And won thy love, doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.
Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS,
EGE. Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke!
THE. Thanks, good Egeus: What's the news with thee?
EGE. Full of vexation come I, with complaint
Against my child, my daughter Hermia.-
Stand forth, Demetrius ;-My noble lord,
This man hath my consent to marry her:-
Stand forth, Lyfander ;-and, my gracious duke,
This hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child :
Thou, thou, Lysander, thou haft given her rhimes,
And interchang'd love-tokens with my child:
Thou hast by moon-light at her window sung,
With feigning voice, verses of feigning love;
And stol'n the impression of her fantasy
With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,
Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweet-meats; meffengers
Of strong prevailment in unharden'd youth :
With cunning haft thou filch'd my daughter's heart
Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
To stubborn harshness: And, my gracious duke,
Be it so she will not here before your grace
Consent to marry with Demetrius,
I beg the ancient privilege of Athens;
As the is mine, I may dispose of her :
Which shall be either to this gentleman,
Or to her death; according to our law,
Immediately provided in that cafe.
THE. What say you, Hermia? be advis'd, fair maid:
To you your father should be as a god;
One that compos'd your beauties; yea, and one
To whom you are but as a form in wax,
By him imprinted, and within his power
To leave the figure, or disfigure it.
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
HER. So is Lysander.
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 judgement look
HER. I do entreat your grace to pardon me.
I know not by what power I am made bold;
Nor how it may concern my modefty,
In such a prefence 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 fuch maiden pilgrimage :
But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd,
Than that, which, withering on the virgin thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies, in fingle blessedness.
HER. So will I grow, fo live, so die, my lord,
Ere I will yield my virgin patent up
Unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke
My foul 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 fingle life.
DEM. Relent, sweet Hermia;-And, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right.
Lrs. You have her father's love, Demetrius;
Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him.
EGE. Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my love;
And what is mine, my love shall render him;
And she is mine; and all my right of her
I do eftate unto Demetrius.
Lrs. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well possess'd; my love is more than his;
My fortunes 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 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 foul; and she, sweet lady, dotes,
Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry,
Upon this spotted and inconstant man.
THE. I must confefs, that I have heard fo much, And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof; But, being over-full of felf-affairs,
My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you shall go with me,
I have some private schooling for you both.-
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or else 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 Hippolyta; What cheer, my love?
Demetrius, and Egeus, go along :
I must employ you in some business
Against our nuptial; and confer with you
Of fomething nearly that concerns yourselves.
EGE. With duty, and defire, we follow you.
[Exeunt THES. HIP. EGE. DEM. and train.
Lrs. How now, my love? Why is your cheek so pale ? How chance the rofes there do fade so fast?
HER. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well
Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.
Lrs. Ah me! for aught that ever I could read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth:
But, either it was different in blood;
HER. O cross! too high to be enthrall'd to low!
Lrs. Or else misgraffed, in respect of years;
HER. O fpite! too old to be engag'd to young!
Lrs. Or else it stood upon the choice of friends :-
HER. O hell! to choose love by another's eye!
Lrs. Or, if there were a sympathy in choice,
War, death, or fickness did lay fiege 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 earth,
And ere 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 cross'd,
It stands as an edíct in destiny:
Then let us teach our trial patience,
Because it is a customary crofs;
As due to love, as thoughts, and dreams, and fighs,
Wishes, and tears, poor fancy's followers.
Lrs. A good perfuafion; therefore, hear me, Hermia
I have a widow aunt, a dowager
Of great revenue, and she hath no child:
From Athens is her house remote seven leagues;
And the respects me as her only fon.
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 night;
And in the wood, a league without the town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena,
To do obfervance to a morn of May,
There will I stay for thee.
HER. My good Lyfander!
I fwear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow;
By his best arrow with the golden head;
By the fimplicity of Venus' doves;
By that which knitteth fouls, and profpers loves ;
And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage queen,
When the false Trojan under fail was seen;
By all the vows that ever men have broke,
In number more than ever women spoke;-
In that same place thou hast appointed me,
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