Dem. Relent, fweet Hermia; and, Lyfander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right. Lyf. You have her father's love, Demetrius; Lys. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he, And, which is more than all these boasts can be, Why should not I then profecute my right? Upon this spotted and inconftant man. The. I must confess, that I have heard fo much, My mind did lofe it. But, Demetrius, come; -Come, my Hippolita; what chear, my love?- I must employ you in fome bufinefs Ege. With duty and defire we follow you. [Exeunt. Manent Manent Lyfander and Hermia. Lyf. How now, my love? why is your cheek fo pale? How chance, the roses there do fade so fast? Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could well 4 Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes. Lys. * Ah me, for aught that ever I could read, The course of true love never did run fmooth; 1 Her. O cross!-too high to be enthrall'd to low!5 Lys. Or elfe mifgraffed, in respect of years Her. O fpight! too old, to be engag'd to young! Lyf. Or else it stood upon the choice of friends Her. O hell! to chufe love by another's eye! Lyf. Or if there were a fympathy in choice, War, death, or fickness did lay fiege to it; Making it + momentary as a found, Swift as a fhadow, fhort as any dream, - 4 Beteem them give them, bestow upon them. The word is used by Spenfer. * I. II. Eigh me. For Ah me. II. For aught. Hermia was inferted in the Folio 1632, but is now changed for the first reading. 5 Too high, to be enthrall'd to Love.] This Reading poffeffes all the Editions, but carries no just meaning in it. Nor was Hermia difpleas'd at being in Love; but regrets the Inconveniencies, that generally attend the Paffion: Either, the Parties are difproportion'd, in degree of Blood and Quality; or unequal, Brief as the lightning in the collied night, Then, let us teach our tryal patience : As due to love, as thoughts and dreams and fighs, Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers! Lyf. A good perfuafion-therefore hear me, Hermia. I have a widow-aunt, a dowager Of great revenue, and fhe hath no child; The jaws of darkness do devour it up. ] Tho' the word Spleen be here employed odly enough, yet I believe it right. Shakespear always hurried on by the grandeur and multitude of his Ideas affumes, every now and then, an uncommon licence in the ufe of his words. Particularly in complex moral modes it is ufual with him to employ one, only to exprefs a very few ideas. of that number of which it is compofed. Thus wanting here to exprefs the ideas--of a fudden, or in a trice, he ufes the word Spleen; which, partially confidered, fignifying a hafty fudden fit, is enough for him, and = he never troubles himself about the further or fuller fignification of the word. Here, he uses the word Spleen for a fudden hafty fit; fo juft the contrary, in the Twe Gentlemen of Verona, he uses sudden for fpleenatic-fudden quips. And it must be owned this fort of converfation adds a force to the diction. WARBURTON. 7 I have a widow aunt, &c.] Thefe lines perhaps might more properly be regulated thus: I have a Widow Aunt, a Dowvager of great revenue, and she hath And he refpes me as her only Her boufe from Athens is reThere, gentle Hermia, may I mov'd feven leagues, marry thee, And to that place And And to that place the fharp Athenian law Her. My good Lyfander, I swear to thee by Cupid's ftrongest bow, By that, which knitteth fouls, and profpers loves; 8 Lyf. if thou lov'ft me, then Steal forth thy father's houfe, &c. Her. My good Lyfander, I fwear to thee by Cupid's Strongest bow, By, &c. &c. In that fame place thou hast appointed me To morrow truly will I meet with thee.] Lyfander does but juft propofe her running away from her Father at midnight, and ftraight fhe is at her oaths that fhe will meet him at the place of Rendezvous. Not one doubt or hesitation, not one condition of affurance for Lyfander's conftancy. Either fhe was naufeoufly coming; or he had before jilted him; and he could not believe her without a thoufand Oaths. But Shakespear obferved nature at another rate.--The speeches are divided wrong, and must be thus rectified; when Lyfander had propofed her running away with him, the replies, Her. My good Lyfanderand is going on, to ask fecurity And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage Queen, Lyf. Keep promife, love. Look, here comes Helena. Her. God fpeed, fair Helena! whither away? Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unfay; Demetrius loves you, fair; O happy fair! * Your eyes are 9 lode ftars, and your tongue's fweet air Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me ftill. |