34 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

Nought shall go ill ;
The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.”

Meanwhile Oberon found Titania asleep on a bank where grew wild
thyme, oxlips, and violets, and woodbine, musk roses and eglantine.
There Titania always slept a part of the night, wrapped in the enamelled
skin of a snake. Oberon stooped over her and laid the juice;on her eyes,
saying :—

‘What thou seest when thou wake,
Do it for thy true love take.”

Now, it happened that when Titania woke the first thing she saw
was a stupid clown, one of a party of players who had come out into the
wood to rehearse their play. This clown had met with Puck, who had
clapped an ass’s head on his shoulders so that it looked as if it grew
there. Directly Titania woke and saw this dreadful monster, she said,
“What angel is this? Are you as wise as you are beautiful ?”

“Tf I am wise enough to find my way out of this wood, that’s
enough for me,” said the foolish clown.

“Do not desire to go out of the wood,” said Titania. The spell of
the love-juice was on her, and to her the clown seemed the most beautiful
and delightful creature on all the earth. “J love you,” she went on.
“Come with me, and I will give you fairies to attend on you.”

So she called four fairies, whose names were Peaseblossom, Cobweb,
Moth, and Mustardseed.

“You must attend this gentleman,” said the Queen. “Feed him with
apricots and dewberries, purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries. Steal
honey-bags for him from the humble-bees, and with the wings of painted
butterflies fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes.”

“T will,” said one of the fairies, and all the others said, ‘I will.”

“ Now, sit down with me,” said the Queen to the clown, ‘and let
me stroke your dear cheeks, and stick musk-roses in your smooth, sleek
head, and kiss your fair large ears, my gentle joy.”

‘““Where’s Peaseblossom ?” asked the clown with the ass’s head. He
did not care much about the Queen’s affection, but he was very proud of .
having fairies to wait on him. “ Ready,” said Peaseblossom.

“Scratch my head, Peaseblossom,” said the clown. ‘“ Where’s
Cobweb?” “ Ready,” said Cobweb.