my

me.

l'll apply

Il ever I thy face by day-light see :

| and, good monsieur, have a care 'tbe boney-bag Now, go thy way. Faintness constraineth me break not; I would be loath to bave you overflown To measure ou my length on this cold bed.- with a boney-bag, signior. Where's monsieur By day's approach look to be visited.

Mustard-seed? [Lies down and "leeps.

Must. Ready.

Bot. Give me your neif, monsieur Mustard. Enter Helena.

seed. Pray you, leave your courtesy, good mon. Hel. O weary night, O long and tedious night,

sieur. Abate thy hours: shine, comforts, from the Must. What's your will ? east;

Bot. Nothing, good monsieur, but to help Cava. That I may back to Athens, by day-light,

lero Cobweb to scratch. I must to the barber's From these that my poor company detest:- monsieur; for, methinks, I am marvellous bairy And, sleep, that sometimes shuts up sorrow's eye, about the face : and I am such a tender ass, if my Steal me a while from mine own company. (Sleeps. hair do but tickle me, I must scratch. Puck. Yet but three? Come one more ;

Tita. What, wilt thou hear some music, my Two of both kinds makes up four.

sweet love? Here she comes, curst and sad :

Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in music : let Cupid is a kpavish lad,

us have the tongs and the bones. Thus to make poor females mad.

L'ita. Or say, sweet love, what thou desir'st to

eat. Enter HERMIA.

Bot. Truly, a peck of provender; I could munch Her. Never so weary, never so in woe,

your good dry oats. Methinks, I have a great deBedabbled with the dew, and torn with briers; sire to a bottle of hay: good bay, sweet bay, bath I can no further crawl, no further go;

no fellow, My legs can keep no pace with desires. Tita. I have a venturous fairy that shall seek Here will I rest me, till the break of day. The squirrel's board, and fetch thee new nuts. Heaven shield Lysander, if they mean a fray !

Bot. I had rather have a handful, or two, of dried

[Lies down. peas. But, I pray you, let none of your people Puck. On the ground

stir me; I have an exposition of sleep come upon Sleep sound :

Tita. Sleep thou and I will wind the in my arms,
To your eye,

Fairies, be gone, and be all ways away.
Gentle lover, remedy.

So doth the woodbine, the sweet honeysuckle,
[Squeezing the juice on LYSANDER s eye. Gently entwist,—the female ivy so
When thou wak'st,

Enrings the bas fingers of the elm.
Thou tak'st

O, bow I love thee; how I dote on thee!
True delight

[They sleep. In the sight

OBERON advances. Enter Puck.
Of thy former lady's eye :

Obe. Welcome, good Robin. See'st thou thie
And the country proverb known,

sweet sight?
That every man should take his own,
In your waking shall be shown :

Her dotage now I do begin to pity.
Jack shall have Jill;

For meeting ber of late, bebind the wood,

Seeking sweet savours for this hateful fool,
Nought shall go ill;

I did upbraid her and fall out with her :
The man shall have his mare again, and all sball be For she his hairy temples then had rounded
well.

With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
[Exit Puck.-Dem. Yel. &n. sleep. And that same dew, which sometime on the buds

Was wont to swell, like round and orient pearls,
Stood now within the pretty flourets' eyes,
Like tears, that did their own disgrace bewail.
When 1 had, at my pleasure, taunted ber,

And she, in mild terms, begg'd my patience,
ACT IV.

I then did ask of her her changeling child ;

Whicb straight she gave me, and her fairy sent SCENE I.–The same.

To bear him to my bower in fairy land.
Enter Titania and Bottom, Fairies attending; This huteful imperfection of her eyes.

And now I have the boy, I will undo
OBERON behind unseen.

And, gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp
Tita. Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed, From off the head of this Athenian swain;

Wbile I thy amiable cheeks do coy, That he awaking when the oiher do, And stick musk-roses in tby sleek smooth head, May all to Achens back again repair;

And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy. And think no more of this night's accidents, Bot. W were's l'eas-blossom ?

But as the fierce vexation of a dream : Peas. Ready.

