where—neither in the forest nor on the plain, nor by
the river nor under the stars. They always argue, and the little
fairies get so frightened that they hide in acorn cups and
won't come out.
FAIRY
Either I mistake your shape and making quite,
Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite
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Called Robin Goodfellow. Are not you he
That frights the maidens of the villagery,
Skim milk, and sometimes labor in the quern
And bootless make the breathless housewife churn,
And sometime make the drink to bear no barm,
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Mislead 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?
FAIRY
Unless I'm mistaken, you're that mischievous
and naughty spirit named Robin Goodfellow. Aren't you the
one who goes around scaring the maidens in the village, stealing the
cream from the top of the milk, screwing up the flour mills, and
frustrating housewives by keeping their milk from turning into
butter? Aren't you the one who keeps beer from foaming up
as it should, and causes people to get lost at night, while you
laugh at them? Some people call you
“Hobgoblin” and “sweet
Puck,” and you're nice to them. You do their
work for them and give them good luck. That's you,
right?
ROBIN
Thou speak'st aright.
I am that merry wanderer of the night.
30
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,
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And when she drinks, against her lips I bob
And on her withered dewlap pour the ale.
The wisest aunt telling the saddest tale
Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me.
Then slip I from her bum, down topples she,
40
And “Tailor!” cries, and falls into a cough,
And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh,
And waxen in their mirth, and neeze, and swear
A merrier hour was never wasted there.
But, room, fairy! Here comes Oberon.
ROBIN
What you say is true. That's me you're
talking about, the playful wanderer of the night. I tell jokes to
Oberon and make him smile. I'll trick a fat, well-fed
horse into thinking that I'm a young female horse.
Sometimes I hide at the bottom of an old woman's drink
disguised as an apple. When she takes a sip, I bob up against her
lips and make her spill the drink all over her withered old neck.
Sometimes a wise old woman with a sad story to tell tries to sit
down on me, thinking I'm a three-legged stool. But I slip
from underneath her and she falls down, crying, “Ow, my
butt!” and starts coughing, and then everyone laughs and
has fun. But step aside, fairy! Here comes Oberon.
FAIRY
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And here my mistress. Would that he were gone!
FAIRY
And here's my mistress, Titania. I wish he'd
go away!
