For as a furfeit of the sweetest things
The deepest loathing to the ftomach brings;
Or as the here fies, that men do leave,
Are hated most of those they did deceive;
So thou, my furfeit and my herefie,
Of all be hated, but the most of me!
And all my pow'rs addrefs your love and might
To honour Helen, and to be her Knight.

[Exit.
Her. Help me, Lyfander, help me! do thy beft
To pluck this crawling ferpent from my breaft:
Ay me, for pity, what a dream was here?
Lyfander, look, how I do quake with fear;
Me-thought, a ferpent eat my heart away;
And you fat fmiling at his cruel prey:
Lyfander! what remov'd? Lyfander, lord!
What, out of hearing gone? no found, no word?
Alack, where are you? fpeak, and if you hear,
Speak, of all loves; (I fwoon almoft, with fear.)
No? then I well perceive, you are not nigh;
Or death, or you, I'll find immediately.

[Exit.

Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout and Starveling.

A

The Queen of Fairies lying afleep.

Воттом.

RE we all met?

Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot fhall be our stage, this hauthorn-brake our tyring house, and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the Duke.

Bot.

Bot. Peter Quince,

Quin. What lay'ft thou, bully Bottom?

Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that will never please. Firft, Pyramus must draw a fword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?

Snout. By'rlaken, a parlous fear?

Star. I believe, we must leave the killing out, when all is done.

Bot. Not a whit, I have a device to make all well; write me a prologue, and let the prologue feem to say, we will do no harm with our fwords, and that Pyramus is not kill'd indeed; and for more better affurance tell them, that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver; this will put them out of fear.

Quin. Well, we will have fuch a prologue, and it shall be written in eight and fix.

Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.

Snout. Will not the ladies be afraid of the lion?
Star. I fear it, I promise you.

Bot. Mafters, you ought to confider with your felves; to bring in, God fhield 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 muft 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 muft fpeak through, faying thus, or to the fame defect; ladies, or fair ladies, I would with you, or I would request you, or I would intreat 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 fuch 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 fhall be fo; but there is two hard things, that is, to bring the moon-light into a cham

ber;

ber; for, you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moon-light.

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

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

Quin. Yes, it doth fhine that night.

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

Quin. Ay, or elfe one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and fay, he comes to disfigure, or to present, the Perfon of moon-fhine. Then there is another thing; we must have a wall in the great chamber, for Pyramus and Thisby (fays the ftory) did talk through the chink of a wall.

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

Bottom?

Bot. Some man or other must present Wall; and let him have fome plafter, or fome lome, or fome roughcaft about him, to fignify wall: Or let him hold his fingers thus; and through the cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper.

Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, fit down every mother's fon, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin; when you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake; and fo every one according to his cue.

Enter Puck, behind.

Puck. What hempen home-fpuns have we fwaggering here,

So near the cradle of the fairy Queen?

What, a play tow'rd? I'll be an auditor;

An actor too, perhaps, if I fee cause.

Quin. Speak, Pyramus; Thisby, ftand forth.

Pyr. Thisby, the flower of odious favours fweet.
Quin. Odours, odours.

Pyr.

Pyr. Odours, favours fweet.

So doth thy breath, my dearest Thisby, dear; But hark, a voice! ftay thou but here a whit; (14) And, by and by, I will to thee appear. [Exit. Pyr. Puck. A ftranger Pyramus than e'er plaid here! [Afide. Thif. Muft I fpeak now?

Quin. Ay, marry, muft you, for you must underftand, he goes but to fee a noise that he heard, and is to come again.

Thif. Moft radiant Pyramus, moft lilly-white of hue, Of colour like the red rofe on triumphant bryer, Most brisky Juvenile, and eke most lovely Jew,

As true as trueft horse, that yet would never tire, I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb.

Quin. Ninus' tomb, man; why you must not fpeak that yet: that you answer to Pyramus; you speak all your part at once, cues and all. Pyramus, enter; your cue is paft; it is, never tire.

Re-enter Bottom, with an Afs-head.

Thif. O, as true as trueft horfe, that yet would never tire. Pyr. If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine.

Quin. O monftrous! Oftrange! we are haunted pray, mafters; fly, mafters; help! [The Clowns exeunt. Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bufh, through brake, through bryer;

Sometimes a horfe I'll be, fometimes a hound,

A hog, a headlefs bear, fometime a fire,

(14)

-ftay thou but here a while;] The Verfes here, 'tis plain, fhould be alternately in Rhyme: but feet in the Close of the first Line, and while in the third, will not do for this purpose. The Author, doubtlefs, gave it;

ftay thou but here a whit ;

i. e. a little while: for fo it fignifies, as alfo any thing of no Price, or Confideration; a trifle: in which Sense it is very frequent with our Author. Bottom before in this Scene fays;

Not a whit; I have a Device to make all well;

And, in Hamlet;

No, not a whit; we defy Augury.

And in K. Richard III.

Woe, woe, for England! not a whit, for Me.

And

And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar and burn, Like horfe, hound, hog, bear, fire at every turn. [Exit. Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to make me afeard.

Enter Snowt.

Snowt. O Bottom, thou art chang'd; what do I fee on thee?

Bot. What do you fee? you fce an afs-head of your own, do you? Enter Quince.

Quin. Blefs thee, Bottom, bless thee; thou art tranflated.

[Exit. Bot. I fee their knavery, this is to make an afs 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 fing, that they fhall hear I am not afraid.

The Oufel cock, fo black of hue,
With orange-tawny bill,

The throftle with his note fo true,

The wren with little quill.

[Sings.

Queen. What angel wakes me from my flow'ry bed?

Bot. The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,

The plain-fong cuckow gray,

Whofe note full many a man doth mark,

And dares not answer, nay.

[waking. [Sings.

For, indeed, who would fet his wit to fo foolish a bird? who would give a bird the lye, tho' he cry cuckow never fo?

Queen. I pray thee, gentle mortal, fing again;
Mine car is much enamour'd of thy note, (15)
So is mine eye enthralled to thy fhape;

And thy fair virtue's force (perforce) doth move me,
On the first view to fay, to fwear, I love thee.

(15) Mine Ear is much enamour'd of thy note,

On the first Views to say, to fwear, I love thee;

So is mine eye enthralled to thy Shape,

Bot.

And thy fair Virtue's force (perforce) doth move me.] Thus the

Generality