These are a series of notes on a passage centering around what is often referred to as Oberon's Allegory, that H. Howard Furness describes as being "the subject of more volumnious speculation than any other twenty-five lines [153-178] in Shakespeare" (1963).
The following is a comparison of these lines across the two quartos and the first folio edition of the play. The Q1 text is from Shakespare: Internet Editions, and the F1 text has been transcribed by hand from the University of Pennsylvania Library's online folio image of page 149.
Q1: Ob. [...] F1: Ob. [...] Q1: My gentle Pucke come hither: thou remembrest, F1: My gentle Pucke come hither ; thou remembreſt Q1: Since once I sat vpon a promontory, F1: Since once I ſat vpon a promontory, Q1: And heard a Mearemaide, on a Dolphins backe, F1: And heard a Meare-maide on a Dolphins backe, Q1: Vttering such dulcet and hermonious breath, F1: Vttering ſuch dulcet and harmonious breath, Q1: That the rude sea grewe ciuill at her song, F1: That the rude ſea grew ciuill at her ſong, Q1: And certaine starres shot madly from their Spheares, F1: And certaine ſtartes ſhot madly from their Spheares, Q1: To heare the Sea-maids musicke. [530] F1: To heare the Sea-maids muſicke. Q1: Puck. I remember. F1: Puc. I remember. Q1: Ob. That very time, I saw (but thou could'st not) F1: Ob. That very time I ſay (but thou couldſt not) Q1: Flying betweene the colde Moone and the earth, F1: Flying betweene the cold Moone and the earth, Q1: Cupid, all arm'd: a certaine aime he tooke F1: Cupid all arm'd ; a certaine aime he tooke Q1: At a faire Vestall, throned by west, F1: At a faire Veſtall, throned by the Weſt, Q1: And loos'd his loue-shaft smartly, from his bowe, F1: And loos'd his loue-ſhaft ſmartly from his bow, Q1: As it should pearce a hundred thousand hearts: F1: As it ſhould pierce a hundred thouſand hearts, Q1: But, I might see young Cupids fiery shaft F1: But I might ſee young Cupids fiery ſhaft Q1: Quencht in the chast beames of the watry Moone: F1: Quencht in the chaſte beames of the watry Moone ; Q1: And the imperiall Votresse passed on, [540] F1: And the imperiall Votreſſe paſſed on, Q1: [End signature C. Catchword: In] Q1: In maiden meditation, fancy free. F1: In maiden meditation, fancy free. Q1: Yet markt I, where the bolt of Cupid fell. F1: Yet markt I where the bolt of Cupid fell. Q1: It fell vpon a little westerne flower; F1: It fell vpon a little weſterne flower ; Q1: Before, milke white; now purple, with loues wound, F1: Before, milke-white ; now purple with loues wound, Q1: And maidens call it, Loue in idlenesse. F1: And maidens call it, Loue in idleneſſe. Q1: Fetch mee that flowre: the herbe I shewed thee once. F1: Fetch me that flower ; the hearb I ſhew'd thee once, Q1: The iewce of it, on sleeping eyeliddes laide, F1: The iuyce of it, on ſleeping eye-lids laid, Q1: Will make or man or woman madly dote, F1: Will make or man or woman madly dote Q1: Vpon the next liue creature that it sees. F1: Vpon the next liue creature that it ſees. Q1: Fetch mee this herbe, and be thou here againe [550] F1: Fetch me this hearbe, and be thou heere againe, Q1: Ere the Leuiathan can swimme a league. F1: Ere the Leuiathan can ſwim a league. Q1: Pu. Ile put a girdle, roûd about the earth, in forty minutes. F1: Pucke. Ile put a girdle about the earth, in forty minutes.
A version with modern spelling conventions, following Q1 primarily:
Oberon [...] My gentle Puck come hither: thou remembrest, Since once I sat upon a promontory, And heard a Meremaid, on a Dolphin's back, Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath, That the rude sea grew civil at her song, And certain stars shot madly from their Spheres, To hear the Sea-maid's music. Puck I remember. Oberon That very time, I saw (but thou could'st not) Flying between the cold Moon and the earth, Cupid, all arm'd: a certain aim he took At a fair Vestal, throned by west, And loos'd his love-shaft smartly, from his bow, As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts: But, I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft Quencht in the chaste beams of the watry Moon: And the imperial Votress passed on, In maiden meditation, fancy free. Yet markt I, where the bolt of Cupid fell. It fell upon a little western flower; Before, milk white; now purple, with love's wound, And maidens call it, Love in idleness. Fetch me that flower: the herb I showed thee once. The juice of it, on sleeping eyelids laid, Will make or man or woman madly dote, Upon the next live creature that it sees. Fetch me this herb, and be thou here again Ere the Leviathan can swim a league. Puck I'll put a girdle, round about the earth, In forty minutes.