draw a fword to kill himself, which the Ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?sert to for hatol n Snout. By'rlaken, a parlous fear ? Star. I believe, we must leave the killing out, when all is done. Fa 913 717 Bot. Not a whit, I have a device to make all well p 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 fuch a prologue, and ita fhall be written in eight and fix. Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight. Snout Will not the Ladies be afraid of the lion ? Bot. Mafters, you ought to confider with yourselves 34 to bring in, God fhield us, a lion among Ladies, is an moft 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 iss not a lion. Bot. Nay, you u must name his name, and half his face must be feen 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 request you, or I would intreat you, not to fear, not tov tremble; my life for yours; if you think, I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life; no, I am në · 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. T 6 Quins Well, it fhall be for; but there is twe hard things, that is, to bring the moon-light into a cham-ber; for, you know, Pyramus and Thilly met by moanlight. 2 Snug Doth the moon fhine that night we play our play? Bot. A kalendar, a kalendar! look in the almanack 500 find out moon-fhine, find out moon-fhine. E-5 Car then mayne that night. Quin. it doth may and the moon you leave a cafement of the great chamber window, where we play, open; a fhine in at the cafement. AV or elfe one mult come in with a bush of Quin. Ay, thorns and a lanthorn, and fay, he comes to disfigure, of to prefent, the perfon of moon-fhine. Then there is another thing; we must have a wall in the a wall in the great chamber, for Pyra nus and Thify (fays the ftory) did talk through the chink of a wall. Snug. You can never bring in a wall. Bottom? him Sill 19m III What fay you, Bof. Some man or other muft prefent wall; and let have fome plafter, or fome lome, or fome roughcaft about him, to fignify wall: Or let him hold his fingers thus; and through the cranny shall 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 so every one according to his cue. Enter Puck, behind. Puck. What hempen home-fpuns have we fwaggering here, So near the cradle of the fairy Queen Podgium baA What, a play tow'rd ? I'll be an auditor; An actor too, perhaps, if I fee caufe, ob W & Pyr. Odours, favours fweet. So doth thy breath, my deareft Thisby, dear; But hark, a voice! ftay thou but here a whit! And, by and by, I will to thee appear. G [15) [Exit Pyr. Puck. (15) ftay thou but bere a while;] The verses here, tis plain, fhould be alternately in rhyme; but feet in the close of the first line, and while in the third, will not do for this purpose, The Author, doubtiefs, gave it; va flay thou but here a whit ; Puck. Aftranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here! [Afide. This Muft I fpeak now? Ο Quin. Aylist marry, muft you; for you must under-ftand, he goes but to fee a noile that he heard, and is to come again. 39 39 "ל bil Moft radiant Pyramus, moft lilly-white of hue, Of colour like the red rofe on triumphant briar, My Juvenile, and eke most lovely Jew, as trueft horse, that yet would never tire, I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb. 4 Quin. Ninus tomb, man; why you muft not fpeak that yet that you answer to Pyramus; you fpeak all your part at once, cues and all. gramy enter your cue is paft it is, never tire. 4 Re-enter Bottom, with an Afs headse 3 Thif. O, as true as trueft horfe, that yet would never tire. es Quin pray, mafterstrous strange! we are haunted; s; fly, masters; help! [The Clown's excunt. Pack. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bufh, through brake, through · briar, d 200 Sometimes a horfe I'll be, fometimes a hound, dow A hog, a headlefs bear, fometimes a fire,i 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 afcard. -199w) 21Joval (unter Snow „Sp Pr¶ Snowt." ○ Bottom, thou art chang'd; what do I fee on thee? (foss for forəb von „dized (di dìob 62 (ie. a little while for fo it fignifies, as alfo any thing of no price, or confideration; a trifle in which fenfe it is very frequent with our Author. Bottom before in this Scene fays; Not a whit; I have a device to make all well; And, in Hamlet ; [T slo No, not a whit; we defy auguryan And in King Richard III.200 Woe, woe, for England! not a subit, for me, 2 Bot. What do you feet you fee an afs-head of yourown, do you?> Enter Quince. Quin. Blefs thee, Bottom, blefs thee; thou art tranflated. 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. The oufel cock, fo black of hue, With orange-tawny bill, The throttle with his note fo true, [Sings A Queen. What angel wakes me from my flow'ry bed? [waking. Bet. The finch, the sparrow, and the lark, [Sings. The plain-fong cuckow gray, Whofe note full many a man doth mark, And dares not anfwer, nay. For, indeed, who would fet his wit to fo foolish a bird? who would give a bird the lye, tho' he cry cucksw. never for Queen. I pray thee, gentle mortal, fing again; - Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note, (16) And thy fair virtue's force (perforce) doth move me, Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reafon for that: and yet, to fay the truth, reafon and love keep little company together now-a-days. The (16) Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note, On the firft view to fay, to fwear, I love thee; So is mine eye enthralled to thy fhape, I. And thy fair virtue's force (perforce) doth move me.] Thus the generality of the impreffions have fhuffled, and confused these verfes, to the utmost degree of obfcurity and nonfense: but I have from one of the old Quarto's reduced 'em to clearness and order: and as, without knowing fuch an authority for it, Dr. Thirlby inge niously hinted to me, they should be placed, more more the pity, that fome honeft neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occafion. Queen. Thou art as wife, as thou art beautiful. Bot. Not fo neither: but if I had wit enough to get. out of this wood, I have enough to ferve mine own turn. Queen. Out of this wood do not defire to go, Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or not of no common rate; I am a The fummer a ftill doth tend upon my ftate, And I do love thee; therefore, go with me, And they fhall fetch thee jewels from the deep, And fing, while thou on preffed flowers doft fleep!: And I will purge thy mortal grofsnefs fo, That thou shalt like an airy fpirit go. Peafebloom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardfeed! (17); 1 Fair. Ready. 2 Fair. And I. 3. Fair. And I. 4 Enter four Fairies.. Fair. And I, where fhall we go? Queen. Be kind, and courteous to this gentleman (17) Enter Peasebloffom, Cobweb, Moth, Muftardfeed, and four Fairies. Here the common editions have been fo extravagant as tot fplit four Fairies into eight: but the old Quarto impreffions both. came in to my afftance to reduce 'em toftheir right number. The Queen calls them by their respective names, and immediately the four Fairies enter upon call,book a dev 2. Fairs |