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HEL. O, I am out of breath, in this fond chace! The more my prayer, the leffer is my grace. Happy is Hermia, wherefoe'er fhe lies; For the hath bleffed, and attractive eyes. How came her eyes fo bright? Not with falt tears: If fo, my eyes are oftner wafh'd than hers..

No, no, I am as ugly as a bear;

For beafts that meet me, run away for fear :
Therefore, no marvel, though Demetrius
Do, as a monfter, fly my prefence thus.
What wicked and diffembling glafs of mine
Made me compare with Hermia's fphery eyne?.
But who is here? Lyfander! on the ground!
Dead? or afleep? I fee no blood, no wound:—
Lylander, if you live, good fir, awake.

fake.

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Lys. And run through fire I will, for thy fweet [Waking. Transparent Helena! Nature here fhows art, That through thy bofom makes me fee thy heart. Where is Demetrius? O how fit a word

Is that vile name, to perifh on my fword!

HEL. Do not say fo, Lyfander; say not so : What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though?

Again, in King Lear: "And fo the candle went out, and we were left darkling. RITSON.

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my grace.] My acceptablenefs, the favour that I can gain.

JOHNSON.

Nature [here] fhews art, ] Thus the quartos. The folio reads--Nature her fhews art,-perhaps pn error of the prefs for— Nature fhews her art. The editor of the fecond folio changed her to here. MALONE.

I admit the word

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- here, as a judicious correction of the fecond folio, Here, means -- in the prefent inftance. On this occafion, fays Lyfander, the work of nature refembles that of art, viz. (as our author expreffes it in his Lover's Complaint,) an object "glaz'd with cryftal. STEEVENS,

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Yet Hermia ftill loves you: then be content.
Lys. Content with Hermia? No: I do repent
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia, but Helena I love:

Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reafon fway'd;
And reafon fays you are the worthier maid.
Things growing are not ripe until their feafon :
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason;
And touching now the point of human skill,3
Reason becomes the marfhal to my will,

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till now ripe not to reafon ;] i. c. do not ripen to it. Ripe, in the present inftance, is a verb. So, in As you like it: And fo, from hour to hour,- we ripe, and ripe -.

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STEEVENS.

touching now the point of human skill,] i. e. my senses being now at the utmoft height of perfe&ion. So, in King Henry VIII:

"I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness. '

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STEEVENS.

4 Reafon becomes the marshal to my will,] That is, My will now follows reason. JOHNSON.

So, in Macbeth:

"Thou marshal'ft me the way that I was going."

STEEVENS.

A modern writer [Letters of Literature, 8vo. 1785,] contends that Dr. Johnfon's explanation is inaccurate. The meaning, fays he, is, 66 my will now obeys the command of my reason, not my will follows my reafon. Marshal is a dire&or of an army, of a Lurney, of a feast. Sydney has used marshal for herald or pourfuivant, but improperly.

Of fuch flimzy materials are many of the hyper-criticisms compofed, to which the labours of the editors and commentators on Shakspeare have given rife. Who does not at once perceive, that Dr. Johnson, when he speaks of the will following reason, ules the word not literally, but metaphorically? My will follows or obeys the dilates of reafon." Or that, if this were not the cafe, he would yet be juftified by the context, (And leads me- -) and by the paffage quoted from Macbeth? The heralds, diftinguished by the names of " pourfuivants at arms, were likewife called marshals. See Minfheu's DICT. 1617, in v. MALONE.

And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook
Love's ftories, written in love's richest book."

HEL. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?
When, at your hands, did I deferve this fcorn?
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can,
Deferve a fweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my infufficiency?

Good troth, you do me wrong, good footh, you do, In fuch difdainful manner me to woo.

But fare you well: perforce I must confefs,

I thought you lord of more true gentleness.
O, that a lady, of one man refus'd,

Should, of another, therefore be abus'd!

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[Exit.

Lys. She fees not Hermia: - Hermia, fleep thou

there;

And never may'ft thou come Lyfander near!
For, as a furfeit of the sweetest things
The deepest loathing to the ftomach brings;
Or, as the herefies, that men do leave,
Are hated moft of those they did deceive;
So thou, my furfeit, and my herefy,
Of all be hated; but the most of me!
And all my powers, addrefs your love and might,
To honour Helen, and to be her knight!

[Exit. HER. [arting.] Help me, Lyfander, help me! do thy beft,

To pluck his crawling ferpent from my breaft! leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook

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Love's ftories, written in love's richeft book.] So, in Romeo and Juliet:

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what obfcur'd in this fair volume lies,

"Find written in the margin of his eyes,

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"This precious book of love. STEEVENS.

true gentlenefs. ] Gentleness is equivalent to what, in modern language, we fhould call the Spirit of a gentleman, PERCY.

Ah me, for pity!—what a dream was here?
Lyfander, look, how I do quake with fear:
Methought, a ferpent eat my heart away,
And you fat smiling at his cruel prey:
Lyfander! what, remov'd? Lyfander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? nofound, no word?
Alack, where are you? fpeak, an if you hear?
Speak, of all loves; I fwoon almost with fear..
No?— then I well perceive you are not nigh:
Either death, or you, I'll find immediately. [Exit.

4 And you. ] Inftead of you, the firft folio reads-yet. Mr. Pope first gave the right word from the quarto 1600. STEEVENS. 5 Speak, of all loves; ] Of all loves is an adjuration more than once used by our author. So, in The Merry Wives of Windfor, Ad II. fc. viii:

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to send her your little page, of all loves.'

STEEVENS.

6 Either death, or you, I'll find immediately.] Thus the ancient copies, and fuch was Shakspeare's ufage. He frequently employs either, and other fimilar words, as monofyllables. So, in King Henry IV. P. II.

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"Either from the king, or in the present time. " Again, in K. Henry V.

"Either paft, or not arriv'd to pith and puissance." Again, in Julius Cæfar:

"Either led or driven, as we point the way." Again, in K. Richard III.

"Either thou wilt die by God's just ordinance,—." Again, in Othello:

"Either in difcourfe of thought, or a&ual deed. ' So alfo, Marlowe in his Edward II. 1598:

"Either banish him that was the caufe thereof—.” The modern editors read-Or death or you, &c. MALONE,

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ACT III. SCENE I.

The fame.

The Queen of Fairies lying afleep.

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Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING.

BOT. Are we all met?

QUIN. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal: This green plot fhall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our tyring-house; and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the duke.

BOT. Peter Quince,

QUIN. What fay'ft thou, bully Bottom?

BOT. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a fword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? SNOUT. By'rlakin, a parlous fear.

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6 In the time of Shakspeare there were many companies of players, fometimes five at the fame time, contending for the favour of the publick. Of these fome were undoubtedly very unfkilful and very poor, and it is probable that the defign of this scene was to ridicule their ignorance, and the odd expedients to which they might be driven by the want of proper decorations. Bottom was perhaps the head of a rival houfe, and is therefore honoured with an afs's head. JOHNSON.

Enter Quince, &c.] The two quartos 1600, and the folio, read only, Enter the Clowns. STEEVENS.

By'rlakin, a parlous fear.] By our ladykin, or little lady, as ifakins is a corruption of by my faith. The former is used in Prefton's Cambyfes:

“ The clock hath stricken vive, ich think, by laken.“

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