Bottom. The finch, the sparrow and the lark,
The plain-song cuckoo gray,
Whose note full many a man doth mark,
And dares not answer nay; —
for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry 'cuckoo' never so?
Titania. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note;
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.
Bottom. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days; the more the pity that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.
Titania. Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.
Bottom. Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn.
Titania. Out of this wood do not desire to go:
Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.
I am a spirit of no common rate;
The summer still doth tend upon my state;
And I do love thee: therefore, go with me;
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee,
And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,
And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep;
And I will purge thy mortal grossness so
That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.
Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed!
Enter Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed
Peaseblossom. Ready.
Cobweb . And I.
Moth. And I.
Mustardseed. And I.
All. Where shall we go?
Titania. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;
Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes;
Feed him with apricocks and dewberries,
With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries;
The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees,
And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs
And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes,
To have my love to bed and to arise;
And pluck the wings from Painted butterflies
To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes:
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.
Peaseblossom. Hail, mortal!
Cobweb . Hail!
Moth. Hail!
Mustardseed. Hail!
Bottom. I cry your worship's mercy, heartily: I beseech your worship's name.
Cobweb . Cobweb.
Bottom. I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good Master Cobweb: if I cut my finger, I shall make bold with you. Your name, honest gentleman?
Peaseblossom. Peaseblossom.
Bottom. I pray you, commend me to Mistress Squash, your mother, and to Master Peascod, your father. Good Master Peaseblossom, I shall desire you of more acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, sir?
Mustardseed. Mustardseed.
Bottom. Good Master Mustardseed, I know your patience well: that same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your house: I promise you your kindred had made my eyes water ere now. I desire your more acquaintance, good Master Mustardseed.
Titania. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower.
The moon methinks looks with a watery eye;
And when she weeps, weeps every little flower
Lamenting some enforced chastity.
Tie up my love's tongue bring him silently.
Exeunt
A Midsummer Night's Dream, III.i.
Also at Virtual Grub Street and Tudor Topics:
- Were Back-Scratchers Really Invented in Elizabethan Times? August 20, 2023. “...when the domestic manners of the aristocracy, as well as others, were not of the most refined and delicate kind,...”
- Rocco Bonetti's Blackfriars Fencing School and Lord Hunsdon's Water Pipe. August 12, 2023. “... the tenement late in the tenure of John Lyllie gentleman & nowe in the tenure of the said Rocho Bonetti...”
- A Triple Wedding and Surprise Visit from the King (1536). July 31, 2023. “History was rushing onward at that point toward many fateful events”
- Ambassador Noailles’ Account of Mary I’s Procession to Westminster: September 30, 1553. September 17, 2022. “…in matching cloth of silver, was Lady Elizabeth, sister of her majesty…”
Queen Elizabeth’s Greatest Love, Robert Dudley, died on September 4, 1588. September 3, 2022. “Even after matters had settled down, Robert’s special treatment was the source of smoldering jealousy.”
- Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
- Check out the Queen Elizabeth I Biography Page for many other articles.
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