when all is done.

Bot. Not a whit; I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue: and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords; and that Pyramus is not killed indeed and, for the more better assurance, 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 shall be written in eight and six.

Snug. You never can bring in a wall.-What say you, Bottom?

Bot. Some man or other must present wall: and let him have some plaster, or some loam, 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 home-spuns have w
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.
Pyr. -

odours savours sweet:

So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.-
But hark, a voice! stay thou but here a while,
And by and by I will to thee appear. [Exit.
Puck. A stranger Pyramus than e'er play'd
[Aside.-Exit.

here!

This. Must I speak now?

Quin. Ay, marry, must you: for you must understand, he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.

This. Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white
of hue,

Most briskly Juvenal, and eke most lovely Jew,
Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier,
As true as truest horse, that yet would never
tire,

Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb.
in eight and eight.

Snout. Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion? Star. I fear it, I promise you. Bot. Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to bring in, God shield us! a lion among ladies, is a most 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 is not a lion.

Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect,-Ladies, or fair ladies, 1 would wish you, or, I would request you, or, I would entreat you, not to fear, not to tremble: my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life: No, I am no such 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 so. But there is two hard things; that is, to bring the moon-light into a chamber: for you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moon-light.

Snug. Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?

Bot. A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanack; find out moon-shine, find out moonshine.

Quin. Yes it doth shine that night.

Bot. Why, then, you may leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open; and the moon may shine in at the case

ment.

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 ali.Pyramus, enter; your cue is past; it is, never tire.

Re-enter Puck, and Bottom 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.

I

Re-enter Snout.

Snout. O Bottom, thou art changed! what do see on thee?

Bot. What do you see? you see an ass's hea of your own; Do you?

Re-enter Quince.

Quin. Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated. [Exit.

Quin. Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and say, he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of will not stir from this place, do what they can: moon-shine. Then, there is another thing: we I will walk up and down here, and I will sing, must have a wall in the great chamber; for that they shall hear I am not afraid. Pyramus and Thisby, says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall.

Bot. I see their knavery! this is to make an ass of me; to fright me, if they could. But I

The ousel-cock, so black of hue,
With orange-tawney bill,

[Sings.

The throstle with his note so true,

The wren with little quill.

Tita. What angel wakes me from my flowery
bed ?
[Waking.
Bot. The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,
The plain-song cuckoo gray,
Whose note full many a man doth mark,
And dares not answer, nay;-
for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish
a bird 7 who would give a bird the lie, though
he cry, cuckoo, never so?

Tita. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again;
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move

me,

On the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee. Bot. Methinks, mistress, you should have litle reason for that: And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays: 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,
And I do love thee: therefore, go with me;
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;
And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep:
And sing, while thou on pressed flowers dost
sleep:

And I will purge thy mortal grossness so
That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.-
Peas-blossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustard-
seed !

All Where shall we go?
Tita. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;
Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes;
Feed him with apricocks and dewberries,
With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries;
The honey bags steal from the humblebees,
And, for night tapers, crop their waxen thighs,
And light them at the fiery glowworm's eyes.
To have my love to bed, and to arise;
And pluck the wings from painted butterflies,
To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes:
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.
1 Fai. Hail, mortal!

2 Fai. Hail!

3 Fai. Hail !

4 Fai. Hail!

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 lover's tongue, bring him silently.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II. Another part of the Wood.
Enter Oberon.

Obe. I wonder, if Titania be awak'd;
Which she must dote on in extremity.
Then, what it was that next came in her eye,

Enter Puck.

Here comes my messenger.-How now, mad
spirit 7

What night-rule now about this haunted grove ?
Puck. My mistress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,
A crew of patches, rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play,
Intended for great Theseus' nuptial day.
The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort,
Who Pyramus presented, in their sport
Forsook his scene, and entered in a brake:
When I did him at this advantage take,
An ass's now I fixed on his head;
Anon, his Thisby must be answered,
And forth my mimick comes: When they him

thus strong,

Made senseless things begin to do them wrong:
For briers and thorns at their apparel snatch; ̧
Some, sleeves: some, hats; from yielders all
things catch.

I led them on in this distracted fear,
And left sweet Pyramus translated there :
When in that moment (so it came to pass,)
Titania wak'd, and straightway lov'd an ass.

Obe. This falls out better than I could devise.
But hast thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?
Puck. I took him sleeping,-that is finish'd

too,

And the Athenian woman by his side;
That, when he wak'd, of force she must be ey'd.
Enter Demetrius and Hermia.

Obe. Stand close; this is the same Athenian.
Puck. This is the woman, but not this the man.
Dem. O, why rebuke you him that loves you
so ?

Bot. 1 cry your worship's mercy, heartily. Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.
1 beseech, your worship's name?
Cob. Cobweb.

