James Rob.

of the first folio, and both in the same year, 1600. erts, a printer, issued one; Thomas Fisher, a publisher, the other. Although they both bear the same date, it is safe to presume that Roberts' edition was first in the field, because as late as October 8, 1600, Fisher entered his copy at Stationers' Hall. The folio was printed from a copy of Roberts' edition, as we know by the exact repetition of certain errors of the press and arrangements of lines; but that this copy had been used at the theatre for stage purposes and corrected with some care, the folio affords internal evidence in many passages and of various nature, all of which is carefully pointed out in the Notes to this edition. Neither quarto, therefore, is to be regarded in any other light than as an assistant in eliminating such corruptions as may have crept into the folio itself; though Fisher's enables us to correct some errors which were passed over in the copy of the quarto furnished to the printers by Heminge and Condell. The quartos sometimes concur in a reading different from that in the folio; but this is of little moment: it merely shows (unless in the case of a palpable corruption of the press) that in the copy from which the folio was printed, an error was corrected which had appeared in both the previous editions. The presumption is especially in favor of the authorized edition, when we know that it was printed from a copy which had been corrected in Shakespeare's theatre, and probably under his own eye, if not by his own hand. Fortunately all of these editions were printed quite carefully for books of their class at that day; and the cases in which there is admissible doubt as to the reading are comparatively few, and with one or two exceptions, unimportant.

The period of the action of this play is exactly that when the slayer of the Minotaur and the Queen of the Amazons narrowly escaped meeting Robin Goodfellow and some other fairies in a wood near Athens; which happened on the night before they saw five Greek clowns play the lamentable comedy of Pyramus and Thisbe in the style of an English Interlude. For the costume that Theseus and Hippolyta and their attendants wore on that occasion the Elgin Marbles are authority, and the woodcut which accompanies the edition of the Merry Pranks already mentioned gives, doubtless, a very accurate representation of

* See Extracts of Entries on the Books of the Stationers' Company. Variorum Shakespeare, Vol. II. p. 638.

the dress worn by Robin. It consists chiefly, nay entirely, of a broom.

When the reader has satisfactorily determined this period and the corresponding costume of all the personages, he will be able, without assistance, to account for or to reconcile various anachronisms and discrepancies as to time which close observation may detect in the play; and he will then, too, be in a proper frame of mind to undertake the task.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

THESEUS, Duke of Athens.

EGEUS, Father to Hermia.

LYSANDER, betrothed to Hermia.

DEMETRIUS, once suitor to Helena, now in love with Hermia.

PHILOSTRATE, Master of the Revels to Theseus.

HIPPOLYTA, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus.

HERMIA, betrothed to Lysander.

HELENA, in love with Demetrius.

Other Fairies attending the King and Queen.
Attendants on Theseus and Hippolyta.

SCENE: Athens, and a Wood not far from it.

(20)

A MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM.

ACT I.

SCENE I. Athens. A Room in the Palace of THESEUS.

Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attendants.

THESEUS.

TOW, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour

NOW

Draws on apace: four happy days bring in Another moon; but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires, Like to a step-dame, or a dowager,

Long withering out a young man's revenue. Hippolyta. Four days will quickly steep themselves in nights;

Four nights will quickly dream away the time;
And then the moon, like to a silver bow

New bent in heaven, shall behold the night
Of our solemnities.

The.

Go, Philostrate,

Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth :

Turn melancholy forth to funerals ;
The pale companion is not for our pomp.
Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword,
And won thy love doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,

With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.

Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS. Egeus. Happy be Theseus, our renowned Duke! The. Thanks, good Egeus: what's the news with thee?

Ege. Full of vexation come I; with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia.Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord, This man hath my consent to marry her. Stand forth, Lysander: and, my gracious Duke, This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child: Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes, And interchang'd love-tokens with my child: Thou hast by moon-light at her window sung, With feigning voice, verses of feigning love; And stol'n the impression of her fantasy With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits, Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweet-meats, messengers Of strong prevailment in unharden'd youth; With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart; Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,

To stubborn harshness. And, my gracious Duke,
Be it so, she will not here, before your Grace,
Consent to marry with Demetrius,

I beg the ancient privilege of Athens,
As she is mine, I may dispose of her,
Which shall be either to this gentleman,
Or to her death, according to our law
Immediately provided in that case.