Then let vs teach our triall patience,

Because it is a customary croffe,

As due to loue, as thoughts, and dreames, and fighes,
Wishes and teares; poore fancies followers.

Lys. A good perfwafion; therefore heare me, Hermia : I have a widow ant, a dowager,

Of great reuenew, and she hath no childe,
From Athens is her houfe remote feuen leagues,
And she respects me, as her onely fonne :
There gentle Hermia, may I marry thee,
And to that place, the sharpe Athenian law,
Cannot purfue vs. If thou loueft me, then
Steale forth thy fathers houfe, to morrow night:
And in the wood, a league without the towne
(Where I did meete thee once with Helena,
To do obferuance to a morne of May)
There will I stay for thee.

Her. My good Lyfander,:

I fweare to thee, by Cupids strongest bow,
By his best arrow, with the golden head,
By the fimplicity of Venus doues,

By that which knitteth foules, and profpers * loue,
And by that fire which burnd the Carthage queene,
When the falfe Troyan vader fayle was feene,
By all the vowes that euer men haue broke,
(In number more then euer women spoke)
In that fame place thou haft appointed me,
To morrow truely will I meete with thee.

Lyf. Keepe promife loue, looke here comes Helena.

Enter Helena.

Her. God fpeede fair Helena, whither away?
Hel. Call you me faire? that faire againe vnsay,

*Loves.

Deme

Demetrius loues your faire: O happy faire !
Your eyes are loadftars, and your tongues sweet ayre
More tuneable then larke to fhepheards eare,

When wheate is greene, when hauthorne buds appeare,
Sickneffe is catching: O were fauour so,

Your words I catch, faire Hermia ere I goe,

My eare should catch your voice, my eye, your eye,
My tongue should catch your tongues fweet melody,
Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated,
The reft. Ile giue to be to you tranflated.

O teach me how you looke, and with what art,
You fway the motion of Demetrius heart.

Her. I frowne vpon him, yet he loues me ftill.
Hel. O that your frowns wold teach my fmiles fuch skil
Her. I giue him curfes, yet he giues me loue.

Hel. O that my prayers could fuch affection mooue,
Her. The more I hate, the more he followes me.
Hel. The more I loue, the more he hateth me.

Her. His folly, Helena * is none of mine.

Hel. None but your beauty, wold that fault were mine. Her. Take comfort: he no more fhall fee my face, Lyfander and my felfe will fly this place,

Before the time I did Lyfander fee,
Seem'd Athens ‡ like a paradice to me.
O then, what graces in my loue dọ dwell,
That he hath turn'd a heauen † into hell.

Lyf. Helen, to you our mindes we will ynfold,
To morrow night, when Phoebe doth behold
Her filuer vifage, in the watry glaffe,
Decking with liquid pearle, the bladed grasse
(A time, that fouers flights doth still conceale)
Through Athens gates, haue we deuifed to steale.
Her. And in the wood, where often you and I,
Vpon faint primrose beds, were wont to lye,

*Is no fault. ↑ As a.

† Unto a bell.

Empty

Emptying our bofomes, of their counfell fweld,
There my Lyfander, and my felfe fhall meete,
And thence from Athens turne away our eyes
To feeke new friends and ftrange companions.
Farewell sweete play-fellow, pray thou for vs,
And good lucke grant thee thy Demetrius.

Keepe word Lyfander we must starue our fight,
From louers foode, till morrow deepe midnight. Exit Hermia.

Lyf. I will my Hermia. Helena adieu.

As you on him, Demetrius dote on you.

Hel. How happy fome, ore otherfome can be?
Through Athens I am thought as faire as fhe.
But what of that? Demetrius thinkes not fo:
He will not know, what all, but he do know,
And as he erres, doting on Hermias eyes ;
So I, admiring of his qualities:

Things bafe and vile, holding no quantity,
Loue can tranfpofe to forme and dignity,

Loue lookes not with the eyes, but with the minde,
And therefore is wingd Cupid painted blinde.
Nor hath loues minde of any iudgement taste :

Wings, and no eyes, figure, vnheedy haste.
And therefore is loue faid to be a childe,
Because in choise he is fo oft beguilde,
As waggish boyes in game themfelues forfweare;
So the boy Loue is periur'd euery where.
For ere Demetrius lookt on Hermias eyne,

He haild downe oathes that he was onely mine.

