Deferve a fweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my infufficiency?

Good troth you do me wrong, good footh you do,
In fuch difdainful manner me to woo:

But fare you well. Perforce I must confefs,
I thought you lord of more true gentleness:
Oh, that a lady of one man refus'd,

Should of another therefore be abus'd!

[Exit.

Lyf. She fees not Hermia; Hermia fleep thou there,

And never may'st thou come Lyfander near;
For as a furfeit of the fweeteft things
The deepest loathing to a ftomach brings;
Or as the herefies that men do leave
Are hated moft of thofe 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 best
To pluck this crawling ferpent from my breast:
Ay me, for pity, what a dream was here?
Lyfander look how do I quake with fear;
Me-thought a ferpent eat my heart away,
And d you fate 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.

yet.

[Exit.

VOL. I.

H

ACT

ACT III. SCENE I

The Wood.

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

A

Truly humourous, and get mothing
The Queen of Fairies lying Aleep ordinary

RE we all met?

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

Bot. Peter Quince.

Quin. What fay'ft thou bully Bottom?

Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that will never pleafe. First, Pyramus muft draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How anfwer you that?

Snout. By'rlaken, a parlous fear!

Star. I believe we muft 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 fay, 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 weayer; this will put them out of fear.

Quin. Well, we will have fuch a prologue, and it hall 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 promife you.

Bot. Mafters, you ought to confider with your felves; to bring in, God. fhield us, a lion among ladies, is a moft dreadful thing, for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living; and we cught 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 feen through the lion's neck, and he himself muft fpeak through, faying thus or to the fame defect; ladies, or fair ladies, I would wish 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 moonlight into a chamber; 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-fhine.

Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night.

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

Quin. Ay, or elfe one must come in with a bufh of thorns and a lanthorn, and fay he comes to disfigure or to prefent 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 fay you, Bottom?

Bot. Some man or other muft prefent Wall, and let him have fome plafter, or fome lome, or fome rough-caft about him, to fignify wall: Or let him hold his fingers thus; and through the cranny fhall Pyramus and Thisby whifper.

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 fpoken your fpeech enter into that brake, and fo every one according to his cue.

SCENE II.

Enter Puck.

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 favour's fweet.
Quin. Odours, odours.

Pyr. Odours favours sweet,

So doth thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear: But hark, a voice! ftay thou but here a while, 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 for you; you muft underftand he goes but to fee a noife 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 speak

that yet; that you anfwer to Pyramus; you speak all

your part at once, cues and all.

your cue is paft; it is never tire.

Enter Pyramus.

Pyramus enter,

Thif. O, as true as trueft horse, that yet would never tire.

Pyr. If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine.

Quin O monftrous! O ftrange! 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 horse I'll be, fometimes a hound,
A hog, a headlefs bear, fometime a fire,

And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
Like horfe, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn. [Exit.

Enter Bottom with an Afs head.

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 fee an afs-head of your own, do you?

Enter Quince.

Quin. Blefs thee Bottom, blefs thee, thou art tranf lated. [Exit.

Bot. I fee their knavery, this is to make an afs of me, to fright me if they could; but I will not fir 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..

H 3

[Sings.

The