eyne. "Shew me thy chink, to blink through with mine [Wall holds up his fingers. "Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee well for "But what see I? No Thisby do I see. [this! "O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss; "Curst be thy stones for thus deceiving me!" The. The wall, methinks, being sensible, should curse again. 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 For parting my fair Pyramus and me: [moans, "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!" 46 " This. "My love! thou art my love, I think." [grace; This. " And I like Helen, till the fates me kill." Not Shafalus to Procrus, was so true." Pyr. This. "Tide life, tide death, I come without delay." Wall. Thus have I, wall, my part discharged so; 'And, being done, thus wall away doth go.' [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. Te. The best in this kind are but shadows; and the worse 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 they of themselves, they may pass for excellent 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, "May now, perchance, both quake and tremble here, "When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar. "Then know, that I, one Snug, the joiner, am "A lion fell, nor else no lion's dam: For if I should as lion come in strife "Into this place, 'twere pity on my life." The. A very gentle beast, and of a good conscience. 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. 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. Moon. "This lantern doth the horned moon present; | is nothing. 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 played 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. I fear we shall out-sleep the coming morn, As much as we this night have overwatch'd. This palpable-gross play hath well beguil'd The heavy gait of night.-Sweet friends, to bed.- SCENE II.-Enter PUCK. Puck. Now the hungry lion roars, [Exeunt. Whilst the heavy ploughman snores, All with weary task fordone. Now the wasted brands do glow, Whilst the scritch-owl, scritching loud, Puts the wretch that lies in woe, By the triple Hecat's team, Enter OBERON and TITANIA, with their train. Hop as light as bird from brier; SONG, AND DANCE. Obe. Now, until the break of day, Ever shall be fortunate. So shall all the couples three And the blots of nature's hand Shall upon their children be.- And each several chamber bless, Make no stay: [Exeunt OBERON, TITANIA, and train. Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, So, good night unto you all. 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. PUBLISHED in 1508. Mr. Malone supposes this play to have been written in 1594. The title page in the quarto states it to have been newly corrected and augmented by W. Shakspeare, and perhaps these corrections and augmentations constituted his only share of the production. SCENE I.-Navarre. A Park, with a Palace in it. Enter the KING, BIRON, LONGaville, King. Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives, Therefore, brave conquerors!--for so you are, Biron. I can but say their protestation over, So much, dear liege, I have already sworn, As, not to see a woman in that term; King. Your oath is pass'd to pass away from these. King. Why, that to know, which else we should not know. Biron. Things hid and barr'd, you mean, from common sense? King. Ay, that is study's god-like recompense. When mistresses from common sense are hid: King. These be the stops that hinder study quite, And train our intellects to vain delight. Biron. Why, all delights are vain; but that most Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain: [vain, As, painfully to pore upon a book, To seek the light of truth; while truth the while Doth falsely blind the eye-sight of his look: Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile : By fixing it upon a fairer eye; That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks; Small have continual plodders ever won, Save base authority from others' books. These earthly godfathers of heaven's lights, That give a name to every fixed star, Have no more profit of their shining nights, Than those that walk, and wot not what they are. Too much to know, is, to know nought but fame; And every godfather can give a name. King. How well he's read, to reason against :eading ! Dum. F'roceeded well, to stop all good proceeding! | But is there no quick recreation granted? Long. He weeds the corn, and still lets grow the weeding. Dum. In reason nothing. Before the birds have any cause to sing? Why should I joy in an abortive birth? Climb o'er the house to unlock the little gate. And, though I have for barbarism spoke more, And bide the penance of each three years' day. Biron. [Reads.] Item, That no woman shall come within a mile of my court. And hath this been proclaim'd? Four days ago. Biron. Let's see the penalty. [Reads.]-On pain of losing her tongue. Who devis'd this? Long. Marry, that did I. Biron. Sweet lord, and why? Long. To fright them hence with that dread penalty. Biron. A dangerous law against gentility. [Reads.] Item, If any man be seen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court can possibly devise.This article, my liege, yourself must break; For well you know, here comes in embassy The French King's daughter with yourself to speak, A maid of grace and complete majesty,About surrender-up of Aquitain To her decrepit, sick, and bed-rid father: Therefore this article is made in vain, King. Ay, that there is: our court, you know, is For interim to our studies, shall relate, Biron. Armado is a most illustrious wight, A man of fire-new words, fashion's own knight. Enter DULL, with a letter, and COSTARD. Biron. This is he. Dull. Signior Arme Armecommends you. There's villany abroad; this letter will tell you more. Cost. Sir, the contempts thereof are as touching me. King. A letter from the magnificent Armado. Biron. How low soever the matter, I hope in God for high words. Long. A high hope for a low having: God grant us patience! Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing? Long. To hear meekly, sir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both. Biron. Well, sir, be it as the style shall give us cause to climb in the merriness. Cost. The matter is to me, sir, as concerning Jaquenetta. The manner of it is, I was taken with the manner. Biron. In what manner? Cost. In manner and form following, sir; all those three: I was seen with her in the manor house, sitting with her upon the form, and taken following her into the park; which, put together, is in manner and form following. Now, sir, for the manner,-it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman: for the form, -in some form. Biron. For the following, sir? Cost. As it shall follow in my correction; And King. Will you hear this letter with attention? Cost. Such is the simplicity of man to hearken after the flesh. King. [Reads.] Great deputy, the welkin's vicegerent, and sole dominator of Navarre, my soul's earth's God, and body's fostering patron, Cost. Not a word of Costard yet. Cost. It may be so: but if he say it is so, he is, in telling true, but so, so. King, Peace Cost.-be to me, and every man that dares not fight! Cost. of other men's secrets, I beseech you. King. So it is, besieged with sable-coloured melan choly, I did commend the black-oppressing humour to Cost. I suffer for the truth, sir: for true it is, I was taken with Jaquenetta, and Jaquenetta is a true girl; and therefore, Welcome the sour cup of prosperity! Affliction may one day smile again, and till then, Sit thee down, sorrow! [Exeunt. the most wholesome physic of thy health-giving air; | Sirrah, come on. and, as I am a gentleman, betook myself to walk. The time when? About the sixth hour; when beasts most graze, birds best peck, and men sit down to that nourishment which is called supper. So much for the time when: Now for the ground which; which, I mean, I walked upon it is ycleped thy park. Then for the place where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obscene and most preposterous event, that draweth from my snow-white pen the ebon-coloured ink, which here thou viewest, beholdest, surveyest, or seest: But to the place, where,-It standeth north-north-east and by east from the west corner of thy curious-knotted garden. There did I see that low-spirited swain, that base minnow of thy mirth, King. —with a child of our grandmother Eve, a female; or, for thy more sweet understanding, a woman. Him I (as my ever esteemed duty pricks me on) have sent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy sweet grace's officer, Antony Dull; a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and estimation. Dull. Me, an't shall please you; I am Antony Dull. King. For Jaqueneita,(so is the weaker vessel called, which I apprehended with the aforesaid swain,) I keep her as a vessel of thy law's fury and shall, at the least of thy sweet notice, bring her to trial. Thine, in all compliments of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty, DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO. Biron. This is not so well as I looked for, but the best that ever I heard. King. Ay, the best for the worst. But, sirrah, what say you to this? Cost. Sir, I confess the wench. Cost. I do confess much of the hearing it, but little of the marking of it. King. It was proclaimed a year's imprisonment, to be taken with a wench. Cost. I was taken with none, sir; I was taken with a damosel. King. Well, it was proclaimed damosel. Cost. This was no damosel neither, sir; she was a virgin. King. It is so varied too; for it was proclaimed virgin. Cost. If it were, I deny her virginity; I was taken with a maid. King. This maid will not serve your turn, sir. Cost. This maid will serve my turn, sir. King. Sir, I will pronounce your sentence; You shall fast a week with bran and water. Cost. I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge. King. And Don Armado shall be your keeper.My lord Biron, see him deliver'd o'er.And go we, lords, to put in practice, that Which each to other hath so strongly sworn.[Exeunt KING, LONGAVILLE, and DUMAIN. Biron. I'll lay my head to any good man's hat, These oaths and laws will prove an idle scorn. SCENE II. Another part of the same. Armado's House. Arm. Boy, what sign is it, when a man of great spirit grows melancholy? Moth. A great sign, sir, that he will look sad. Arm. Why, sadness is one and the self-same thing, dear imp. Moth. No, no; O lord, sir, no. Arm. How canst thou part sadness and melancholy, my tender juvenal ? Moth. By a familiar demonstration of the working, my tough senior. Arm. Why tough senior? why tough senior? Moth. Why tender juvenal? why tender juvenal? Arm. I spoke it, tender juvenal, as a congruent epitheton, appertaining to thy young days, which we may nominate tender. Moth. And I, tough senior, as an appertinent title to your old time, which we may name tough. Arm. Pretty, and apt. Moth. How mean you, sir; I pretty, and my say- Moth. I will praise an eel with the same praise. Arm. I do say, thou art quick in answers: Thou heatest blood. my Moth. I am answered, sir. Arm. I love not to be crossed. Moth. He speaks the mere contrary, crosses love not him. [Aside. Arm. I have promised to study three years with the duke. Moth. You may do it in an hour, sir. Moth. How many is one thrice told? Arm. I am ill at reckoning, it fitteth the spirit of a tapster. Moth. You are a gentleman, and a gamester, sir. Arm. I confess both; they are both the varnish of a complete man. Moth. Then, I am sure, you know how much the gross sum of deuce-ace amounts to. Arm. It doth amount to one more than two. Moth. Why, sir, is this such a piece of study? Now here is three studied, ere you'll thrice wink : and how easy it is to put years to the word three, and study three years in two words, the dancing horse will tell you. Arm. A most fine figure! [Aside. Arm. I will hereupon confess, I am in love: and, as it is base for a soldier to love, so am I in love with a base wench. If drawing my sword against the humour of affection would deliver me from the repro |