no true Athenian. I will tell you every thing, play is preferred, In any case, let Thisby right as it fell out. Quin. Let us hear, sweet Bottom. Bot. Not a word of me. All that I will tell you, is, that the duke hath dined: Get your apparel together; good strings to your beards, new ribbons to your pumps; meet presently at the palace; every man look o'er his part; for, the short and the long is, our have clean linen; and let not him, that plays the lion, pare his nails, for they shall hang out for the lion's claws. And, most dear actors, eat no onions, nor garlick, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I do not doubt, but to hear them say, it is a sweet comedy. No more words; away; go, away. [Exeunt. ACT SCENE I. The same. An Apartment in the Palace of Theseus. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, Lords, and Attendants. Hip. 'Tis strange, my Theseus, that these One sees more devils than vast hell can hold; The. Here come the lovers, full of joy and mirth. Joy, gentle friends! joy, and fresh days of love, Accompany your hearts! Lys. bed! More than to us Wait on your royal walks, your board, your Call Philostrate. Philost. Are made of mere imagination. Short account. V. to be sung By an Athenian eunuch to the harp. We'll none of that: that I have told my love, In glory of my kinsman Hercules. The riot of the tipsy Bacchanals, Tearing the Thracian singer in their rage. That is an old device; and it was play'd When I from Thebes came last a conqueror. The thrice three Muses mourning for the death Of learning, late deceas'd in beggary. A tedious brief scene of young Pyramus, words long; Which is as brief as I have known a play; But by ten words, my lord, it is too long; Which makes it tedious: for in all the play There is not one word apt, one player fitted.And tragical, my noble lord, it is; For Pyramus therein doth kill himself. Which, when I saw rehears'd, I must confess, Made mine eyes water; but more merry tears The passion of loud laughter never shed. The. What are they, that do play it? Philost. Hard-handed men, that work in Athens here, [pain, present are content Extremely stretch'd, and conn'd with cruel" This man, with lime and rough-cast, doth To do you service. [lovers sunder: The. I will hear that play; "Wall, that vile wall which did these For never any thing can be amiss, "And through wall's chink, poor souls, they When simpleness and duty tender it. [wonder. Go, bring them in;-and take your places, "To whisper; at the which let no man ladies. [Exit PHILOSTRATE." This man, with lantern, dog, and bush of Hip. I love not to see wretchedness o'erthorn, [know, And duty in his service perishing. [charg'd, "Presenteth moon shine: for, if you will The. Why, gentle sweet, you shall see no "By moon-shine did these lovers think no such thing. [kind. [woo. Hip. He says, they can do nothing in this "To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to The. The kinder we, to give them thanks" This grisly beast, which by name lion hight, "The trusty Thisby, coming first by night, "Did scare away, or rather did affright: "And, as she fled, her mantle she did fall; "Which lion vile with bloody mouth did stain: [tall, "Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth, and "And finds his trusty Thisby's mantle for nothing. Our sport shall be, to take what they mistake: Noble respect takes it in might, not merit. I read as much, as from the rattling tongue Enter PHILOSTRATE. Philost. So please your grace, the prologue Pro. If we offend, it is with our good will. scorn slain : [blade, "Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful "He bravely broach'd his boiling bloody breast; "And, Thisby tarrying in mulberry shade, [Exeunt Prol.THIS BE, Lion, and Moonshine. Dem. No wonder, my lord: one lion may, when many asses do. Wall. "In this same interlude, it doth be fal, [wall: "That I, one Snout by name, present a " And such a wall, as I would have you think, That had in it a cranny'd hole, or chink, "Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisby, But with good will. To shew our simple skill," Did whisper often very secretly. "This loam, this rough-cast, and this stone, doth show "That I am that same wall; the truth is so: And this the cranny is, right and sinister, Through which the fearful lovers are to whisper." repent you, The actors are at hand; and, by their show," You shall know all,that you are like to know." The. This