But first I will release he fairy queen. Bot. Scratch my head, Peas-blossom.-- Where's Be, as thou wast wont to be ; monsieur Cobweb?

[Touching her eyes with an here, Cob. Ready.

See, as thou was wont to see : Bot. Monsieur Cobweb; good monsieur, get Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower your weapons in your hand, and kill me a red- Hath such force and blessed power. hipped humble-bee on the top of a thistle ; and, Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen. good monsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not Tila. My Oberon! what visions have I seun fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur Net ou bé I was enamour'd of an ass.

Obe. There lies your love.

Horns, and shout within. DEMETRIUS, LYSANDER. Tita.

H..w came these things to pass ? HERMIA, and HELENA, wake und start up. O, how mine eyes do loath his visage now ! Obe. Silence, a while. — Robin, take off this

The. Good-morrow, friends. Saint Valentine is bead.

past; Titania, music call; and strike more dead

Begin these wood birds but to couple now? Than common sleep, of all these five the ser.se.

Lys. Pardon, my lord, Tita. Music, ho! music; such as charmeth

(He and the rest kneel to THESEUS. sleep,

The.

I

pray you all, stand up Prick. Now, when thou wak’st, with thine own How comes this gentle concord in the world,

I know, you are two rival enemies; fool's eyes, peep. Obe. Sound, music. Ştill Music.] Come, my To sleep by bate, and fear no enmity?

That hatred is so far from jealousy, queen, take bands with me, And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be.

Lys. My lord, I shall reply amazedly, Now thou and I are new in amity;

Half 'sleep, half waking : But as yet, I swear, And will, to-morrow midnight, solemnly,

I cannot truly say how I came here : Dance in Duke Theseus' house triumphantly,

But, as I think, (for truly would I speak,And bless it to all fair posterity:

And now I do bethink me, so it is ;) There shall the pairs of faithful lovers be

I came with Hermia hitber: our intent Wedded, with Theseus, zil in jollity.

Was, to be gone from Athens, where we might be Puck. Fairy king, attond, and mark;

Without the peril of the Athenian law. I do hear the morning lark.

Ege. Enough, enough, my lord : you have Obe. Then, my queen, in silence sad,

enough: Trip we after the night's shade :

I beg the law, the law upon his head. We the globe can compass soon,

They would have stol'n away, they would, DemeSwifter than the wandering moon.

trius, Tita. Come, my lord ; and in our flight,

Thereby to have defeated you and me : Tell me how it came this nigbt,

You, of your wife; and me, of my consent; That I sleeping here was found,

Of my consent that she should be your wife. With these mortals, on the ground. ( Exeunt.

Dem. My lord, fair Helen told me of their [Horns sound within.

stealth,

Of this tbeir purpose bither, to this wood;
Enter TheseUS, HJPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train. And I in fury bither followed them;
The. Go, one of you, find out the forester ;-

Fair Helena in fancy following me.
For now our observation is performed;

But, my good lord, I wot not by what power And since we have the vaward of the day,

(But, by some power it is,) my love to Hermia My love shall hear the music of my bounds.

Melted as doth the snow, seems to me now Upcouple in the western valley; go:

As the remembrance of an idle gawd, Dispatch, I say, and find the forester.

Which in my childhood I did dote upon : We will, fair queen, up to the mountain's top,

And all the faith, the virtue of my heart, And mark the musical confusion

The object, and the pleasure of mine eye, Of bounds and echo in conjunction.

Is only Helena. To her, my lord, Hip. I was with Hercules, and Cadmus, once, Was I betroth'd ere I saw Hermia : When in a wood of Crete they hay'd the bear

But, like in sickness, did I loath this food : With hounds of Sparta : never did I hear

But, as in health, come to my natural taste, Soch gallant chiding; for, besides the groves,

Now do I wish it, love it, long for it, The skies, the fountains, every region near

And will for evermore be true to it. Seem'd all one mutual cry: I never heard

The. Fair lovers, you are fortunately met: So musical a discord, such sweet thunder.

