Dem. Why then we are awake; lets follow him, and by the way let us recount our dreames. Bottome wakes. Exit Lovers. 220 Clo. [Awaking] When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer. My next is, most faire Piramus. Hey ho. Peter Quince? | Flute the bellowes-mender? Snout the tinker? Starve- | ling? Gods my life! Stolne hence, and left me asleepe: I| have had a most rare vision. I had a dreame, past the wit of man, to say, what dreame it was. Man is but an Asse, | if he goe about to expound this dreame. Me-thought I was, there is no man can tell what. Me-thought I was, and me-thought I had. But man is but a patch'd foole, | if he will offer to say, what me-thought I had. The eye of man hath not heard, the eare of man hath not seen, mans | hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his | heart to report, what my dreame was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballet of this dreame, it shall be called Bottomes Dreame, because it hath no bottome; and I will sing it in the latter end of a play, before the Duke. Peradventure, to make it the more gracious, I shall sing it at her death. Exit. 238 [Scene ii. Athens. Quince's House.] Enter Quince, Flute, Thisbie, Snout, and Starveling. Quin. Have you sent to Bottomes house? Is he come home yet? Starv. He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt hee is transported. This. [Flu.] If he come not, then the play is mar❜d. It goes not forward, doth it? 218-19. 2 five-accent ll.-2RowE. 225. I bad: I have had-Q2. 1. Thisbie out-2RowE. Quin. It is not possible: you have not a man in all Athens, able to discharge Piramus but he. This. No, hee hath simply the best wit of any handycraft man in Athens. Quin. Yea, and the best person too, and hee is a very Paramour, for a sweet voyce. This. You must say, Paragon. A Paramour is (God blesse us) a thing of nought. Enter Snug the Joyner. Snug. Masters, the Duke is comming from the Temple, and there is two or three Lords & Ladies more married: If our sport had gone forward, we had all bin made men. 20 This. O sweet bully Bottome: thus hath he lost sixepence a day, during his life; he could not have scaped sixpence a day. And the Duke had not given him sixpence a day for playing Piramus, Ile be hang'd. He would have deserved it. Sixpence a day in Piramus, or nothing. Enter Bottome. Bot. Where are these Lads? Where are these hearts? Quin. Bottome, ô most couragious day! O most happie houre! 29 Bot. Masters, I am to discourse wonders; but ask me not what. For if I tell you, I am no true Athenian. I will tell you every thing as it fell out. Qu. Let us heare, sweet Bottome. Bot. Not a word of me: all that I will tell you, is, that the Duke hath dined. Get your apparell together, good strings to your beards, new ribbands to your pumps, 32. as it fell: right as it fell-Qo. meete presently at the Palace, every man looke ore his part: for the short and the long is, our play is preferred: In any case let Thisby have cleane linnen: and let not him that playes the Lion, paire his nailes, for they shall hang out for the Lions clawes. And most deare Actors, eate no Onions, nor Garlicke; for wee are to utter sweete breath, and I doe not doubt but to heare them say, it is a sweet Comedy. No more words: away, go away. Exeunt. of. Actus Quintus. [Scene i. Athens. The palace of Theseus.] Enter Theseus, Hippolita, [Philostrate,] Egeus and bis Lords. | Hip. 'Tis strange my Theseus, that these lovers speake The. The. More strange then true. I never may beleeve These anticke fables, nor these Fairy toyes, Lovers and mad men have such seething braines, The Lunaticke, the Lover, and the Poet, Are of imagination all compact.1 1composed 10 One sees more divels then vaste hell can hold; That is the mad man. The Lover, all as franticke, The Poets eye in a fine frenzy rolling, doth glance 7-8. new 1. at More-THEOBALD. 14-15. new 1. at Doth-RowE. 18. aire: airy-2Q. And a name. Such tricks hath strong imagination, It comprehends some bringer of that joy. Hip. But all the storie of the night told over, And growes to something of great constancie;1 20 1 consistency Enter lovers, Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, 30 The. Heere come the lovers, full of joy and mirth: Joy, gentle friends, joy and fresh dayes. Of love accompany your hearts. Lys. More then to us, waite in your royall walkes, your boord, your bed. The. Come now, what maskes, what dances shall we have, To weare away this long age of three houres, Between our after supper, and bed-time? Where is our usuall manager of mirth? What Revels are in hand? Is there no play, To ease the anguish of a torturing houre? Ege. [Phil.] Heere mighty Theseus. The. Say, what abridgement2 have you ning? 40 for this eve 2 pastime What maske? What musicke? How shall we beguile The lazie time, if not with some delight? 32-5. 3 five-accent 11.-2-4F. 43. Egeus: Philostrate-Qg. are [Phil.] Ege. [Phil.] There is a breefe1 how many sports rife: 1 short account Make choise of which your Highnesse will see first. 50 [Giving a paper.] Lis. [Reads] The battell with the Centaurs to be sung | By an Athenian Eunuch, to the Harpe. The. Wee'l none of that. That have I told my Love In glory of my kinsman Hercules. Lis. [Reads] The riot of the tipsie Bachanals, Tearing the Thracian singer, in their rage? The. That is an old device, and it was plaid When I from Thebes came last a Conqueror. Lis. [Reads] The thrice three Muses, mourning for the death of learning, late deceast in beggerie. The. That is some Satire keene and criticall, Not sorting with a nuptiall ceremonie. 61 Lis. [Reads] A tedious breefe Scene of yong Piramus, And his love Thisby; very tragicall mirth. The. Merry and tragicall? Tedious, and briefe? That is, hot ice, and wondrous strange snow. How shall wee finde the concord of this discord? Ege. [Phil.] A play there is, my Lord, some ten words long, Which is as breefe, as I have knowne a play; 49. rife: ripe-1Q. 59-60. 2 five-accent 11.-Q. 70 51-67. all given to Theseus-QQ. 65-7. 3 11. ending brief, snow, discord-THEObald. 73-7. 5 five-accent 11.-2-4F. |