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; Her. Lysander riddles very prettily:- So far be distant; and good night, sweet friend: Here is my bed: sleep give thee all his rest! press'd! Enter Pack. Puck. Through the forest have I Churl, upon thy eyes I throw All the power this charm doth owe® : Sleep his seat on thy eye-lid. Enter Demetrius and Helena, running. [Exit. Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius. Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus. Hel. O, wilt thou darklingt leave me? do not so. Dem. Stay, on thy peril; I alone will go. [Exit Demetrius. How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears: For beasts that meet me, run away for fear: sake. Lys. And run through fire I will, for thy sweet [Waking. Transparent Helena! Nature here shows art, That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word Is that vile name, to perish on my sword! Hel. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so: What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though? Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content. Lys. Content with Hermia? No: I do repent The tedious minutes I with her have spent. Not Hermia, but Helena I love: Who will not change a raven for a dove? And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, But fare you well: perforce I must confess, Should, of another, therefore be abus'd! [Exit. Lys. She sees not Hermia:-Hermia, sleep thou there; And never may'st thou come Lysander near! The deepest loathing to the stomach brings; And all my powers, address your love and might, [Exit. Her. [starting.] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best, To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast! ACT III. SCENE I. The same. The queen of fairies lying asleep. Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling. Bot. Are we all met? Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convevient place for our rehearsal: this green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our trying house; and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the duke. Bot. Peter Quince, 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'rlakint, a parloust fear. Star. I believe, we must leave the killing out, when all is done. * By all that is dear. Dangerous. + By our ladykin. 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? Star. I fear it, I promise you. Bot. Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves to bring in, God shield us! a lion among ladies, it 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. Bot. 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 same defect, Ladies, or fair ladies, I would wish you, or, I would request you, or, I would entreat you, not to tear, 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. Bot. A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanack; find out moon-shine, find out moon-shine. * Terrible. |