Bot. I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good master Cobweb :-If I cut my finger, 1 shall make bold with you.-Your name, honest gentleman ?

Peas. Peas-blossom.

Her. Now I but chide, but I should use thee

worse;

For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse.
If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep,
Being o'er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep,
And kill me too.

The sun was not so true unto the day,
As he to me: Would he have stolen away
From sleeping Hermia? I'll believe as soon,
This whole earth may be bor'd; and that the

Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, as clear,,
As yonder Venus in her glimmering sphere.
Her. What's this to my Lysander ? Where is
he ?

Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?
Dem. I had rather give his carcass to my

hounds.

Her. Out, dog! out, cur! thou driv'st me past
the bounds

Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him then?
Henceforth be never number'd among men !
O! once tell true, tell true, even for my sake;
Durst thou have look'd upon him, being awake,
And hast thou kill'd him sleeping? O brave

touch!

Could not a worm, an adder, do so much?
An adder did it; for with doubler tongue
Than thine, thou serpent, never adder stung.
Dem. You spend your passion on a mispris'd

mood:

I am not guilty of Lysander's blood;
Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell.
Her. I pray thee, tell me then that he is
Dem. An if I could, what should I get
fore?

Her. A privilege, never to see me more.--
And from thy hated presence part I so:
See me no more, whether he be dead or no.
[Erit.
Dem. There is no following her in this fierce

vein :

Scorn and derision never come in tears:
Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born
In their nativity all truth appears.
How can these things in me seem scorn to you,
Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true?
Hel. You do advance your cunning more and

more.

When truth kills truth, O devilish holy fray! These vows are Hermia's; Will you give her o'er ?

Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing
weigh:

Your vows, to her and me, put in two scales,
Will even weigh; and both as light as tales.
Lys. I had no judgment when to her I swore.
Hel. Nor none in my mind now you give her
o'er ?

Lys. Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
Dem. [awaking.] O Helen, goddess, nymph,
perfect, divine!

To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show
well.Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!
there-That pure congealed white, high Taurus' snow,
Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow,
When thou hold'st up thy hand: O let me kiss
This princess of pure white, this seul of bliss!
Hel. O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
To set against me, for your merriment.
If you were civil, and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you must join, in souls, to mock me too?
If you were men, as men you are in show,
To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,
You would not use a gentle lady so;
When, I am sure, you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia;

Here, therefore, for a while I will remain.
So sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow
For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe;
Which now, in some slight measure it will pay,
If for his tender here I make some stay.
[Lies down.
Obe. What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken
quite,

And laid the love-juice on some true-love's
sight:

Of thy mispriston must perforce ensue
Some true-love turned, and not a false turn'd

true.

Puck. Then fate o'errules; that, one man
holding troth,

A million fail, confounding oath on oath.
Obe. About the wood go swifter than the wind,
And Helena of Athens look thou find:
All fancy-sick she is, and pale of cheer
With sighs of love, that cost the fresh blood
dear:

By some illusion see thou bring her here;
I'll charm his eyes, against she do appear.
Puck. I go, I go; look, how I go:

Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.

Obe. Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid's archery,

Sink in apple of his eye!

When his love he doth espy,

Let her shine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.-
When thou wak'st, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy.

Re-enter Puck.

Puck. Captain of our fairy band,
Helena is here at hand;
And the youth, mistook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee;

Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

And now both rivals to mock Helena :"
A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes,
With your derision! none of noble sort
Would so offend a virgin; and extort

A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport.
Lys. You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so;
For you love Hermia: this you know, I know:
And here, with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Whom I do love, and will do to my death.

Hel. Never did mockers waste more idle breath.
Dem. Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none:
If e'er I lov'd her, all that love is gone.
My heart with her but, as guest-wise, sojourn'd;
And now to Helen is it home return'd,
There to remain.

Obe. Stand aside the noise they make,
Will cause Demetrius to awake.

Puck. Then will two at once woo one;
That must needs be sport alone;
And those things do best please me,
That befall preposterously.

Enter Lysander and Helena.

Lys. Why should you think that I should woo in scorn;

Helen, it is not so.

Dem. Disparage not the faith thou dost not know,

Lest, to thy peril, thou abide it dear.

Look where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear.

Enter Hermia.

Her. Dark night, that from the eye his func-
tion takes,

The ear more quick of apprehension makes ;
Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense,

It pays the hearing double recompense :-
Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found;
Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound.
But why unkindly didst thou leave me so?

Lys. Why should he stay, whom love doth
press to go?

Her. What love could press Lysander from my side?

Lys. Lysander's love, that would not let him

Lys. He goes before me, and still dares me on;

Obe. Thou seest, these lovers seek a place to When I come where he calls, then he is gone.