Athenian. I will tell you every thing, right as it and the long is, our play is preferr'd. In any case, let Thisby have clean linen; and let not him, that plays the lion, pare his nails, for they shall hang out for the lion's claws. And, most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlick, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a sweet comedy. No more words; [Exeunt. away; go, away.. Hip. "TIS strange, my Theseus, that these lovers speak of. [lieve The. More strange than true. I never may be- One sees more devils than vast hell can hold; The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Hip. But all the story of the night told over, And grows to something of great constancy2: Enter Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, & Helena. mirth. Joy, gentle friends! joy, and fresh days of love, Lys. More than to us 20 25 To ease the anguish of a torturing hour? Philost. Here, mighty Theseus. [evening? Philost. There is a brief, how many sports are ripe; Make choice of which your highness will see first. [Giving a paper. The. [reads.]" The battle of the Centaurs, to be sung "By an Athenian eunuch to the harp." 30 We'll none of that: that I have told my love, In glory of my kinsman Hercules. 35 40 45 50 Wait on your royal walks, your board, your bed! 55 To wear away this long age of three hours, The riot of the tipsy Bacchanals, Tearing the Thracian singer in their rage. Of learning, late deceas'd in beggary."[death "A tedious brief scene of young Pyramus words long; Which is as brief as I have known a play; For Pyramus therein doth kill himself. [here, The. What are they, that do play it? 1i. e. made up. 2j. e. consistency. 3 By abridgment Shakspeare here means a dramatick per formance. i. e. a short account. Meaning, criticising, censuring. That is, unexercised memories. Philost Philost. No, my noble lord, It is not for you: I have heard it over, Extremely stretch'd, and conn'd with cruel pain, 5 The. I will hear that play: For never any thing can be amiss, [dies. Go, bring them in ;-and take your places, la-10 Hip. He says, they can do nothing in this kind. Our sport shall be, to take what they mistake: Noble respect takes it in might', not merit. I read as much, as from the rattling tongue "pent you, 15 Enter Pyramus and Thisbe, Wall, Moonshine, and Lion, as in dumb show. Prol. "Gentles, perchance, you wonder at "this show; "But wonder on, till truth make all things plain. "This man is Pyramus, if you would know; "This beauteous lady Thisby is, certain. "This man,with lime and rough-cast,doth present "Wall, that vile wall which did those lovers "sunder: "And through wall's chink, poor souls, they are " content "To whisper; at which let no man wonder. "This man with lanthorn, dog, and bush of thorn, "Presenteth moon-shine: for, if you will know, "By moon-shine did these lovers think no scorn "To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to woo. "This grisly beast, which by name lion hight, "The trusty Thisby, coming first by night, 20" Did scare away, or rather did affright: "And, as she fled, her mantle she did fall; "Which lion vile with bloody mouth did stain: "Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth, and tall, "And finds his trusty Thisby's mantle slain : 25 Whereat,with blade, with bloody blameful blade, "He bravely broach'd his boiling bloody breast; "And Thisby, tarrying in mulberry shade, "His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest, "Let lion, moon-shine, wall, and lovers twain, 30" At large discourse, while here they do remain." [Exeunt all but Wall. lion be to speak. my lord: one lion may, 35 The. I wonder, if the Dem. No wonder, when many asses do. Wall. "In this same interlude, it doth befall, "That I, one Snout by name, present a wall: "And such a wall, as I would have you think, "That had in it a cranny'd hole, or chink, 66 Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisby, 40" Did whisper often very secretly. 45 50 "The actors are at hand; and by their show, Hip. Indeed he hath play'd on this prologue, like a child on a recorder: a sound, but not in government'. The. His speech was like a tangled chain: no-60 thing impair'd, but all disordered. Who is next? [shew "This lome, this rough-cast, and this stone, doth "O grim-look'd night! O night with hu "so black! "O night, which ever art, when day is not! "O night, O night, alack, alack, alack, "I tear my Thisby's promise is forgot!"And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovely wall, "That stand'st between her father's ground " and mine: "Thou wall, O wall, O sweet and lovely wall, 'Intents here means the object of their attention. 