Of this discourse we more will hear anon.The. My bounds are bred out of the Spartan Egeus, I will overbear your will; kind,

For in the temple, by and by with us, So flew'd, so sanded; and their heads are bung These couples shall eternally be knit. With ears that sweep away the morning dew;

And, for the morning now is something worn,
Crook-knee'd and dew-lap'd like Thessalian bulls; Our purpos'd hunting shall be set aside.-
Slow in pursuit, but match'd in mouth like bells, Away, with us, to Athens : Tbree and three,
Each under each. A cry more tuneable

We'll hold a feast in great solemnity-
Was never holla'd to, por cheer'd with horn, Come, Hippolyta.
In Crete, in Sparta, nor in Thessaly :

[Exeunt Theseus, HIPPOLYTA, Egeus, and train. Judge, when you bear.-But, soft; what nymphs Dem. These things seem small and undistinare these?

guishable, Ege. My lord, this is my daughter here asleep ; Like far-off mountains turned into clouds. And this, Lysander; this Demetrius is;

Her. Methinks, I see these things with parted This Helena, old Nedar's Helena :

Aye, I wonder of their being here together.

When everything seems double. The. No doubt, they rose up early, to observe

So, methinks : The rite of May; and, hearing our intent,

And I have found Demetrius like a jewel,
Came here in grace of our solemnity:-

Mine own, and not mine own,
Dem.

It seems to me,
But, speak, Egeus ; is not this the day
That Hermia should give answer of her choice? That yet we sleep, we dream.- Do not you think,
Ege. It is, my lord.

The duke was here, and bid us follow him? The. Go, bid the huntsmen wake them with Her. Yea; and any fatber.

Hel.

And Hippolyta. their borns

Hel.

him ;

are to utter

Lys. And he did bid us follow to the temple. the long is, our play is preferred. In any case, let Dem. Why then, we are awake : let's follow Thisby have clean linen ; and let not him, that

plays the lion, pare bis nails, for they shall hang And, by the way, let us recount our dreams. out for the lion's claws. And, most dear actors,

(Eseunt. eat no onions, nor garlick, for we

sweet breath ; and I do not doubt, but to hear them As they go out, Bottom awakes.

say, it is a sweet comedy, No more words; Bot. When my cue comes, call me, and I will away; go, away.

[Exeunt answer :-my next is, Most fair Pyramus. - Hey, ho!-Peter Quince! Flute, the bellows.mender! Snout, the tinker! Starveling! God's my life! stolen hence, and left me asleep! I have had a most rare vision. I bave had a dream,- past the wit of man to say what dream it was :-Man is but an ass,

ACT V. if be go about to expound this dream. Methought I was—there is no man can tell what. Methought

SCENE 1.-The same. An Apartment in the I was, and methought I bad.-But man is but a

Palace of Theseus. patched fool, if he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of Enter Theseus, HIPPOLYTA, PhiloSTRATE, man hath not seen; man's hand is rot able to taste,

Lords and Attendants, bis tongue to conceive, nor his beart to report, what my dream was. I will get Peter Quince to

Hip. 'Tis strange, my Theseus, that these lovers write a ballad of this dream: it shall be called Bot.

speak of.

The. More strange than true. I never may be tom's Dream, because it hath no bottom ; and I will sing it in the latter end of a play, before the These antique fables, nor these fuiry toys.

lieve duke : Peradventure, to make it the more gracious, Lovers and madmen have such seething brains I shall sing it at her death.

[Esit. Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend SCENE II.-Athens. A Room in Quince's House. More than cool reason ever comprehends.

The lunatic, the lover and the poet, Enter Quince, FLUTE, Snout, and STARVELING. Are of imagination all compact :

Quin. Have you sent to Bottom's house ? is he One sees more devils than vast hell can hold; come home yet?

That is, the madman : the lover, all as frantic, Star. He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt, he Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt : is transported.

The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Flu. "If be come not then, the play is marred; Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to It goes not forward, doth it?

heaven, Quin. It is not possible : you have not a man in And, as imagination bodies forth all Athens, able to discharge Pyramus, but he.

The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Flu. No; he hath simply the best wit of any A local habitation and a name.

Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing bandycraft man in Athens. Quin. Yea, and the best person too : and he is a

Such tricks bath strong imagioation;

Tbat, if it would but apprebend some joy, very paramour, for a sweet voice.

Flu. You must say, paragon : a paramour is, It comprehends some bringer of that joy; God bless us, a thing of nought.

Or, in the night, imagining some fear,

How easy is a bush supposed a bear!
Enter SNUG,

Hip. But all the story of the night told over, Snug. Masters, the duke is coming from the And all their minds transfigured so together, temple, and there is two or three lords and ladies More witnesseth thau fancy's images, more married : if our sport had gone forward, we Aud grows to something of yr-at constancy ; had all been made men.

But, howsoever, strange, and admirable. Flu. O sweet Bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost

Enter LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, HERMIA, and sixpence a-day during his life; he could not bave

HELESA. 'scaped sixpenco a-day: an the duke had not given bim sixpence a-day for playing Pyramus, I'll be

The. Here come the lovers, full of joy and banged; he would bave deserved it: sixpence a

mirth.day, in Pyramus, or nothing.

Joy, gentle friends! joy, and fresh days of love,

Accompany your hearts !
Enter BOTTOM.

Lys.

More than to us Bot. Where are these lads? where are these Wait on your royal walks, your board, your bed ! hearts?

The. Come now ; what masks, what dances shall Quin. Bottom !-0 most courageous day! 0

we have, most bappy hour!

To wear away this long age of three hours, Bot. Masters, I am to discourse wonders : but Between our after-supper and bed-time ? ask me not what; for if I tell you, I am no true Where is our usual manager of mirth! Atheuian. I will tell you everything, right as it What revels are in hand ? Is there no play, fell out.

To ease the anguish of a torturing hour? Quin. Let us hear, sweet Bottom.

Call Philostrate. Bot. Not a word of me. All that I will tell you,

Philost.

Here, mighty Theseus. is, that the duke hath dined. Get your apparel to- The. Say, wbat abridgment bave you for this gether; good strings to your beads, new ribbons

evening? to your pumps; meet presently at tbe palace ; What mask, what music? How shall we beguila Hvery map look o'er his part ; for, tha short and The lazy time, if not witb some delixbt?

Philost. There is a brief, bow many sports are Love, therefore, and tongue-tied simplicity, ripe;

In least, speak most, to my capacity. Make choice of which your highness will see first. [Giving a paper.

Enter PHILOSTRATE. The. (Reads.] The battle with the Centuurs, to be Phrinst. So please your grace, the prologue is Sning:

addrest. By an Athenian eunuch to the harp.

The. Let him approach. [Flourish of trumpets. Well none of that: that have I told my love, In glory of my kinsman Hercules.

Enter Prologue. The riot of the tipsy Bacchanals,

Prol. If we offend, it is with our good will. Tearing the Thracian singer in their rage.

That you should think, we come not to offend, That is an old device, and it was play'd

But with good will. To show our simple skill,
When I from Thebes came last a conqueror.

That is the true beginning of our end.
The thrice three Muses mourning for the death Consider then, we come but in despite.
Of learning, late deceas'd in beggary.

We do not come as minding to content you,
That is some satire, keen, and criticai,

Our true intent is. All for your delight, Not sorting with a nuptial ceremony.

We are not here. That you should here repent you, A tedious brief scene of young Pyramus,

The actors are at hand ; and, by their show, And his love Thisbe ; very tragical mirth.

You shall know all, that you are like to know. Merry and tragical? Tedious and brief?

The. This fellow doth not stand upon points. That is, hot ice, and wondrous strange snow. Lys. lle bath rid his prologue, like a rough colt; How shall we find the concord of this discord ? he knows not the stop. A good moral, my lord : It Philost. A play there is my lord, some ten words is not enough to speak, but to speak true. long;

Hip. Indeed he hath played on this prologue, Which is as brief as I have known a play ; like a child on a recorder;' a sound, but not in But by ten words, my lord, it is too long,

government. Which makes it tedious : for in all the play The. His speech was like a tangled chain ; noThere is not one word apt, one player fitled. thing impaired, but all disordered. Who is next? And tragical, my noble lord, it is; For Pyramus therein dotb kill himself.

