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SCENE VI.

Enter Lyfander and Hermia.

Lyf. Fair love, you faint with wand'ring in the wood;
And, to fpeak troth, I have forgot our way:
We'll reft us, Hermia, if thou think it good,
And tarry for the comfort of the day.
Her. Be't fo, Lyfander; find you out a bed,
For I upon this bank will reft my head.

Lyf. One turf fhall ferve as pillow for us both,
One heart, one bed, two bofoms, and one troth.
Her. Nay, good Lyfander; for my fake, my dear,
Lie further off yet, do not lie fo near.

Lyf. O, take the fenfe, fweet of my innocence;
Love takes the meaning, in love's conference;
I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit;
So that but one heart can you make of it:
Two bofoms, interchained with an oath;
So then two bofoms, and a single troth:
Then, by your fide no bed-room me deny;
For lying fo, Hermia, I do not lie.

Her. Lyfander riddles very prettily;
Now much befhrew my manners, and my pride,
If Hermia meant to fay, Lyfander li’d.
But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy,
Lie further off; in human modefty,
Such feparation, as, may well be faid,
Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid:

So far be diftant; and good night, fweet friend;
Thy love ne'er alter, till thy fweet life end!
Lys. Amen, Amen, to that fair prayer, fay I;
And then end life, when I end loyalty!

Here is my bed; fleep give thee all his reft!

Her. With half that with the wifher's eyes be preft!

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[They fleep.

Night

Night and filence! who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear;
This is he, my mafter said,
Defpifed the Athenian maid,

And here the maiden sleeping sound
On the dank and dirty ground.
Pretty foul! fhe durft not lie
Near to this lack-love kill-courtefy.
Churl, upon thy eyes I throw
All the pow'r this charm doth owe:
When thou wak'ft, let love forbid
Sleep his feat on thy eye-lid;
So awake, when I am gone:
For I must now to Oberon.

SCENE VII.

Enter Demetrius and Helena running.

[Exit.

Hel. Stay, tho' thou kill me, fweet Demetrius!
Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.
Hel. O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not so.
Dem. Stay, on thy peril; I alone will go.

[Exit Demetrius.
Hel. O, I am out of breath in this fond chace;
The more my prayer, the leffer is my grace.
Happy is Hermia, wherefoe'er fhe lies;
For the hath bleffed and attractive eyes.

How came her eyes fo bright? not with falt tears;
If fo, my eyes are oftner wash'd than hers.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear;

For beafts, that meet me, run away for fear.
Therefore no marvel, tho' Demetrius
Do (as a monster) fly my prefence thus.
What wicked and diffembling glafs of mine
Made me compare with Hermia's fphery eyne?--
But who is here? Lyfander on the ground:
Dead or afleep? I fee no blood, no wound:
Lyfander, if you live, good Sir, awake,

Lys. And run thro' fire I will, for thy fweet fake.

Transparent Helen, nature here fhews art,

[Waking

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

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

Bot. Mafters, you ought to confider with yourselves: to bring in, God fhield us, a lion among ladies, is a moft dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wildfowl than your lion living; and we ought to look to it.

Snowi. Therefore another prologue must tell, he is not a lion.

Bot. Nay you must name his rame, 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 moon-light into a chamber; for, you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight.

Snug. Doth the moon shine 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 thine in at the cafement.

Quin. Ay, or else 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 an other thing; we must have a wall in the great chamber, for Pyramus and Thisby (fays the story) did talk through the chink of a wall.

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

Bot. Some man or other must prefent Wall; and let

Ay me, for pity, what a dream was here?
Lyfander, look how I do quake with fear;
Methought a ferpent ate my heart away;
And you fat fmiling on 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.

ACT III. SCENE I.

The Wood.

[Exit.

Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flate, Snow!, and Starveling. The Queen of Fairies lying afleep..

Bot.

ARE we all met?

Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearfal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn-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. Firft, Pyramus must draw a fword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot a bide. How anfwer you that?

Snowt. 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.

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

and eight.

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

Bot. Mafters, you ought to confider with yourselves: to bring in, God fhield us, a lion among ladies, is a moft dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wildfowl than your lion living; and we ought to look to it.

Snow. Therefore another prologue muft 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 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.

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Quin. Well, it fhall be fo; but there is two hard things, that is, to bring the moon-light 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-shine.

Quin. Yes, it doth fhine that night.

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

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

Snug. You never can bring in a wall. What fay you, Bottom?

Bot. Some man or other must prefent Wall; and let

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