2 In might, is probably an elliptical expression for what might have been. i. e. ready. A kind of flute. Meaning, not regularly. Q "Thanks, "Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee well "for this! “But what see I? No Thisby do I see. "O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss: "Curst be thy stones for thus deceiving me!" 5 The. The wall, methinks, being sensible, should curse again. Pyr. No, in truth, sir, he should not. Deceiv ing me, is Thisby's cue; she is to enter now, and I am to spy her through the wall. You shall see, it will fall pat as I told you: Yonder she comes. Enter Thisby. This. "O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans, "For parting my fair Pyramus and me: "My cherry lips have often kiss'd thy stones; "Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee." Pyr. “I see a voice: now will I to the chink, "To spy an I can hear my Thisby's face. "Thisby! This. My love! thou art my love, I think." Pyr. "Think what thou wilt, I am thy lover's "grace; 15 The.A very gentle beast, and of a good conscience. Dem. The very best at a beast, my lord, that e'er I saw. Lys. This lion is a very fox for his valour. The. True; and a goose for his discretion. Dem. Not so, my lord: for his valour cannot carry his discretion; and the fox carries the goose. The. His di-cretion, I am sure, cannot carry It This valour; for the goose carries not the fox. is well: leave it to his discretion, and let us listen the moon. 201 "And like Limander am I trusty still." [hill." 5 "delay." Dem. No remedy, my lord, when walls are so wilful to hear without warning. Hip. This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard. The. The best in this kind are but shadows: and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them. Hip. It must be your imagination then, and not theirs. The. If we imagine no worse of them, than they of themselves, they may pass for excellent men. Here come two noble beasts in, a moon and a lion. 35 401 Moon. "This lanthorn doth the horned moon [head. present:" Dm. He should have worn the horns on his The. He is no crescent, and his horns are invisible within the circumference. Moon. "This lanthorn doth the horned moon "Myself the man i' th' moon do seem to be." The. This is the greatest error of all the rest: the man should be put into the lanthorn; How is it else the man i' the moon? Dem. He dares not come there for the candle: for, you see, it is already in snuff'. Hip. I am a-weary of this moon. would change! Would, he The. It appears, by his small light of discretion, that he is in the wane: but yet, in courtesy, in all reason, we must stay the time. Lys. Proceed, moon. Moon. All that I have to say is, to tell you, that the lanthorn is the moon; I, the man in the moon; this thorn-bush, my thorn-bush; and this dog, my dog. Dem. Why all these should be in the lanthorn; for they are in the moon. But, silence; here comes Thisbe. 45 150 -Truly, the moon Hip. Well shone, moon.- "The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on 55" May now, perchance, both quake and tremble "here, "When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar. "Then know, that I, as Snug the joiner, am "A lion fell, nor else no lion's dam: "For if I should as lion come in strife "Into this place, 'twere pity on my life.” 60 "How can it be? "O dainty duck! O dear! Snuff signifies both the cinder of a candle, and hasty anger. "Thy Approach, ye furies-fell! "O fates! come, come; "Cut thread and thrum'; «Quail, crush, conclude and quell'!” The. This passion, and the death of a dear friend,| would go near to make a man look sad. Hip. Beshrew my heart, but I pity the man. Pyr. "O, wherefore, nature, didst thou lions 10 "frame? "Since lion vile hath here deflower'd my dear: "Which is no, no-which was the fairest dame, “That liv'd, that lov'd, that lik’d, that look'd, "with cheer. "Come tears, comfound; "The pap of Pyramus: Tongue, lose thy light! "Moon take thy flight! "Now die, die, die, die, die. [Dies. Exit Moonshine. Dem. No die, but an ace for him; for he is but one. Lys. Less than an ace, man; for he is dead: he is nothing. The. With the help of a surgeon he might yet recover, and prove an ass. 15 Dem. Ay, and wall too. Bot. No, I assure you; the wall is down that parted their fathers. Will it please you to see the epilogue, or to hear a Bergomask dance', between two of our company. 20 The. No epilogue, I pray you; for your play The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve;30 Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time. Hip. How chance the moonshine is gone, be-35 fore Thisbe comes back and finds her lover? The. She will find him by star-light. Enter Thisbe. I fear, we shall out-sleep the coming morn, SCENE II. [Exeunt. Puck. Now the hungry lion roars, Whilst the scritch-owl, scritching loud, Puts the wretch, that lies in woe, In remembrance of a shroud. That the graves all gaping wide, 1 Thrum is the end or extremity of a weaver's warp; it is popularly used for very coarse yarn. 2 To quell is to murther, to destroy. 3 That is, a dance alter the manner of the peasants of Ber gomasco, a country in Italy belonging to the Venetians. * i. e. Passage, progress. i. e. Over come. Ob. Through this house give glimmering light, By the dead and drowsy fire: Every elf, and fairy sprite, Hop as light as bird from brier; Sing and dance it trippingly. Tit. First, rehearse this song by rote: b. Now, until the break of day, And the blots of nature's hand Shall not in their issue stand; Never mole, hare-lip, nor scar, 'i. e. portentous. 10 15 201 25 Trip away; Make no stay; Meet me all by break of day. [Exeunt King, Queen, and Train. Puck. If we shadows have offended, Think but this, (and all is mended) That you have but slumber'd here, While these visions did appear: And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend; If you pardon, we will mend. And, as I'm an honest Puck, If we have unearned luck Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, We will make amends, ere long: Else the Puck a liar call, So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, 2 i. e. take his way." MERCHANT |