Snug. You can never 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 homespuns have we swaggering here, So near the cradle of the fairy queen? What, a play toward? I'll be an auditor; An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause. Quin. Speak, Pyramus:-Thisby, stand forth. Pyr. Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet; Quin. Odours, odours. So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear. [Exit. Puck. A stranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here! This. Must I speak now? [Aside.-Exit. Quin. Ay, marry, must you: for you must understand he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again. a Quince's description of Bottom going "to see a noise" is akin to Sir Toby Belch's notion of" to hear by the nose." ("Twelfth Night,' Act II. Scene 3.) This. Most radiant Pyramus, most lily white of hue, As true as truest horse that yet would never tire, Quin. Ninus' tomb, man: Why, you must not speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus: you speak all your part at once, cues and all.-Pyramus, enter; your cue is past; it is, "never tire." Re-enter Puck, and Воттом with an ass's 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 haunted. Pray, masters! fly, masters! help! [Exeunt Clowns. Puck. I'll follow you, I 'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier; Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime 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 turn. [Exit. Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to make me afeard. Re-enter SNOUT. Snout. O Bottom, thou art changed! what do I see on thee? Bot. What do you see? you see an ass-head of your own: Do you? Re-enter QUINCE. Quin. Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated. [Exit. Bot. I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me; to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir from this place, do what they can: I will walk up and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid. [Sings. The woosel-cock, so black of hue, The throstle with his note so true, Tita. What angel wakes me from my flowery hed? Bot. The finch, the sparrow, and the lark, The plain-song cuckoo gray, [Waking. Whose note full many a man doth mark, for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry "Cuckoo," never so? Tita. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again : And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me, 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; Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. I am a spirit, of no common rate; The summer still doth tend upon my state, The name of woosel or ousel expressed the blackbird in Shakspere's day. It is used by Drayton as synonymous with the merle (about which there can be no doubt) in his description of the " rough woodlands" of the Warwickshire Arden. b Gleek. This verb is generally used in the sense of to scoff; but we apprehend Bottom only means to say that he can joke. And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, Peas-blossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustard-seed! Enter PEAS-BLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED, and four Fairies. 1 Fai. Ready. Where shall we go. Tita. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman; 1 Fai. Hail, mortal! 2 Fai. Hail! 3 Fai. Hail! 4 Fai. Hail! Bot. I cry your worships mercy, heartily.—I beseech your worship's name. Cob. Cobweb. Bot. I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good master Cobweb: If I cut my finger, I shall make bold with you. Your name, honest gentleman? Peas. Peas-blossom. Bot. I pray you, commend me to mistress Squash, your mother, and to master Peas-cod, your father. Good master Peas-blossom, I shall desire you of more acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, sir? Mus. Mustard-seed. Bot. Good master Mustard-seed, I know your patience well that same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your house: I promise you, your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now. I desire you more acquaintance, good master Mustard-seed. Tita. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower. The moon, methinks, looks with a watery eye; And when she weeps, weeps every little flower, Lamenting some enforced chastity. Tie up my love's tongue, bring him silently. [Ex. SCENE II.-Another part of the Wood. Enter OBERON. Obe. I wonder, if Titania be awak'd; Then, what it was that next came in her eye, Which she must dote on in extremity. Enter PUCK. Here comes my messenger.-How now, mad spirit? a Night-rule-night-revel. The old spelling of reuel became rule; and by this corruption we obtained "the lord of misrule." |