Bot. I grant you, friends, if that you should fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more discretion but to hang us: but I will aggravate my voice so, that I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar you an 'twere any nightingale. Quin. You can play no part but Pyramus; for Pyramus is a sweet-faced man; a proper man, as one shall see in a summer's day; a most lovely, gentleman-like man; therefore you must needs play Pyramus. Bot. Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best to play it in? Quin. Why, what you will. Bot. I will discharge it in either your straw Quin. Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby's coloured beard, your orange-tawny beard, your purmother. - Tom Snout, the tinker. Snug. Have you the lion's part written? pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study. Quin. You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring. Bot. Let me play the lion too: I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me; I will roar, that I will make the duke say, Let him roar again, Let him roar again. Quin. An you should do it too terribly, you would fright the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek; and that were enough to hang us all. All. That would hang us every mother's son. ple-in-grain beard, or your French-crown-colour beard, your perfect yellow. Quin. Some of your French crowns have no hair at all, and then you will play bare-faced.-But, masters; here are your parts: and I am to entreat you, request you, and desire you, to con them by tomorrow night; and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the town, by moon-light; there will we rehearse for if we meet in the city, we shall be dog'd with company, and our devices known. In the mean time I will draw a bill of properties, such as our play wants. I pray you fail me not. Bot. We will meet; and there we may rehearse more obscenely, and courageously. Take pains; be perfect; adieu. Quin. At the duke's oak we meet. Bot. Enough; Hold, or cut bow-strings. [Exeunt. SCENE I. A Wood 'near Athens. ACT II. Enter a Fairy at one door, and Puck at another. Thorough bush, thorough briar, Thorough flood, thorough fire, In those freckles live their savours: Farewell, thou lob of spirits, I'll be gone; Our queen and all our elves come here anon. And now they never meet in grove, or green, Fai. Either I mistake your shape and making quite, Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite, Puck. Thou speak'st aright; I am that merry wanderer of the night. I jest to Oberon, and make him smile, When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, Puck. The king doth keep his revels here to- Neighing in likeness of a filly foal : night; Take heed, the queen come not within his sight. For Oberon is passing fell and wrath, Because that she, as her attendant, hath A lovely boy, stol'n from an Indian king; And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl, The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale, And then the whole quire hold their hips, and loffe; And waxen in their mirth, and neeze and swear Tita. Set your heart at rest, Fai. And here my mistress: - 'Would that he And, in the spiced Indian air, by night, were gone! SCENE II. Enter OBERON, at one door, with his train, and TITANIA, at another, with hers. Obe. Ill met by moon-light, proud Titania. Tita. What, jealous Oberon? Fairy, skip hence; I have forsworn his bed and company. Obe. Tarry, rash wanton; Am not I thy lord? Obe. How canst thou thus, for shame, Titania, Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night And make him with fair Æglé break his faith, Tita. These are the forgeries of jealousy : But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport. Obe. Do you amend it then: it lies in you: Full often hath she gossip'd by my side; Would imitate; and sail upon the land, If Obe. How long within this wood intend you stay? Tita. Perchance, till after Theseus' wedding-day. you will patiently dance in our round, And see our moonlight revels, go with us; If not, shun me, and I will spare your haunts. Obe. Give me that boy, and I will go with thee. Tita. Not for thy kingdom. Fairies away: We shall chide down-right, if I longer stay. [Exeunt TITANIA and her train. Obe. Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell : Fetch me that flower; the herb I show'd thee once; Obe. Having once this juice, I'll watch Titania when she is asleep, But who comes here? I am invisible; Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA following him. Thou told'st me, they were stol'n into this wood. Hel. You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant ; Dem. Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth Tell you - I do not, nor I cannot love you? Hel. And even for that do I love you the more. I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you: Dem. Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; For I am sick, when I do look on thee. Hel. And I am sick, when I look not on you. Hel. Your virtue is my privilege for that. Dem. I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts. Hel. The wildest hath not such a heart as you. Run when you will, the story shall be chang'd; Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase; The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind Makes speed to catch the tiger: Bootless speed! When cowardice pursues, and valour flies. Dem. I will not stay thy questions; let me go: Or, if thou follow me, do not believe But I shall do thee mischief in the wood. Hel. Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, You do me mischief. Fye, Demetrius ! Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex: We cannot fight for love, as men may do : We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo. I'll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell, fo die upon the hand I love so well. [Exeunt DEM. and HEL. Obe. Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave this grove, Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love. Re-enter PUCK. I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows, Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove : With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes; Enter TITANIA, with her train. Tita. Come, now a roundel, and a fairy song; Then, for the third part of a minute, hence; Some, to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds; Some, war with rear-mice for their leathern wings, To make my small elves coats; and some, keep back The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders At our quaint spirits: Sing me now asleep; Then to your offices, and let me rest. Obe. What thou seest, when thou dost wake, [Squeezes the flower on TITANIA's eye-lids Do it for thy true-love take; Love and languish for his sake; Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, Eru. Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA. Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood; And to speak troth, I have forgot our way; We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, And tarry for the comfort of the day. Her. Be it so, Lysander, find you out a bed, For I upon this bank will rest my head. Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; One heart, one bed, two bosoms and one troth. Her. Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear, Lie further off yet, do not lie so near. Lys. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence; Love takes the meaning, in love's conference. I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit; So that but one heart we can make of it: Her. Lysander riddles very prettily: Lys. Amen, Amen, to that fair prayer, say I; And then end life, wher. I end loyalty! Here is my bed: Sleep give thee all his rest! Her. With half that wish the wisher's eyes be press'd! [They sleep. Enter PUCK. Puck. Through the forest have I gone, And here the maiden, sleeping sound, All the power this charm doth owe: So awake, when I am gone; [Erit. Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running. Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius. Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus. Hel. O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not so. Dem. Stay, on thy peril; I alone will go. [Exit DEMETRIUS. Hel. O, I am out of breath in this fond chase! The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace. Happy is Hermia, whereso'er she lies; For she hath blessed and attractive eyes. How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears: If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers. No, no, I am as ugly as a bear; Lys. And run through fire I will, for thy sweet Transparent Helena! Nature here shows art, That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. Is that vile name, to perish on my sword? Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content. Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When, at your hands, did I deserve this scorn? Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, But fare you well: perforce I must confess, [Ezit. Lys. She sees not Hermia: - Hermia, sleep thou there; And never may'st thou come Lysander near! For, as a surfeit of the sweetest things The deepest loathing to the stomach brings; Or, as the heresies, that men do leave, To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast! Quin. What say'st thou, bully Bottom? Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? Snout. By'rlakin, a parlous fear. Star. I believe, we must leave the killing out, when all is done. Bot. Not a whit; I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue: and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords: and that Pyramus is not killed indeed: and, for the more better assurance, tell them, that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: This will put them out of fear, Quin. Well, we will have such a prologue. and it shall be written in eight and six. Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight. Snout. Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion? Bot. Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves to bring in, God shield us! a lion among ladies, is a most dreadful thing for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion, living; and we ought to look to it. Snout. Therefore, another prologue must tell, he is not a lion. B4. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the sane defect, Ladies, or fair ladies, I would wish you, or, I would request you, or, I would entreat you, not to fear, not to tremble: my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life: No, I am no such thing; I am a man as other men are: and there, indeed, let him name his name; and tell them plainly, he is Snug the joiner. Quin. Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things; that is, to bring the moon-light into a chamber: for you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moon-light. Snug. Doth the moon shine that night we play our play? Bt. A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanack; find out moon-shine, find out moon-shine. Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night. But. Why, then you may leave a casement of the great chamber-window, where we play, open; and the moon may shine in at the casement. Q. Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lantern, and say, he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of moon-shine. Then, there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby, says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall. Snug. You never can bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom? Bot. Some man or other must present wall: and let him have some plaster, or some lome, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; or let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper. Come, Quin. If that may be, then all is well. sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake; and so every one according to his cue. Enter Puck behind. Puck. What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here, So near the cradle of the fairy queen? Quin. Speak, Pyramus: - Thisby, stand forth. Pyr. odours savours sweet : So doth thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear. But, hark, a voice! stay thou but here a while, And by and by I will to thee appear. [Erit. Puck. A stranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here! [Aside. - Exit. This. Must I speak now? Quin. Ay, marry, must you: for you must understand, he goes but to see a noise that be heard, and is to come again. This. Most radiant Pyramus, most lily white of hue, Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier, Most brisky juvenal, and eke most lovely Jew, As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire, I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb. Quin. Ninus' tomb, man: Why you must not speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus: you speak all your part at once, cues and all. - Pyramus enter; your cue is past; it is, never tire. Re-enter PUCK, and ВоттOM with an ass's head. This. O,-As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire. Pyr. If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine :· Quin. O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted. Pray, masters! fly, masters! help! [Exeunt Clowns Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bush, through brake through brier; Sometime a horse I'H be, sometime a hound, A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire; And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn. [Erit. Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them, to make me afeard. |