Over hill, over dale, Thorough bush, thorough brier, Over park, over pale, Thorough flood, thorough fire, I do wander everywhere, Swifter than the moon's sphere; And I serve the Fairy Queen, To dew her orbs upon the green. The cowslips tall her pensioners be. In their gold coats spots you see; Those be rubies, Fairy favours, In those freckles live their savours. I must go seek some dewdrops here, And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear. Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone; Our Queen and all her elves come here anon. PUCK. The King doth keep his revels here to-night: Take heed the Queen come not within his sight; For Oberon is passing fell and wrath, Because that she as her attendant hath A lovely boy, stolen from an Indian king. She never had so sweet a changeling; And jealous Oberon would have the child Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild. But she perforce withholds the lovèd boy, Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy: And now they never meet in grove or green, By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen, But they do square, that all their elves for fear Creep into acorn-cups and hide them there. FAIRY. Either I mistake your shape and making quite, Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite Called Robin Goodfellow. Are not you he That frights the maidens of the villagery; Skims milk, and sometime labours in the quern, And bootless makes the breathless housewife churn; And sometime makes the drink to bear no barn; Misleads night-wanderers, laughing at their harm? Those that Hobgoblin call you and sweet Puck, You do their work and they shall have good luck. Are not you he? PUCK. Thou speak'st aright; I am that merry wanderer of the night. I jest to Oberon, and make him smile, When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, Neighing in likeness of a filly foal; And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl, In very likeness of a roasted crab; And when she drinks, against her lips I bob And on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale. The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale, Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me; Then slip I from her, and down topples she, And "tailor" cries, and falls into a cough; And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh, And waxen in their mirth, and sneeze, and swear A merrier hour was never wasted there. But, room, fairy! here comes Oberon. FAIRY. And here my mistress. Would that he were gone! (_Enter, from one side_, OBERON _with his train_; _from the other_, TITANIA _with hers_) OBERON. Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania. TITANIA. What, jealous Oberon! Fairy, skip hence. OBERON. Tarry, rash wanton: am I not thy lord? TITANIA.