fellow doth not stand upon points. Lys. He hath rid his prologue, like a rough colt, he knows not the stop. A good moral, my lord: It is not enough to speak, but to speak true. Hip. Indeed he hath played on this prologue, like a child on a recordert; a sound, but not in government. The. His speech was like a tangled chain; nothing impaired, but all disordered. Who is next? The. Would you desire lime and hair to speak better? Dem. It is the wittiest partition that ever I heard discourse, my lord. The. Pyramus draws near the wall: silence! Pyr. "O grim-look'd night! O night with "O night, which ever art, when day is not! "O night, O night, alack, alack, alack, [wall, "I fear my Thisby's promise is forgot!"And thou, Ŏ wall, O sweet, O lovely wall, "That stand'st between her father's ground and mine; Thou wall, O wall, O sweet and lovely "Show me thy chink, to blink through with mine eyne. [Wall holds up his fingers. Enter PYRAMUS and THISBE, Wall, Moon- • Ready. + A musical instrument. + Called. "Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee " May now, perchance, both quake and tremwell for this! "But what see I? No Thisby do I see. "O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss; ble here, "When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar. [am [me!"" Then know, that I, one Snug the joiner, "Curst be thy stones for thus deceiving" A lion fell, nor else no lion's dam: The. The wall, methinks, being sensible, “ For if I should as lion come in strife should curse again. "Into this place, 'twere pity on my life." The. A very gentle beast and of a good conscience. Pyr. No, in truth, sir, he should not. Deceiving me, is Thisby's cue: she is to enter now, and I am to spy her through the wall. You shall see, it will fall pat as I told you:Yonder she comes. Enter THISBE. This. "O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans, "For parting my fair Pyramus and me: "My cherry lips have often kiss'd thy stones; " Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee." Pyr. “ I see a voice: now will I to the chink, "To spy an I can hear my Thisby's face. Thisby!" This." My love! thou art my love, I think." Pyr. "Think what thou wilt, I am thy lover's grace; "And like Limander am I trusty still." This. And I like Helen, till the fates me kill." [true." Pyr." Not Shafalus to Procrus was so This. "As Shafalus to Procrus I to you." Pyr." O, kiss me through the hole of this vile wall." This. "I kiss the wall's hole, not your lips at all." Pyr." Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straightway?" This. "Tide life, tide death, I come without delay." Wall. " Thus have I, wall, my part discharged so; [go." "And, being done, thus wall away doth [Exeunt Wall, PYRAMUS, and THISBE. The. Now is the mural down between the two neighbours. Dem. No remedy, my lord, when walls are so wilful to hear without warning. Hip. This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard. The. The best in this kind are bnt shiadows: and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them. Hip. It must be your imagination then, and not theirs. The. If we imagine no worse of them, than Dem. The very best at a beast, my lord, that e'er I saw. Lys. This lion is a very fox for his valour. The. True; and a goose for his discretion. Dem. Not so, my lord: for his valour cannot carry his discretion; and the fox carries the goose. The. His discretion, I am sure, cannot carry his valour; for the goose carries not the fox. It is well : leave it to his discretion, and let us listen to the moon. Moon. "This lantern doth the horned moon present:" Dem. He should have worn the horns on his head. The. He is no crescent, and his horns are invisible within the circumference. Moon. "This lantern doth the horned moon present; "Myself the man i' the moon do seem to be." The. This is the greatest error of all the rest: the man should be put into the lantern: How is it else the man i'the moon? Dem. He dares not come there for the candle: for, you see, it is already in snuff *. Hip. I am aweary of this moon: Would, he would change! The. It appears, by his small light of discretion, that he is in the wane: but yet, in courtesy, in all reason, we must stay the time. Lys. Proceed, moon. Moon. All that I have to say, is, to tel you, that the lantern is the moon; I, the man in the moon; this thorn-bush, my thorn-bush and this dog, my dog. Dem. Why, all these should be in the lantern; for they are in the moon. But, silence here comes Thisbe. Enter THISBE. [The Lion roars.