When thou wak'st, let love forbid Sleep his seat on thy eyelid ! So awake when I am gone; For I must now to Oberon. Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running 80 [Exit. Helena. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius. Demetrius. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus. Helena. O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not so. [Exit. Helena. O, I am out of breath in this fond chase! How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears; No, no, I am as ugly as a bear, For beasts that meet me run away for fear; I see no blood, no wound. 90 100 Lysander. [Awaking.] And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake. Transparent Helena ! Nature shows art, That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. Is that vile name to perish on my sword! Helena. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so. What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though? Yet Hermia still loves you; then be content. repent The tedious minutes I with her have spent. No; I do Who will not change a raven for a dove? Helena. Wherefore was I to this keen born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, 120 mockery Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, In such disdainful manner me to woo. Should of another therefore be abus'd! 130 [Exit. Lysander. She sees not Hermia.-Hermia, sleep thou there; And never mayst thou come Lysander near! The deepest loathing to the stomach brings, Of all be hated, but the most of me! And, all my powers, address your love and might 140 [Exit. Hermia. [Awaking.] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast! Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here! 150 [Exit. Bottom. Are we all met? Quince. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke. Bottom. Peter Quince, Quince. What sayest thou, bully Bottom? Bottom. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot 10 abide. How answer you that? Snout. By'r lakin, a parlous fear. Starveling. I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done. Bottom. Not a whit; I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more better assurance, tell them that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver. This will put them out of fear. 20 Quince. Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six. Bottom. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight. Snout. Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion? Bottom. Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves to bring in God shield us! a lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing, for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought 30 to look to 't. Snout. Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion. Bottom. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he |