MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM. ACT I. SCENE I. Athens. A Room in the Palace of THESEUS. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attend ants. The. Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace: four happy days bring in Another moon; but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires, Like to a step-dame, or a dowager, Long withering out a young man's revenue. Hip. Four days will quickly steep themselves in nights; Four nights will quickly dream away the time'; And then the moon, like to a silver bow Now bent in heaven', shall behold the night Of our solemnities. The. Go, Philostrate, Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments; 1 Four NIGHTS will quickly dream away the time ;] The 4to, by Roberts, has daies instead of "nights :" the 4to. by Fisher, and the folio, give it correctly. 2 Now bent in heaven,] The old copies, 4to, and folio, are uniform in this reading: Rowe changed "now" to new, but surely without necessity. The meaning of Hippolyta is, that "then the moon, which is now bent in heaven like a silver bow, shall behold the night of our solemnities." Astronomically the alteration does not seem called for; because, elsewhere in this act, we find that the nights were moonlight at the time when Hippolyta is speaking. In this restoration I am glad to fortify myself by the opinion of Mr. Amyot. Turn melancholy forth to funerals, [Exit PHILOStrate. Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling. Enter EGEUS, with his daughter 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 To stubborn harshness.-And, my gracious duke, 3 Stand forth, Demetrius.-] It ought to be mentioned, that in all the old editions, "Stand forth, Demetrius," and afterwards, "Stand forth, Lysander," are printed as stage directions, and not as part of the text, to which they appear to belong, because they form portions of the lines completed in one case by the words, "my noble lord," and in the other by the words, "and my gracious duke." Egeus wished them to show themselves separately for greater distinctness. I beg the ancient privilege of Athens, 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 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 entreat your grace to pardon me. In such a presence here, to plead my thoughts; The. Either to die the death, or to abjure For ever the society of men. Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires; Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon. But earthly happier is the rose distill'd', Her. So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, Unto his lordship, to whose unwish'd yoke 5 The. Take time to pause and by the next new moon, The sealing-day betwixt my love and me 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; Ege. Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my love, I do estate unto Demetrius. Lys. 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, Why should not I then prosecute my right? 4 But EARTHLY HAPPIER is the rose distill'd,] The old editions read, earthlier happy; but there can be little doubt that the printer mistook, and made the wrong word in the comparative degree. The change which the sense seems to require was recommended by Capell. 5 Unto his lordship, to whose unwish'd yoke] The second folio gives the line as in the text. The sense is incomplete without "to," which is not found in anterior editions, but had probably dropped out: "to whose unwish'd yoke" is a very slight, but still important change. Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head, Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena, And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes, Upon this spotted and inconstant man. The. I must confess, that I have heard so much, And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof; But, being over-full of self-affairs, My mind did lose it.-But, Demetrius, come; I have some private schooling for you both.— I must employ you in some business [Exeunt THES. HIP. EGE. DEM, and train. Lys. How now, my love? Why is your cheek so pale? How chance the roses there do fade so fast? Her. Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Beteem them from the tempest of mine eyes. 6 Lys. Ah me! for aught that I could ever read', The course of true love never did run smooth; 6 BETEEM them] To beteem in its common acceptation is to bestow, but Steevens suggests that it here means pour out. 7 Ah me! for aught that I could ever read,] The folio of 1623 omits "Ah me," and places the adverb "ever," before "I could," instead of after it; thus abandoning the 4to. by Roberts, and spoiling one of the most beautiful lines of a most beautiful passage. |