Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!
That pure congealed white, high Taurus snow,
Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow,
When thou hold'st up thy hand. O, let me kiss
This princess of pure white, this seal of bliss!

Hel. O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent'
To set against me, for your merriment :
If you were civil, and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you must join in souls to mock me too?
If you were men3, as men you are in show,
You would not use a gentle lady so;

To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,
When, I am sure, you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia,
And now both rivals, to mock Helena.
A trim exploit, a manly enterprize,
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
With your derision! none of noble sort
Would so offend a virgin, and extort
A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport.

Lys. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so,
For you love Hermia; this, you know, I know:
And here, with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Whom I do love, and will do till my death.

Hel. Never did mockers waste more idle breath.
Dem. Lysander, keep thy Hermia: I will none:
If e'er I lov'd her, all that love is gone.

6 This PRINCESS of pure white, this seal of bliss!] "Princess" is found in all the old copies; but it may be doubted from the context whether impress were not Shakespeare's word. Sir T. Hanmer, and Warburton after him, changed "princess" to pureness, making it "pureness of pure white," which must be admitted to be not a very happy emendation.

7 I see you ALL ARE bent] In the folio, 1623, the words "all are" are transposed.

8 If you WERE men,] The folio, 1623, reads, "If you are men."

My heart to her' but as guest-wise sojourn'd,
And now to Helen is it home return'd,

There to remain.

Lys.

Helen, it is not so1.

Dem. Disparage not the faith thou dost not know, Lest to thy peril thou aby it dear'.

Look, where thy love comes: yonder is thy dear.

Enter HERMIA.

Her. 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?

Lys. Why should he stay, whom love doth press to go?

Her. What love could press Lysander from my side? Lys. 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?

Her. You speak not as you think it cannot be.
Hel. Lo! she is one of this confederacy.

My heart To her -] The quartos and folios all read, "My heart to her." Malone reads "with her."

HELEN, it is not so.] The 4to. printed by Roberts, and the folio, omit "Helen," which is necessary to the line.

2 Lest to thy peril thou ABY it dear.] So Fisher's 4to, rightly. In Roberts's 4to, and the folio, "aby " is altered to abide; and yet, subsequently in this scene, Roberts prints "aby," while the folio has abide. To aby appears to be a form of abide, (though some have derived it from buy,) and means, not merely to stay, but to stay to answer, or suffer for anything. We have it in “Ferrex and Porrex," A. iv. sc. 2,

"Thou, Porrex, thou shalt dearly 'by the same."

It would be easy to multiply instances of its use in this sense. When it means to stay, it is usually printed "bide" or "abide;" as, a few lines lower, and near the end of this Act, where Demetrius says to Lysander, "Abide me, if thou dar'st.”

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 stem,
So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart;
Two of the first, like coats in heraldry,

Due but to one, and crowned with one crest3.
And will you rend 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.

3 O! is all forgot?] So the two quarto editions, and the first folio. The second folio inserts and after the interjection, apparently to make up the ten syllables of the line; the editor not perceiving that the addition materially lessens the emphasis, by which Shakespeare perhaps meant to complete the measure. All the modern editors adopt "and," excepting Malone, who substitutes now.

4 Have with our NEEDLES] So every old copy, and not neelds, as the word has been usually printed. The fact is, that "needle" was pronounced in the time of one syllable: so in "Lucrece,"

“And griping it, the needle his finger pricks.”

5 Due but to one, and crowned with one crest.] The commentators say that the meaning is, that Hermia and Helena were as two shields, both of the first house, placed side by side, and crowned with a common crest. "Two of the first" may however refer merely to "bodies." All the copies have life for “like.” F f

VOL. II.

Her. I am amazed at your passionate words.
I scorn you not: it seems that you scorn me.
Hel. 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.
Her. I understand not what you mean by this.
Hel. Ay, do, persever, counterfeit sad looks,
Make mouths upon me' when I turn my back;
Wink at each 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 mine own fault,
Which death, or absence, soon shall remedy.

Lys. Stay, gentle Helena! hear my excuse:
My love, my life, my soul, fair Helena !

Hel. O excellent!

Her.

Sweet, do not scorn her so.

Dem. If she cannot entreat, I can compel.

Lys. Thou canst compel no more than she entreat: Thy threats have no more strength, than her weak

prayers.—

• I am amazed at your PASSIONATE words.] "Passionate" is first found in the folio of 1623 the two quartos give the line without it.

7 Make мOUTHS upon me-] This is the word in all the old copies, but the modern editors read mous.

8 than her weak PRAYERS.] In all the original editions it stands "thy weak praise:" prayers, as Steevens suggested, is most likely the right word.

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.
Dem. I say, I love thee more than he can do.
Lys. If thou say so, withdraw, and prove it too.
Dem. Quick, come,-

Her.

Lysander, whereto tends all this?

Lys. Away, you Ethiop!

Dem.

No, no, he'll-9

Seem to break loose; take on, as you would follow;
But yet come not. You are a tame man, go!

Lys. Hang off, thou cat, thou burr! vile thing, let loose,

Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent.

Her. Why are you grown so rude? what change is

this,

Sweet love?

Lys.

Thy love? out, tawny Tartar, out!

Out, loathed medicine! O hated potion, hence1!
Her. Do you not jest?

Hel.
Yes, 'sooth; and so do you.
Lys. Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee.
Dem. I would, I had your bond; for, I perceive,
A weak bond holds you: I'll not trust your word.
Lys. What! should I hurt her, strike her, kill her
dead?

Although I hate her, I'll not harm her so.

No, no, he'll

Seem to break loose; take on, as you would follow ;] There is some slight difference of the text here, but the sense is quite obvious. Fisher's 4to. has it,— "No, no, he'll

Seem to break loose; take on, as you would follow."

In Roberts's 4to. the words are the same, the regulation of the lines only being different. The first folio (which the second folio exactly copies) gives the passage thus ::

66

No, no, Sir, seem to break loose;

Take on, as you would follow."

Fisher's text seems preferable.

1 O hated POTION, hence !] This is the reading of Fisher's 4to: Roberts's 4to. and the folio have it poison instead of "potion."