your lion, living; and we ought to look to it. Snout. Therefore, another prologue must tell, he is not a lion. tire. As true as truest horse, that yet would never I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb. [tire, Quin. Ninus' tomb, man: Why you must not Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus: half his face must be seen through the lion's you speak all your part at once, cues and all. neck; and he himself must speak through, say--Pyramus enter; your cue is past; it is never ing 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 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? Bot. A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanack; find out moon-shine, find, out moonshine. Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night. Bot. 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. Quin. Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, 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 chinks 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. Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, 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 So near the cradle of the fairy queen? Quin. Speak, Pyramus :-Thisby, stand Pyr. Thisby, the flowers of odious savours 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. [Exit. 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 he 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, ↑ Young man. * Thicket. Re-enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with an ass' 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 Pray, masters! fly, masters! help! [haunted. [Exeunt Clowns. round, Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a [through briar; Through bog, through bush, through brake, Sometime a horse I'll be, sometimes 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 Tita. What angel wakes me from my flowery [Waking. bed? Bot. The finch, the sparrow, and the lark, Whose note full many a man doth mark, for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish Tita. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again; Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days: The more the pity, that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion. Tita. Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful. Bot. Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn. Tita. Out of this wood do not desire to go; The last words of the preceding speech, which serve as a hint to him who is to speak next. † Afraid. The Cuckoo with his uniform note. Joke. Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or And I will purge thy mortal grossness so, Enter four FAIRIES. 1 Fai. Ready. 2 Fai. And I. 3 Fai. And I. 4 Fai. Where shall we go? Near to her close and consecrated bower, And forth my mimick comes: When they him As wild geese that the creeping fowler eye, Tita. Be kind and courteous to this gentle-So, at his sight, away his fellows fly: man; Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes; Mus. Mustard-seed. Bot. Good master Mustard-seed, I know your Obe. I wonder, if Titania be awak'd; And, at our stamp, here o'er and o'er one falls; thus strong, Made senseless things begin to do them wrong: I led them on in this distracted fear, Obe. This falls out better than I could devise. Puck. I took him sleeping,—that is finish'd too, And the Athenian woman by his side; [ey'd. Obe. Stand close; this is the same Athenian. man. Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe. [so? worse; For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse. The sun was not so true unto the day, Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me. Dem. I had rather give his carcass to my hounds. Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv'st me past Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him †Stupid company Head. Infected. O! once tell true, tell true, even for my sake; Could not a worm, an adder, do so much? therefore? Her. A privilege, never to see me more.And from thy hated presence part I so; See me no more, whether he be dead or no. [Exit. Dem. There is no following her in this fierce vein: Here, therefore, for a while I will remain. [Lies down. Obe. What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken quite, [sight: And laid the love-juice on some true-love's Of thy misprison must perforce ensue [true. Some true-love turn'd, and not a false turn'd Puck. Then fate o'er-rules; that, one man holding troth, A million fail, confounding oath on oath. Obe. About the wood go swifter than the By some illusion see thou bring her here; Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow. Puck. Captain of our fairy band, Helena is here at hand; And the youth, mistook by me, Pleading for a lover's fee; Shall we their fond pageant see? Lord, what fools these mortals be! [Exit. Obe. Stand aside: the noise they make, Puck. Then will two at once, woo one; Enter LYSANDER and HELENA. Lys. Why should you think, that I should woo in scorn? Scorn and derision never come in tears: Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born, In their nativity all truth appears. How can these things in me seem scorn to you, Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true? Hel. You do advance your cunning more and more. When truth kills truth, O devilish holy fray. These vows are Hermia's; Will you give her o'er? [weigh: Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing Your vows, to her and me, put in two scales, Will even weigh; and both as light as tales. Lys. I had no judgement, when to her I swore. Hel. Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er. Lys. Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you. Dem. [Awaking.] O Helen, goddess, nymph, To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne? Lys. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so; Hel. Never did mockers waste more idle breath. Dem. Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will If e'er I lov'd her, all that love is gone. [none: My heart with her, but, as guest-wise, sojourn'd; And now to Helen is it home return'd, Lys. Helen, it is not so. Dem. Disparage not the faith thou dost not Lest to thy peril, thou aby it dear.‡- [know, Look where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear. Fair Helena; who more engilds the night Than all yon fiery oes* and eyes of light. Why seek'st thou me? could not this make thee know, The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so? Is all the counsel that we two have shar'd, All school-days' friendship, childhood, inno- Two lovely berries moulded on one stem: Her. I am amaz'd at your passionate words: Her. I understand not what you mean by this. Hel. Ay, do, persévere, counterfeit sad looks, Make mows upon me when I turn my back; Wink at each other; hold the sweet jest up: This sport, well carried, shall be chronicled. If you have any pity, grace, or manners, You would not make me such an argument. But, fare ye well: 'tis partly mine own fault; Which death, or absence, soon shall remedy. Lys. Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excuse; My love, my life, my soul, fair Helena ! Hel. O excellent! Her. Sweet, do not scorn her so. Dem. If she cannot entreat, I can compel. entreat; ceive, Dem. I would, I had your bond; for, I per[word. A weak bond holds you; I'll not trust your Lys. What should I hurt her, strike her, kill her dead? Although I hate her, I'll not harm her so. Her. What, can you do me greater harm than hate? [love? Hate me wherefore? O me! what news, my Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lysander? I am as fair now, as I was erewhile. Since night, you lov'd me; yet, since night you left me: Why, then you left me,-O, the gods forbid!— In earnest shall I say? Lys. Ay, by my life; And never did desire to see thee more. Her. O me! you juggler! you canker-blossom !* [night Have you no modesty, no maiden shame, Her. Puppet! why so? Ay, that way goes the game. Now I perceive that she hath made compare And are you grown so high in his esteem, Let her not hurt me: I was never curst;† I am a right maid for my cowardice; [think, Her. Lower! hark, again. Hel. Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with I evermore did love you, Hermia, [me. Did ever keep your counsels, never wrong'd Save, that, in love unto Demetrius, [you; I told him of your stealth unto this wood: *A worm that preys on buds of flowers. † Shrewish or mischievous. And now, so you will let me quiet go, Hel. A foolish heart, that I leave here behind? Lys. Be not afraid: she shall not harm thee, Dem. No, Sir; she shall not, though you take Hel. O, when she's angry, she is keen and She was a vixen, when she went to school; Why will you suffer her to flout me thus? Lys. Get you gone, you dwarf; You minimus, of hind'ring knot grasst made; Dem. You are too officious, In her behalf that scorns your services. Lys. Now she holds me not; Now follow, if thou dar'st, to try whose right, Dem. Follow? nay, I'll go with thee, cheek [you: Hel. I will not trust you, I; Or else commit'st thy knaveries wilfully. Did not you tell me, I should know the man As this their jangling I esteem a sport. [fight: Go. With league, whose date till death shall never Whiles I in this affair do thee employ, Puck. My fairy lord, this must be done with Obe. But we are spirits of another sort: [Exit OBERON.. Puck. Up and down, up and down; I will lead them up and down: I am fear'd in field and town; Here comes one. When I come where he calls, then he is gone. Re-enter PUCK and DEMETRIUS. * Cephalus, the paramour of Aurora. |