*

And when his haile, fome heate from Hermia felt,

So he diffolu'd, and fhowres of oathes did melt,

I will go tell him of faire Hermias flight:
Then to the wood will he, to morrow night
Purfue her; and for this intelligence,

If I haue thanks, it is a deare expence :

This.

Exit Lyf.

But

But heerein meane I to enrich my paine,
To have his fight thither, and backe againe.

Exit.

Enter Quince the Carpenter, Snug the Joyner, Bottome the Weauer, Flute the Bellows-mender, Spout the Tinker, and Starueling the Taylor.

Quin. Is all our company heere?

Bot. You were beft to call them generally, man by man, according to the scrippe.

Quin. Here is the fcrowle of euery mans name, which is thought fit through all Athens, to play in our enterlude, before the duke and the dutches, on his wedding day at night.

Bot. First good Peter Quince, fay what the play treats on : then read the names of the actors and fo grow to a point. Quin. Marry our play is the moft lamentable comedy, and moft cruell death of Pyramus and Thifbie.

Bot. A very good peece of worke, I affure you, and a merry. Now good Peter Quince, call foorth your actors by the fcrowle. Masters spread your felues.

Quin. Answer as I call you. Nick Bottome the weauer. Bot. Ready; name what part I am for, and proceed. Quin. You Nick Bottome are fet downe for Pyramus. Bot. What is Pyramus, a louer, or a tyrant? Quin. A louer that kils himselfe moft gallant, for loue. Bot. That will afke fome teares in the true perfourming of it, if I doe it, let the audience looke to their eyes: I will moue ftormes; I will condole in fome measure. To the reft yet, my chiefe humour is for a tyrant. I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to teare a cat in, to make all split the raging rocks; and fhiuering fhocks fhall breake the locks of prison gates, and Phibbus carre fhall fhine from farre, and make and marre the foolish Fates. This was lofty. Now name the reft of the players. This is Ercles vaine, a tyrants vaine: a louer is more condoling.

1

Quin. Francis Flute the bellowes-mender.
Flu. Heere Peter Quince.

Quin. You must take Thisby on you.

Flu. What is Thisby? a wandring knight?

Quin. It is the lady that Pyramus must loue.

(coming.

Flu. Nay faith, let not me play a woman, I haue a beard Quin. That's al one, you shal play it in a maske, and you may fpeake as fmall as you will.

Bot. And I may hide my face, let me play Thiby to: Ile fpeake in a monftrous little voyce; Thifne, Thifne, ah Pyramus my louer deare, thy Thifty deare, and lady deare.

Quin. No no, you must play Pyramus and Flute, you Thisby.
Bot. Well, proceed.

Quin. Robin Starueling the tailor.

Star. Heere Peter Quince.

Quid. Robin Starueling, you must play Thifbies mother: Tom Snowt, the tinker.

Snowt. Here Peter Quince.

Quin. You, Pyramus father; my felfe, Thifbies father; Snugge the ioyner, you the lyons part: and I hope here is a play fitted.

Snug. Haue you the lyons part written? pray you if it be, giue it me, for I am flowe of ftudy.

Quin. You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring. Bot. Let me play the lyon too, I will roare, that I will do any mans heart good to heare me. I will roare, that I will make the duke fay, let him roare again, let him roare againe.

Quin. * If you should do it too terribly, you would fright the dutcheffe and the ladies, that they should shrike, and that were enough to hang vs all.

All. That would hang vs euery mothers fonne.

Bot. I grant you friends, if you should fright the ladies out of their wits, they would haue no more difcretion but

Ane

to