Enter PYRAMUS and Thisbe, Wall, Moonshine, Which, when I saw rebears'd, I must confess,

and Lion, as in dumb show. Made mine eyes water ; but more merry tears Prol. “ Gentles percbance, you wonder at this The passion of loud laughter never sbed.

show; The. What are ibey that do play it?

“ But wonder on, till truth make all things plain. Philost. Hard-banded men, that work in Athens “ This man is Pyramus, if you would know ; here,

“ This beauteous Lady Thisby is, certáin. Which never labour'd in their minds till now; “This man, with lime and rough-cast, doth present And now bave toil'd their unbreath'd memories " Wall, that vile wall which did these lovers With this same play. against your nuptial.

suuder: The. And we will bear it.

“ And through wall's chink, poor souls, they are Philost. No, my noble lord,

content It is not for you: I have beard it over,

“ To whisper, at the which let no man wonder. And it is nothing, notbing in the world;

“ This man, with lantern, dog, and bush of thorn, Unless you can find sport in their intents,

“ Pres nteth moonshine : for, if you will know, Extremely stretcb'd and conn'd with cruel pain, “ By moonshine did tbese lovers think no scorn To do you service.

“ To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to woo. The.

I will hear that play ; “ This grisly beast, which by name lion hight, For neser any thing can be amiss,

The rusty Thisby, coming first by nigh* When simpleness and duty tender it.

“ Did scare away, or rather did affright: Go, bring them in: and take your places, ladies. “ And, as sbe Hed, her mantle she did fall;

[Ereunt PuilosTRATE. " Which lion vile with bloody mouth did stain : Hip. I love not to see wretchedness o'ercharged, " Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth, and tall, And duty in bis service perishing.

“ And finds his trusty Thisby's mantle slain : The. Why, gentle sweet, you shall see no such" Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade, thing.

“ He bravely broach'd his boiling bloody breast , Hip. He sars, they can do nothing in this kind. “ And, Thishy tarrying in mulberry shade, The. The kioder me, to give them thanks for " His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest, nothing.

• Let lion, moonshine, wall, and lovers twain, Our sport shall be, to take what they mistake: " At large discour:e, wliile here they do remain." And what poor drity cannot do,

(Exeunt Prol. Thisbe, Lion, and Moonshine. Noble respect takes it in might, not merit.

The. I wonder, if the lion be to speak. Where I have come, great clerks bave purposed Dem. No wonder, my lord: one lion may, wher To greet me with premeditated welcomes ;

many ass s do, W bere I have seen them shiver and look pale, Wall. “In this same interlude, it doth befall, Make periods in the midst of sentences,

“ That I, one Onout by name, present a wall : Throtile their practis'd accent in their fears, “ And such a wall as I would have you think, And, in conclusion, dumbly have broke off, “ That had in ir a cranny'd hole, or chink, Not paying me a welcome: I'rust me, sweet, Through which the lovers, Pyramus and l'hisby, Out of this silence, yet, 1 pick'd a welcome ; “ Did whisper often very secretly: And in the modesty of fearful duty

“ This loam, this rough-cast, and this stone, doch I read as mucb, as from the rattling tongue

show of saucy, and audaci us eloquence.

Tbat I am that same wall; the truth is so :

L

e, my lord,

And tuis the cranus is right and sinister,

Enter Lion and Moonshine. " Througlo which the fearful lovers are to wbisper." The. Would you desire lime and hair to speak Lion. “ You, ladies, you, whose gentle hear's der better i

fear Dem. It is the wittiest partition that ever I heard “ The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps ou discourse,

floor, The. Pyramus draws near the wall: silence! May row, percbance, both quake and tremble

here, Futer PYRAMUS.

“ When ion rough in wildest rage doth roar.

Tben know, that I, one Snug, the joiner, ain Pyr. O grim-look'd night! O night with hue

“ A lion fell, nor else no lion's dam : so black !

" For if I should as lion come io strife "O niglit, which ever art, when day is not ?

