This thing Nymphidia overheard,
  That on this mad King had a guard,
  Not doubting of a great reward
      For first this business broaching;
  And through the air away doth go,
  Swift as an arrow from the bow,
  To let her sovereign Mab to know
      What peril was approaching.

  The Queen, bound with Love’s powerful’st charm,
  Sate with Pigwiggen arm in arm;
  Her merry maids that thought no harm,
      About the room were skipping;
  A humble bee, their minstrel, played
  Upon his hautboy; every maid
  Fit for this Revels was arrayed,
      The hornpipe neatly tripping.

  In comes Nymphidia, and doth cry,
  “My sovereign, for your safety fly,
  For there is danger but too nigh;
      I posted to forewarn you: 
  The King hath sent Hobgoblin out,
  To seek you all the fields about,
  And of your safety you may doubt
      If he but once discern you.”

  When, like an uproar in a town,
  Before them everything went down;
  Some tore a ruff, and some a gown,
      ’Gainst one another justling;
  They flew about like chaff i’ th’ wind;
  For haste some left their masks behind;
  Some could not stay their gloves to find;
      There never was such bustling.

  Forth ran they, by a secret way,
  Into a brake that near them lay;
  Yet much they doubted there to stay,
      Lest Hob should hap to find them;
  He had a sharp and piercing sight,
  All one to him the day and night;
  And therefore were resolved by flight
      To leave this place behind them.

  At length one chanced to find a nut,
  In th’ end of which a hole was cut,
  Which lay upon a hazel root,
      There scattered by a squirrel
  Which out the kernel gotten had;
  When quoth this Fay, “Dear Queen, be glad;
  Let Oberon be ne’er so mad,
      I’ll set you safe from peril.

  “Come all into this nut,” quoth she,
  “Come closely in; be ruled by me;
  Each one may here a chooser be,
      For room ye need not wrastle: 
  Nor need ye be together heapt”;
  So one by one therein they crept,
  And lying down they soundly slept,
      And safe as in a castle.

  Nymphidia, that this while doth watch,
  Perceived if Puck the Queen should catch
  That he should be her over-match,
      Of which she well bethought her;
  Found it must be some powerful charm,
  The Queen against him that must arm,
  Or surely he would do her harm,
      For throughly he had sought her.

  And list’ning if she aught could hear,
  That her might hinder, or might fear,
  But finding still the coast was clear,
      Nor creature had descried her;
  Each circumstance and having scanned,
  She came thereby to understand
  Puck would be with them out of hand;
      When to her charms she hied her.