l. She
instructed her attendant fairies to be kind and courteous to the
gentleman, and to feed him with apricots, dewberries, purple grapes,
green figs, and mulberries. Then they were to steal the honey-bags
from bumble bees for his service, and to crop their waxen thighs, and
light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes, to show her love to bed; and
further, to pluck the wings from butterflies, to fan the moonbeams
from his sleeping eyes. By Puck's mistake, the love juice was laid in
absence of the fair Athenian lady, and so the object desired was not
obtained. In consequence of this, much confusion and misunderstanding
followed. To prevent a fight, Oberon, whom Puck addressed as "king of
shadows," ordered the night to be overcast with drooping fog, that the
rivals might be led astray. Other instructions were given, which Puck
suggested should be done quickly, as in the distance shone Aurora's
harbinger, at whose approach ghosts, wandering here and there, trooped
home to churchyards. Damned spirits, he said, that had burial in
cross-ways and floods, had already gone to their wormy beds, lest day
should look on their shame. Oberon began to pity Titania, and,
touching her eyes with an herb, her love for the loathsome visage she
had admired for ever vanished.

The _Midsummer Night's Dream_ concludes with the following song, if we
except Puck's address:

"Now, until the break of day,
Through this house each fairy stray,
To the best bride-bed will we,
Which by us shall blessed be;
And the issue, there create,
Ever shall be fortunate.
So shall all the couples three
Ever true and loving be:
And the blots of nature's hand
Shall not in their issue stand;
Never mole, hare-lip, nor scar,
Nor mark prodigious such as are
Despised in nativity,
Shall upon their children be,--
With this field-dew consecrate,
Every fairy take his gait;
And each several chamber bless,
Through this palace with sweet peace:
E'er shall it in safety rest,
And the owner of it blest.
Trip away,
Make no stay;
Meet me all by break of day."

In gleaning from _Macbeth_, we shall pass over the weird sisters'
predictions as lightly as possible, without breaking the connecting
links, though we are greatly tempted to incorporate a considerable
part of this play into our collection of tales and traditions, seeing
that, in our opinion, none of Shakspeare