Titania was
walking with some of her maids of honour, she met Oberon attended by his
train of fairy courtiers.

"Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania," said the fairy king. The queen
replied, "What, jealous Oberon, is it you? Fairies, skip hence; I have
forsworn his company." "Tarry, rash fairy," said Oberon; "am not I thy
lord? Why does Titania cross her Oberon? Give me your little changeling
boy to be my page."

"Set your heart at rest," answered the queen; "your whole fairy kingdom
buys not the boy of me." She then left her lord in great anger. "Well,
go your way," said Oberon: "before the morning dawns I will torment you
for this injury."

Oberon then sent for Puck, his chief favourite and privy counsellor.

Puck, (or as he was sometimes called, Robin Goodfellow) was a shrewd and
knavish sprite, that used to play comical pranks in the neighbouring
villages; sometimes getting into the dairies and skimming the milk,
sometimes plunging his light and airy form into the butter-churn, and
while he was dancing his fantastic shape in the churn, in vain the
dairy-maid would labour to change her cream into butter: nor had the
village swains any better success; whenever Puck chose to play his
freaks in the brewing copper, the ale was sure to be spoiled. When a few
good neighbours were met to drink some comfortable ale together, Puck
would jump into the bowl of ale in the likeness of a roasted crab, and
when some old goody was going to drink he would bob against her lips,
and spill the ale over her withered chin; and presently after, when the
same old dame was gravely seating herself to tell her neighbours a sad
and melancholy story, Puck would slip her three-legged stool from under
her, and down toppled the poor old woman, and then the old gossips would
hold their sides and laugh at her, and swear they never wasted a merrier
hour.

"Come hither, Puck," said Oberon to this little merry wanderer of the
night; "fetch me the flower which maids call _Love in Idleness_; the
juice of that little purple flower laid on the eyelids of those who
sleep, will make them, when they awake, dote on the first thing they
see. Some of the juice of that flower I will drop on the eyelids of my
Titania when she is asleep; and the first thing she looks upon when she
opens her eyes she will fall in love with, even though it be a lion or a
bear, a meddling monkey, or a busy ape; and before I will take this
charm from off her sight, which I can do