-THISBE runs off. Dem. Well roared, lion. The. Well run, .Thisbe. Hip. Well shone, moon.-Truly, the moon shines with a good grace. The. Well moused, lion. they of themselves, they may pass for excel-[The Lion tears THISBE's mantle, and exit. lent men. Here come two noble beasts in, a moon and a lion. Enter Lion and Moonshine. Lion. "You, ladies, you, whose gentle hearts do fear "The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor, Dem. And so comes Pyramus. Lys. And then the moon vanishes. Enter PYRAMUS. 66 Pyr. Sweet moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams; "I thank thee, moon, for shining now so bright. * In anger; a quibble. "For, by thy gracious, golden, glittering *streams, "I trust to taste of truest Thisby's sight. "But mark;-Poor knight, "O dainty duck! O dear! "O fates! come, come; "Cut thread and thrum *; "Quail, crush, conclude, and quell †!” The. This passion, and the death of a dear friend, would go near to make a man look sad. [man. Hip. Beshrew my heart, but I pity the Pyr." O, wherefore, nature, didst thou lions frame? [dear. "Since lion vile hath here deflower'd my "Which is no, no--which was the fairest dame, [look'd with cheert. "That liv'd, that lov'd, that lik'd, that "Come, tears, confound; 66 Out, sword, and wound "The pap of Pyramus: "Ay, that left pap, "My soul is in the sky: "Tongue, lose thy light! "Moon, take thy flight! "Now die, die, die, die, die." [Dies. Exit Moonshine. Dem. No die, but an ace, for him; for he is but one. Lys. Less than an ace, man; for he is dead: he is nothing. The. With the help of a surgeon, he might yet recover, and prove an ass. Hip. How chance Moonshine is gone, before Thisbe comes back and finds her lover? The. She will find him by star-light.-Here she comes; and her passion ends the play. Enter THISBE. Hip. Methinks, she should not use a long one, for such a Pyramus: I hope, she will be brief. Dem. A mote will turn the balance, which Pyramus, which Thisbe, is the better. Lys. She hath spied him already with those sweet eyes. Dem. And thus she moans, videlicet.- "What, dead, my O Pyramus, arise, dove? "Speak, speak. Quite dumb? "Dead, dead? A tomb "Must cover thy sweet eyes. "These lily brows, "This cherry nose, "These yellow cowslip cheeks, "Are gone, are gone : "Lovers, make moan! "His eyes were green as leeks. "O sisters three, "Come, come, to me, "With hands as pale as milk; "Lay them in gore, "Since you have shore "With shears his thread of silk. "Tongue, not a word:- "Come, blade, my breast imbrue : "And farewell, friends ; "Thus Thisby ends: "Adieu, adieu, adieu." [Dies. The. Moonshine, and lion are left to bury the dead. Dem. Ay, and wall too. Bot. No, I assure you; the wall is down that parted their fathers. Will it please you to see the epilogue, or to hear a Bergomask dance, between two of our company? The. No epilogue, I pray you; for your play needs no excuse. Never excuse; for when the players are all dead, there need none to be blamed. Marry, if he that writ it, had play'd Pyramus, and hanged himself in Thisbe's garter, it would have been a fine tragedy: and so it is, truly; and very notably discharged. But come, your Bergomask : let your epilogue alone. [Here a dance of Clowns. The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve: Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time. bed. A fortnight hold we this solemnity, SCENE II. Enter PUCK. Puck. Now the hungry lion roars, That the graves, all gaping wide, By the triple Hecat's team, Enter OBERON and TITANIA, with their Train. Obe. Through this house give glimmering light, By the dead and drowsy fire: Hop as light as bird from brier; Tita. First, rehearse this song by rote: SONG, AND DANCE. Obe. Now, until the break of day, Shall upon their children be.With this field dew consecrate, Every fairy take his gait +; And each several chamber bless, And the owner of it blest. Make no stay; Meet me all by break of day. [Exeunt OBERON, TITANIA, and Train. Puck. If we shadows have offended, Think but this, (and all is mended,) Give me your hands, if we be friends, [Exit. Wild and fantastical as this play is, all the parts in their various modes are well written, and give the kind of pleasure which the author designed. Fairies in his time were much in fashion;_ common tradition had made them familiar, and Spenser's poem had made them great.-JOHNSON. |