Page:Midsummer Night's Dream (1918) Yale.djvu/76

64  Are of imagination all compact: One sees more devils than vast hell can hold, That is the madman; the lover, all as frantic, Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt: The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven; And, as imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing A local habitation and a name. Such tricks hath strong imagination, That, if it would but apprehend some joy, It comprehends some bringer of that joy; Or in the night, imagining some fear, How easy is a bush suppos'd a bear!

Hip. But all the story of the night told over, And all their minds transfigur'd so together, More witnesseth than fancy's images, And grows to something of great constancy, But, howsoever, strange and admirable.

The. Here come the lovers, full of joy and mirth. Joy, gentle friends! joy, and fresh days of love Accompany your hearts!

Lys.More than to us Wait in your royal walks, your board, your bed!

The. Come now; what masques, what dances shall we have,  8 compact: composed 11 Helen: Helen of Troy brow of Egypt: gypsy's face 19, 20 Cf. n. 25 More witnesseth: is evidence of more 26 constancy: consistency 27 admirable: to be wondered at 