“ Into this place, 'twere pity on my life.” “O night, О night, alack, alack, alack,

The. A very gentle beast, and of a good con “I fear my Thisby's promise is forgot !

science. And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovely wall, “ That stand'st between her father's ground and

Dem. The very best at a beast, my lord, that

e'er I saw. mine;

Lys. This lion is a very fox for his valour. “ Thou wall, () wall, O sweet and lovely wall,

The. True ; and a goose for bis discretion. Show me thv chink, to blink throvzb with mine

Dem. Not so, my lord; for his valour cannot eyne.

[Wall ho'.us

ир
his fingers.

carry his discretion; and the fox carries the goose. Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee well

The. His discretion, I am sure cannot carry his for this! But what see I ? No Tbisby do I see.

valour; for the goose carries not ibe fox. It is

well : leare it to his discretion, and let us listen to O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss

the moon. Curst be thy stones for thus deceiving me!"

Moon, “ This lantern doth the horned moon The. The wall, meibinks, being sensible, should

I resent :" curse again.

Dem. Ile sbould have worn the horns on his head, Pyr. No, in truth, sir, he should not. Deceiving me. is Thisby's cue: she is to enter now, and I am ble within the circumference.

The. lle is no crescent, and his horns are invisito spy her brougb the wall. You shall see, it will

Moon. " This lantern doth the horned moon fall pat as I told you :-Yonder she comes.

present; Enter ThisBE.

“ Myself the man i'th'moon do seem to be.”

The. This is the greatest error of all the rest : This.“ () wall, full often hast thou heard my the man should be put into the lantern: How is it

else the man i'the moon. “ For parting my fuir Pyramus and me:

Dem. He dares not come there for the candle: My cherry lips have often kiss'd thy stones ; for, you see, it is already in snuff.

l'hy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee." Hip. I am weary of this moor.: Would, he Pyr. I see a voice : now will I to the chink. would change! " To spy an I can hear my Thisby's face. The. It appears, by his small light of discretion, Thisby?"

that he is in the wane: but yet, in courtesy, in all This." My love! thou art my love, I think.” reason, we must stay the time. Pyr. “ Tbink what thou wilt, I am thy lover's

Lys. Proceed, moon.

Moon." All that I have to say, is, to tell you, grace ; “ And like Liniander am I trusty still.”

that the lantern is the moon; 1, the man in the This. “And I like Helen, till the fat-s me kill." moon; this thorn-bush, my thorn-bush ; and this Pyr. “ Not Sbafalus to Procrus, was so true.” dog, my dog." This. “ As Sbafalus to Procrus, I to you."

Dem. Why, all these should be in the lantern; Pyr. 0, kiss me through the hole of this vile for they are in the moon. But, silence; here comes wall."

Thisbe. This. “ I kiss ibe wall's hole, not your lips at all."

Enter Tusne. Pyr.“ Wilt thou at Ninay's tomb meet the straightway ?"

This. “ This is.old Ninny's tomb : Where is my This. “ Tide lite, tide death, I come without

love ?" delay."

Lion. « Oh" Wall. “ Thus have I, wall, my part discharged

(The Lion roars. Thisee runs off. so;

Dem. Well roared, lion. And, being done, thus wall away dith go."

The. Well run, Thisbe. (Exeunt Wall, Pyramus, and Thisbe. Hip. Well sbone, moon, Truly, the moon The. Now is the mural down between the two shines with a good grace. neighbours.

The. Well m used, lion. Dem. No remedy, my lord, when walls are so

[The Lion tears Thisbe's mantle, and exit, wilful to hear without warning.

Dem. Aud so comes Pyramus.
Hip. This is ibe silliest stuff that ever I heard. Lys. And then the moon vanishes.
The. The best in this kind are but shadows; and

Enter PYRAMUS. the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them.

Hip. It must be your imagination then, and not Pyr. “ Sweet moon, I thank thee for thy sunny tbeirs.

beams; The. If we imagine no worse of them, than they “I think thee, moon, for shining now so bright: of themselves, they may pass for excellent men. “ For, by thy gracious, golden, glittering streams, Here come two noble beasts in, a moon and a lian. I trust to taste of truost Thisby's sight.

moans,