Her. O hell! to chufe love by another's eye! Swift as a fhadow, fhort as any dream, Her. If then true lovers have been ever croft, Then let us teach our tryal patience; Because it is a customary crofs, As due to love, as thoughts and dreams and fighs, Lyf. A good perfuafion; therefore hear me, Hermia: I have a widow-aunt, a dowager Of great revenue, and the hath no child; From Athens is her house remov'd seven leagues, There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee, Her. My good Lyfander, I fwear to thee by Cupid's ftrongeft bow, By that which knitteth fouls, and profpers loves, Lyf Lyf. Keep promife, love. Look, here comes Helena. SCENE III. Enter Helena. Her. God fpeed fair Helena! whither away? Your eyes are load-ftars, and your tongue's fweet air When wheat is green, when haw-thorn buds appear. Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me ftill. [fkill Hel. Oh that your frowns would teach my fmiles fuch Her. I give him curfes, yet he gives me love. Hel. Oh that my pray'rs could fuch affection move! Her. His fault, oh Helena, is none of mine. Hel. None but your beauty, would that fault were mine! Her. Take comfort; he no more fhall fee my face, Lyfander and myself will fly this place. Before the time I did Lyfander fee, Seem'd Athens like a paradife to me. O then, what graces in my love do dwell, Lyf. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold; And And thence from Athens turn away our eyes, As you on him, Demetrius doat on you! [Exit Lyfander. Things bafe and vile, holding no quantity, Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, If I have thanks, it is a dear expence. But herein mean I to enrich my pain, To have his fight thither, and back again. SCENE IV. [Exit Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snowt, and Starveling. Quin. Is all our company here? But. You were beft to call them generally, man by man, according to the fcrip. Quin. Here is the ferowl of every man's name, which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude before the Duke and the Dutchefs, on his weddingday at night. Bot. First, good Peter Quince, fay what the play treats on; then read the names of the actors; and fo grow on to a point. Quin. Marry, our play is the moft lamentable comedy and moft cruel death of Pyramus and Thify. Bot. A very good piece of work I affure you, and a merry. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the fcrowl. Mafters, fpread yourfelves. Quin. Anfwer as I call you. Nick Bottom the weaver. Quin. A lover that kills himfelf moft gallantly for love. Bot. That will afk fome tears in the true performing of it; if I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will move ftorms; I will condole in fome meafure. To the reft: yet my chief humour is for a tyrant; I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in. To make all plit The raging rocks, and shivering frocks fhall break the locks of prifon-gates- and Phibbus carr fhall shine from far, and make and mar the foolish fates *. This was lofty. Now name the rest of the players. This is Ercles' vein, tyrant's vein; a lover is more condoling. Quin. Francis Flute the bellows-mender. Flu. Here, Peter Quince. Quin. You must take Thisby on you. Flu. What is Thisby, a wandring knight? Quin. It is the lady that Pyramus muft love. Flu. Nay faith let not me play a woman, I have a beard coming. Quin. That's all one, you fhall play it in a mask, you may speak as fmall as you will. and Bot. An I may hide my face, let me play Thiby too; I'll speak in a monftrous little voice, Thilby, Thilby; ah, Pyramus, my lover dear, thy Thisby dear, and lady dear. This was probably a piece of nonfenfical bombaft raken out of fome foolish play known at that time. a Quin. No, no, you must play Pyramus; and Flute,you,Thisby. Bot. Well, proceed. Quin. Robin Starveling the taylor. Star. Here, Peter Quince. Quin. Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby's mother. Tom Snowt the tinker. Snowt. Here, Peter Quince. Quin. You, Pyramus's father; myself, Thisby's father; Snug the joiner, you, the lion's part; I hope there is a play fitted. Snug. Have you the lion's part written? pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am flow of study. Quin. You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring. Bot. Let me play the lion too, I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me. I will roar, that I will make the Duke say, let him roar again, let him roar again. Quin. If you should do it too terribly, you would fright the dutchefs and the ladies, that they would fhriek, and that were enough to hang us all. All. That would hang us every mother's fon. Bot. I grant you, friends, if you fhould fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more difcretion but to hang us; but I will aggravate my voice fo, that I will roar you as gently as any fucking dove; I will roar you an 'twere any nightingale, Quin. You can play no part but Pyramus, for Pyramus is a fweet-fac'd man, a proper man as one fhall fee in a fummer's day; a most lovely gentleman-like man: therefore you must needs play Pyramus. Bot. Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I beft to play it in? Quin. Why, what you will. Bot. I will difcharge it in either your straw-colour beard, your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-grain beard,' or your French-crown-colour'd beard, your perfect yellow. Quin. Some of your French-crowns have no hair at all, and then you will play bare-fac'd. But, mafters, here are your parts, and I am to intreat you, request you, and defire you to con them by to-morrow night; and meet me in VOL. I, H the |