Oh, that a lady of one man refus'd, Should of another therefore be abus'd! [Exit. Lyf. She fees not Hermia; Hermia, fleep thou there, The deepest loathing to a stomach brings; Of all be hated, but the most of me! And, all my pow'rs, addrefs your love and might [Exit. [Exit ACT ACT III. SCENE I. The WOOD. Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snowt and The Queen of Fairies lying afleep. RE we all met? AR Воттом. Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous conve nient place for our rehearsal. This green plot fhall be our stage, this hauthorn-brake our tyring house, and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the Duke. Bot. Peter Quince! Quin. What fay'ft thou, bully Bottom? Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that will never please. First, Pyramus muft draw a fword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? Snowt. By'rlaken, 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 feem to fay, we will do no harm with our fwords, and that Pyramus is not kill'd indeed; and for more better affurance tell them, that I Pyramus am not Pyramus but Bottom the weaver; this will this will put them out of fear. Quin. Well, we will have fuch a prologue, and it fhall be written in eight and fix. Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight. and eight. H 2 Snowt. Snowt. Will not the ladies be afraid of the lion? - Bot. Mafters, you ought to confider with your felves; to bring in, God fhield 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. Snowt. Therefore another prologue muft tell he is not a lion. Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be feen through the lion's neck, and he himself must speak through, faying thus or to the fame defect; ladies, or fair ladies, I would wifh you, or I would requeft you, or I would intreat 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 fuch 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 fo; 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 fhine that night we play our play? Bot. A kalendar, a kalendar! look in the almanack; find out moon-fhine, find out moon-fhine. Quin. Yes, it doth fhine that night. Bot. Why then may you leave a cafement of the great chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon may fhine in at the casement. Quin. Ay, or elfe one muft come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and fay he comes to disfigure or to prefent the perfon of Moon-fhine. Then there is another thing, we must have a wall in the great chamber, for Pyramus and Thisby (fays the ftory) did talk through the chink of a wall. Snug. You can never bring in a wall. What fay you, Bottom? Bot. Some man or other must prefent Wall, and let him him have fome plafter, or fome lome, or fome rough-caft about him, to fignify wall: Or let him hold his fingers thus; and through the cranny fhall Pyramus and Thisby whisper. Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, fit down every mother's fon, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin; when you have fpoken your fpeech, enter into that brake, and fo every one according to his cue. SCENE Enter Puck. II. There, Puck. What hempen home-fpuns have we fwaggering So near the cradle of the fairy Queen? What, a play tow'rd? I'll be an auditor; An actor too perhaps, if I fee cause. Quin. Speak, Pyramus; Thisby, stand forth. Pyr. Odours favours sweet, So doth thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear: But hark, a voice! ftay thou but here a whit,` And by and by I will to thee appear. [Exit Pyr. Puck. A ftranger Pyramus than e'er plaid here! [Afide. Thif. Muft I fpeak now? Quin. Ay marry muft you; for you must understand he goes but to fee a noife that he heard, and is to come again. Thif. Moft radiant Pyramus, moft lilly-white of hue, Of colour like the red rofe on triumphant bryer, Most briskly Juvenile, and eke most lovely few, As true as trueft horfe, 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 anfwer to Pyramus; you fpeak all your part at once, cues and all. Pyramus, enter, your cue is paft; it is never tire. H 3 1 a while, ... old edit. Theob. emend. 2 brisky Thif Thif. O, as true as trueft horfe, that yet would never tire. Re-enter Bottom with an Afs's head. Pyr. If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine. Quin. O monftrous! O ftrange! we are haunted; pray, mafters, fly, mafters, help. [The Clowns exeunt. Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bufh, through brake, through Sometimes a horse I'll be, fometimes a hound, [bryer; A hog, a headlefs bear, fometime a fire, And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn. [Exit. Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to make me afeard. Enter Snowt. Snowt. O Bottom, thou art chang'd; what do I fee on thee? Bot. What do you fee? you fee an ass-head of your own, do you? Enter Quince. Quin. Blefs thee, Bottom, blefs thee, thou art tranflated. [Exit. Bot. I fee their knavery, this is to make an afs of me, to fright me if they could; but I will not ftir from this place, do what they can; I will walk up and down here, and I will fing, that they fhall hear I am not afraid. [Sings. The Oufel cock, fo black of hue, With orange-tawny bill, The throftle with his note fo true, Queen. What angel wakes me from my flow'ry bed? Bot. The finch, the fparrow, and the lark, [Waking. [Sings. The plain-fong cuckow gray, Whofe note full many a man doth mark, And dares not answer nay. For |