And maidens call it love-in-idleness171.
Fetch me that flower; the herb I showed thee once:
The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid
Will make or174 man or woman madly dote
Upon the next live creature that it sees.
Fetch me this herb, and be thou here again
Ere the leviathan177 can swim a league.
ROBIN I'll put a girdle178 round about the earth
In forty minutes.
[Exit]
OBERON Having once this juice,
I'll watch Titania when she is asleep,
And drop the liquor of it in her eyes.
The next thing when she waking looks upon,
Be it on lion, bear, or wolf or bull,
On meddling monkey or on busy ape,
She shall pursue it with the soul of love.
And ere I take this charm off from her sight,
As I can take it with another herb,
I'll make her render up her page to me.
But who comes here? I am invisible,
And I will overhear their conference.
He stands aside
Enter Demetrius, Helena following him
DEMETRIUS I love thee not, therefore pursue me not.
Where is Lysander and fair Hermia?
The one I'll stay, the other stayeth194 me.
Thou told'st me they were stolen into this wood;
And here am I, and wood196 within this wood,
Because I cannot meet my Hermia.