
For ever the Society of Men.
Therefore, fair Hermia, question 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 shady Cloister mew'd,
To live a barren Sister all your Life,
Chanting faint Hymns to the cold fruitless Moon.
Thrice blessed they that master so their Blood,
To undergo such Maiden Pilgrimage.
But earthlier happy is the Rose diftill'd,
Than that which withering on the Virgin Thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies, in single Blessedness.
Her. So will I grow, so live, so die, my Lord,
E'er I will yield my Virgin Patent up
Unto his Lordship, to whose unwish'd Yoak
My Soul consents not to give Sovereignty.
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 Disobedience to your Father's Will,
Or else to wed Demetrius as he would,
Or on Diana's Altar to protest,
For aye, Austerity and single Life.
Dem. Relent, sweet Hermia, and Lysander, yield
Thy crazed Title to my certain Right.
Lys. 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 shall render him.
And the is mine, and all my Right of her
I do eftate unto Demetrius.
Lys. 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 Boafts can be,
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia.
Why should not I then profecute my Right?
Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,
Made Love to Nedar's Daughter, Helena,
And won her Soul; and she, sweet Lady, doats,
Devourly doats, doats in Idolatry,
Upon this spotted and inconstant Man.
The. I must confefs, that I have heard so much,
And with Demetrius thought to have spoke there of;
But being over-full of Self-affairs,
My Mind did lose it. But Demetrius come,
And come Egeus, you shall go with me,
I have fome private schooling for you both.
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm your self,
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 single Life.
Come my Hippolita, what Cheer, my Love?
Demetrius and Egens go along,
I must employ you in fome Business
Against our Nuptials, and confer with you
Of fomething nearly that concerns your selves.
Ege. With Duty and Define we follow you.
Manent Lysander and Hermia.
Lys. How now, my Love? Why is your Cheek so pale?
How chance the Roses there do fade fo fast?
Her. Belke for wart of Rain, which I could well
Bereem them from the Tempest of mine Eyes.
Lys. Hermia, for ought that ever I could read,
Could ever hear by Tale or History,
The Course of true Love never did run smooths
But either it was different in Blood
Her. O cross! too high to be enthrali'd to Love.
Lyf. Or else misgraffed, in respect of Years-
Her. O Spight! too old to be engag'd too young.
Lyf. Or else it stood upon the choice of Merit
Her. O Hell! to chuse Love by another's Eye.
Lys. Or if there were a Sympathy in Choice,
War, Death, or Sickness, did lay Siege to it;
Making it momentary as a Sound,
Swift as a Shadow, short as any Dream,
Brief as the Lightning in the collied Night,
That in a Spleen unfolds both Heaven and Earths
And e'er a Man hath Power to say, Behold,
The Jaws of Darkness do devour it up;
So quick bright Things come to Confufion.
Her. If then true Lovers have been ever crost,
It stands as an Edict in Destiny:
Then let us teach our Trial Patience,
Because it is a customary Cross,
As due to Love, as Thoughts, and Dreams, and Sighs, Wishes and Tears, poor Fancy's Followers.
Lyf. A good Perfuafion; therefore hear me, Hermia,
I have a Widow-Aunt, a Dowager,
Of great Revenue, and the hath no Child;
From Athens is her House remov'd seven Leagues,
And the respects me as her only Son:
There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee,
And to that Place, the sharp Athenian Law
Cannot purfue us. If thou lov'st me, then
Steal forth thy Father's House to Morrow Nigh;
And in the Wood, a League without the Town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena,
To do Obfervance for a Morn of May,
There will I stay for thee.
Her. My good Lysander,
I swear to thee, by Cupid's strongeft Bow,
By his Best Arrow with the Golden head,
By the Simplicity of Venus Doves,
By that which knitteth Souls, and profpers Love,
And by that Fire which burn'd the Carthage Queen,
When the false Trojan, under Sail, was seen;
By all the Vows that ever Men have broke,
In number more than ever Women spoke,
In that fame Place thou hast appointed me,
To Morrow truly will I meet with thee.
Lys. Keep promife Love. Look, here comes Helena.
Her. God speed fair Helena, whither away?
Hel. Call you me fair ? that fair again unsay,
Demetrius loves you fair; O happy fair !
Your Eyes are Load-ftars, and your Tongue's sweet Air,...
More tunable than Lark to Shepherd's Ear,
When Wheat is green, when Haw-thorn Buds appear.
Sickness is catching: O were Favour so,
Your Words I'd catch, fair Hermia, e'er I go,
My Ear should catch your Voice, my Eye your Eye,
My Tongue should catch your Tongue's sweet Melody.
Were the World mine, Demetrius being bated,
The rest I'll give to be to you translated.
O teach me how you look, and with what Art
You sway the Motion of Demetrius Heart.
Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me still.
Hel. O that your Frowns would teach my Smiles fuch
Her. I give him Curses, yet he gives me Love. (Skill.
Hel. O that my Prayers 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 none of mine.
Hel. None but your Beauty, would that Fault were mine. Her. Take Comfort; he no more shall see my Face,
Lysander and my self will fly this Place.
Before the time I did Lysander see,.
Seem'd Athens like a Paradife to me.
O then, what Graces in my Love do dwell,
That he hath turn'd a Heav'n into Hell?
Lyf. Helen, to you our Minds we will unfold,
To Morrow Night, when Phœbe doth behold
Her Silver Visage in the wat'ry Glass,
Decking with Liquid Pearl the bladed Grafs,
A Time that Lovers Flights doth still 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 Counsel swell'd;
There my Lysander and my felf shall meet,
And thence from Athens turn away our Eyes,
To feek new Friends and strange Companions.
Farewel sweet Play-fellow, pray thou for us,
And good Luck grant thee thy Demetrius.
Keep Word, Lysander, we must starve our Sight
From Lovers Food, 'till Morrow deep Midnight.
Lys. I will, my Hermia. Helena adieu, As you on him, Demetrius doats on you. [Exit Lyfander. Hel. How happy some, o'er othersome can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. But what of that; Demetrius thinks not so: He will not know, what all but he doth know. And as he errs, doting on Hermia's Eyes, So I, admiring of his Qualities: Things base and vile, holding no quantity, Love can transpose to Form and Dignity; Love looks not with the Eyes, but with the Mind, And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind : Nor hath Love's Mind of any Judgment taste; Wings and no Eyes, Figure unheedy haft. And therefore is Love said to be a Child, Because in Choice he often is beguil'd. As waggish Boys themselves in Game forswear, So the Boy Love is perjur'd every where. For e'er Demetrius lookt on Hermia's Eyne, He hail'd down Oaths that he was only mine. And when this Hail some Heat from Hermia felt, So he diffolv'd, and Showers of Oaths did melt. I will go tell him of fair Hermia's Flight: Then to the Wood will he to Morrow Night Pursue her; and for this Intelligence If I have Thanks, it is a dear Expence. But herein mean I to enrich my Pain, To have his Sight thither, and back again.
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