LITMIR.BIZ

ACT IV

       Table of Contents

      SCENE I. The Wood

      [Enter TITANIA and BOTTOM; PEASBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED, and other FAIRIES attending; OBERON behind, unseen.]

       TITANIA

       Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,

       While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,

       And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head,

       And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.

       BOTTOM

       Where’s Peasblossom?

       PEASBLOSSOM

       Ready.

       BOTTOM

       Scratch my head, Peasblossom.— Where’s Monsieur Cobweb?

       COBWEB

       Ready.

       BOTTOM

       Monsieur Cobweb; good monsieur, get you your weapons in your hand and kill me a red-hipped humble-bee on the top of a thistle; and, good monsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur; and, good monsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loath to have you overflown with a honey-bag, signior.— Where’s Monsieur Mustardseed?

       MUSTARDSEED

       Ready.

       BOTTOM

       Give me your neif, Monsieur Mustardseed. Pray you, leave your curtsy, good monsieur.

       MUSTARDSEED

       What’s your will?

       BOTTOM

       Nothing, good monsieur, but to help Cavalero Cobweb to scratch. I must to the barber’s, monsieur; for methinks I am marvellous hairy about the face; and I am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me I must scratch.

       TITANIA

       What, wilt thou hear some music, my sweet love?

       BOTTOM

       I have a reasonable good ear in music; let us have the tongs and the bones.

       TITANIA

       Or say, sweet love, what thou desirest to eat.

       BOTTOM

       Truly, a peck of provender; I could munch your good dry oats. Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow.

       TITANIA

       I have a venturous fairy that shall seek

       The squirrel’s hoard, and fetch thee new nuts.

       BOTTOM

       I had rather have a handful or two of dried peas. But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me; I have an exposition of sleep come upon me.

       TITANIA

       Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms.

       Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away.

       So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle

       Gently entwist,—the female ivy so

       Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.

       O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!

       [They sleep.]

       [OBERON advances. Enter PUCK.]

       OBERON

       Welcome, good Robin. Seest thou this sweet sight?

       Her dotage now I do begin to pity.

       For, meeting her of late behind the wood,

       Seeking sweet favours for this hateful fool,

       I did upbraid her and fall out with her:

       For she his hairy temples then had rounded

       With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;

       And that same dew, which sometime on the buds

       Was wont to swell like round and orient pearls,

       Stood now within the pretty flow’rets’ eyes,

       Like tears that did their own disgrace bewail.

       When I had, at my pleasure, taunted her,

       And she, in mild terms, begg’d my patience,

       I then did ask of her her changeling child;

       Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent

       To bear him to my bower in fairyland.

       And now I have the boy, I will undo

       This hateful imperfection of her eyes.

       And, gentle Puck, take this transformèd scalp

       From off the head of this Athenian swain,

       That he awaking when the other do,

       May all to Athens back again repair,

       And think no more of this night’s accidents

       But as the fierce vexation of a dream.

       But first I will release the fairy queen.

       Be as thou wast wont to be;

       [Touching her eyes with an herb.]

       See as thou was wont to see.

       Dian’s bud o’er Cupid’s flower

       Hath such force and blessed power.

       Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen.

       TITANIA

       My Oberon! what visions have I seen!

       Methought I was enamour’d of an ass.

       OBERON

       There lies your love.

       TITANIA

       How came these things to pass?

       O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now!

       OBERON

       Silence awhile.—Robin, take off this head.

       Titania, music call; and strike more dead

       Than common sleep,

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