Enter HERMIA
HERMIA. Dark night， that from the eye his function takes， The ear more quick of apprehension makes； Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense， It pays the hearing double recompense. Thou art not by mine eye， Lysander， found； Mine ear， I thank it， brought me to thy sound. But why unkindly didst thou leave me so？ LYSANDER. Why should he stay whom love doth press to go？ HERMIA. What love could press Lysander from my side？ LYSANDER. Lysander's love， that would not let him bide- Fair Helena， who more engilds the night Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light. Why seek'st thou me？ Could not this make thee know The hate I bare thee made me leave thee so？ HERMIA. You speak not as you think； it cannot be. HELENA. Lo， she is one of this confederacy！ Now I perceive they have conjoin'd all three To fashion this false sport in spite of me. Injurious Hermia！ most ungrateful maid！ Have you conspir'd， have you with these contriv'd， To bait me with this foul derision？ Is all the counsel that we two have shar'd， The sisters' vows， the hours that we have spent， When we have chid the hasty-footed time For parting us- O， is all forgot？ All school-days' friendship， childhood innocence？ We， Hermia， like two artificial gods， Have with our needles created both one flower， Both on one sampler， sitting on one cushion， Both warbling of one song， both in one key； As if our hands， our sides， voices， and minds， Had been incorporate. So we grew together， Like to a double cherry， seeming parted， But yet an union in partition， Two lovely berries moulded on one stern； So， with two seeming bodies， but one heart； Two of the first， like coats in heraldry， Due but to one， and crowned with one crest. And will you rent our ancient love asunder， To join with men in scorning your poor friend？ It is not friendly， "tis not maidenly； Our sex， as well as I， may chide you for it， Though I alone do feel the injury. HERMIA. I am amazed at your passionate words； I scorn you not； it seems that you scorn me. HELENA. Have you not set Lysander， as in scorn， To follow me and praise my eyes and face？ And made your other love， Demetrius， Who even but now did spurn me with his foot， To call me goddess， nymph， divine， and rare， Precious， celestial？ Wherefore speaks he this To her he hates？ And wherefore doth Lysander Deny your love， so rich within his soul， And tender me， forsooth， affection， But by your setting on， by your consent？ What though I be not so in grace as you， So hung upon with love， so fortunate， But miserable most， to love unlov'd？ This you should pity rather than despise. HERMIA. I understand not what you mean by this. HELENA. Ay， do- persever， counterfeit sad looks， Make mouths upon me when I turn my back， Wink each at other； hold the sweet jest up； This sport， well carried， shall be chronicled. If you have any pity， grace， or manners， You would not make me such an argument. But fare ye well； 'tis partly my own fault， Which death， or absence， soon shall remedy. LYSANDER. Stay， gentle Helena； hear my excuse； My love， my life， my soul， fair Helena！ HELENA. O excellent！ HERMIA. Sweet， do not scorn her so. DEMETRIUS. If she cannot entreat， I can compel. LYSANDER. Thou canst compel no more than she entreat； Thy threats have no more strength than her weak prayers Helen， I love thee， by my life I do； I swear by that which I will lose for thee To prove him false that says I love thee not. DEMETRIUS. I say I love thee more than he can do. LYSANDER. If thou say so， withdraw， and prove it too. DEMETRIUS. Quick， come. HERMIA. Lysander， whereto tends all this？ LYSANDER. Away， you Ethiope！ DEMETRIUS. No， no， he will Seem to break loose- take on as you would follow， But yet come not. You are a tame man； go！ LYSANDER. Hang off， thou cat， thou burr； vile thing， let loose， Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent. HERMIA. Why are you grown so rude？ What change is this， Sweet love？ LYSANDER. Thy love！ Out， tawny Tartar， out！ Out， loathed med'cine！ O hated potion， hence！ HERMIA. Do you not jest？ HELENA. Yes， sooth； and so do you. LYSANDER. Demetrius， I will keep my word with thee. DEMETRIUS. I would I had your bond； for I perceive A weak bond holds you； I'll not trust your word. LYSANDER. What， should I hurt her， strike her， kill her dead？ Although I hate her， I'll not harm her so. HERMIA. What！ Can you do me greater harm than hate？ Hate me！ wherefore？ O me！ what news， my love？ Am not I Hermia？ Are not you Lysander？ I am as fair now as I was erewhile. Since night you lov'd me； yet since night you left me. Why then， you left me- O， the gods forbid！- In earnest， shall I say？ LYSANDER. Ay， by my life！ And never did desire to see thee more. Therefore be out of hope， of question， of doubt； Be certain， nothing truer； 'tis no jest That I do hate thee and love Helena. HERMIA. O me！ you juggler！ you cankerblossom！ You thief of love！ What！ Have you come by night， And stol'n my love's heart from him？ HELENA. Fine， i' faith！ Have you no modesty， no maiden shame， No touch of bashfulness？ What！ Will you tear Impatient answers from my gentle tongue？ Fie， fie！ you counterfeit， you puppet you！ HERMIA.'Puppet！' why so？ Ay， that way goes the game. Now I perceive that she hath made compare Between our statures； she hath urg'd her height； And with her personage， her tall personage， Her height， forsooth， she hath prevail'd with him. And are you grown so high in his esteem Because I am so dwarfish and so low？ How low am I， thou painted maypole？ Speak. How low am I？ I am not yet so low But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes. HELENA. I pray you， though you mock me， gentlemen， Let her not hurt me. I was never curst； I have no gift at all in shrewishness； I am a right maid for my cowardice； Let her not strike me. You perhaps may think， Because she is something lower than myself， That I can match her. HERMIA. "Lower" hark， again. HELENA. Good Hermia， do not be so bitter with me. I evermore did love you， Hermia， Did ever keep your counsels， never wrong"d you； Save that， in love unto Demetrius， I told him of your stealth unto this wood. He followed you； for love I followed him； But he hath chid me hence， and threat'ned me To strike me， spurn me， nay， to kill me too； And now， so you will let me quiet go， To Athens will I bear my folly back， And follow you no further. Let me go. You see how simple and how fond I am. HERMIA. Why， get you gone！ Who is't that hinders you？ HELENA. A foolish heart that I leave here behind. HERMIA. What！ with Lysander？ HELENA. With Demetrius. LYSANDER. Be not afraid； she shall not harm thee， Helena. DEMETRIUS. No， sir， she shall not， though you take her part. HELENA. O， when she is angry， she is keen and shrewd； She was a vixen when she went to school； And， though she be but little， she is fierce. HERMIA. "Little" again！ Nothing but'low' and 'little'！ Why will you suffer her to flout me thus？ Let me come to her. LYSANDER. Get you gone， you dwarf； You minimus， of hind"ring knotgrass made； You bead， you acorn. DEMETRIUS. You are too officious In her behalf that scorns your services. Let her alone； speak not of Helena； Take not her part； for if thou dost intend Never so little show of love to her， Thou shalt aby it. LYSANDER. Now she holds me not. Now follow， if thou dar"st， to try whose right， Of thine or mine， is most in Helena. DEMETRIUS. Follow！ Nay， I'll go with thee， cheek by jowl. Exeunt LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS HERMIA. You， mistress， all this coil is long of you. Nay， go not back. HELENA. I will not trust you， I； Nor longer stay in your curst company. Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray； My legs are longer though， to run away. Exit HERMIA. I am amaz'd， and know not what to say. Exit OBERON. This is thy negligence. Still thou mistak'st， Or else committ'st thy knaveries wilfully. PUCK. Believe me， king of shadows， I mistook. Did not you tell me I should know the man By the Athenian garments he had on？ And so far blameless proves my enterprise That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes； And so far am I glad it so did sort， As this their jangling I esteem a sport. OBERON. Thou seest these lovers seek a place to fight. Hie therefore， Robin， overcast the night； The starry welkin cover thou anon With drooping fog as black as Acheron， And lead these testy rivals so astray As one come not within another's way. Like to Lysander sometime frame thy tongue， Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong； And sometime rail thou like Demetrius； And from each other look thou lead them thus， Till o'er their brows deathcounterfeiting sleep With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep. Then crush this herb into Lysander's eye； Whose liquor hath this virtuous property， To take from thence all error with his might And make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight. When they next wake， all this derision Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision； And back to Athens shall the lovers wend With league whose date till death shall never end. Whiles I in this affair do thee employ， I'll to my queen， and beg her Indian boy； And then I will her charmed eye release From monster's view， and all things shall be peace. PUCK. My fairy lord， this must be done with haste， For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast； And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger， At whose approach ghosts， wand'ring here and there， Troop home to churchyards. Damned spirits all That in cross-ways and floods have burial， Already to their wormy beds are gone， For fear lest day should look their shames upon； They wilfully themselves exil'd from light， And must for aye consort with black-brow'd night. OBERON. But we are spirits of another sort： I with the Morning's love have oft made sport； And， like a forester， the groves may tread Even till the eastern gate， all fiery red， Opening on Neptune with fair blessed beams， Turns into yellow gold his salt green streams. But， notwithstanding， haste， make no delay； We may effect this business yet ere day. Exit OBERON PUCK. Up and down， up and down， I will lead them up and down. I am fear"d in field and town. Goblin， lead them up and down. Here comes one.
