But, gentle friend, for love and curtefy Enter Puck. Puck. Through the forest have I gone, On whofe eyes I might approve And here the maiden fleeping found Hel. SCENE [Exit. VII. Enter Demetrius and Helená running. STA TAY, tho' thou kill me. fweet Demetrius! Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus. Hel. O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not fo. 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 leffer is my grace. Happy is Hermia, wherefoe'er fhe lies; For the hath bleffed, and attractive, eyes. な How came her eyes fo bright? not with falt tears; For beafts, that meet me, run away for fear. Lyf. And run thro' fire I will, for thy sweet fake. [Waking. Transparent Helen, nature here fhews art, Is that vile name, to perish on my sword! Hel. Do not fay fo, Lyfander, fay not fo; What tho' he love your Hermia? Íord, what tho'? Yet Hermia ftill loves you; then be content. Lyf. Content with Hermia? no: I do repent Who will not change a raven for a dove? And And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mock'ry born? When at your hands did I deserve this fcorn? Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man, That I did never, no, nor never can, Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, But you must flout my infufficiency? Good troth, you do me wrong; good footh, you do ; In fuch difdainful manner me to woo: But fare you well. Perforce I must confess, I thought you lord of more true gentleness: Should of another therefore be abus'd! [Exit. Lyf. She fees not Hermia; Hermia, fleep thou there; And never may'ft thou come Lyfander near; The deepest loathing to the ftomach brings; And all my pow'rs addrefs your love and might [Exit. ACT III. SCENE I. The W O 0 D. Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snowt and Starveling. The Queen of Fairies lying afleep. ARE we all met? Воттом. Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot fhall be our flage, this hawthorn-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. Firft Pyramus must 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 put them out of fear. Quin. Well, we will have such 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. Sonut Snowt. Will not the ladies be afraid of the lion? Star. I fear it, I promise you. Bot. Masters, you ought to confider with yourfelves; to bring in, God fhield us, a lion among ladies, is a moft 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 must tell, he is not a lion. Bot. Nay you muft name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he himself muft fpeak through, faying thus, or to the fame defect; ladies, or fair ladies, I would wish 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 here 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 Thiby 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 shine 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 else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and fay, he comes to diffigure, 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 (says the story) did talk through the chink of a wall. F 5 Snug. |