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Therein doth kill himselfe. Which when I saw
Rehearst, I must confesse, made mine eyes water:
But more merrie teares, the passion of loud laughter
Never shed.

Thes. What are they that do play it?

Ege. [Phil.] Hard handed men, that worke in Athens heere,

Which never labour'd in their mindes till now; 80 And now have toyled their unbreathed1 memories With this same play, against your nuptiall. 1 unpractised The. And we will heare it.

Phi. No, my noble Lord, it is not for you. I have heard |

It over, and it is nothing, nothing in the world;
Unlesse you can finde sport in their intents,
Extreamely stretcht, and cond with cruell paine,
To doe you service.

88

Thes. I will heare that play. For never any thing Can be amisse, when simplenesse and duty tender it. Goe bring them in, and take your places, Ladies.

[Exit Philostrate.] Hip. I love not to see wretchednesse orecharged; And duty in his service perishing.

Thes. Why gentle sweet, you shall see no such thing. Hip. He saies, they can doe nothing in this kinde. Thes. The kinder we, to give them thanks for nothing Our sport shall be, to take what they mistake; And what poore duty cannot doe, noble respect

Takes it in might, not merit.

Where I have come, great Clearkes have purposed 100
To greete me with premeditated welcomes;
Where I have seene them shiver and looke pale,

83-5. 3 five-accent ll.-2RowE. 88-90. 3 five-accent 11.-2Rowe.

Make periods in the midst of sentences,
Throttle their practiz'd accent in their feares,
And in conclusion, dumbly have broke off,
Not paying me a welcome. Trust me sweete,
Out of this silence yet, I pickt a welcome:
And in the modesty of fearefull duty,

I read as much, as from the ratling tongue

Of saucy and audacious eloquence.
Love therefore, and tongue-tide simplicity,
In least, speake most, to my capacity.

[Re-enter Philostrate.]

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Egeus. [Phil.] So please your Grace, the Prologue is

addrest.1

Duke. [Thes.] Let him approach.

Enter the Prologue.

1 ready

Flor. Trum.

Quince.

Pro. If we offend, it is with our good will.
That you should thinke, we come not to offend,
But with good will. To shew our simple skill,
That is the true beginning of our end.
Consider then, we come but in despight.
We do not come, as minding to content you,
Our true intent is.

We are not heere.

All for your delight,

120

That you should here repent you,

The Actors are at hand; and by their show,

You shall know all, that you are like to know. Thes. This fellow doth not stand upon points. Lys. He hath rid his Prologue, like a rough Colt: he knowes not the stop. A good morall my Lord. It is not enough to speake, but to speake true. 129

Hip. Indeed hee hath plaid on his Prologue, like a childe on a Recorder, a sound, but not in government.

Thes. His speech was like a tangled chaine: nothing impaired, but all disordered. Who is next?

Tawyer with a Trumpet before them.

Enter Pyramus and Thisby, Wall, Moone-shine, and Lyon. |

Prol. Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show But wonder on, till truth make all things plaine. This man is Piramus, if you would know;

This beauteous Lady, Thisby is certaine.

This man, with lyme and rough-cast, doth present 140
Wall, that vile wall, which did these lovers sunder:
And through walls chink (poor soules) they are content
To whisper. At the which, let no man wonder.
This man, with Lanthorne, dog, and bush of thorne,
Presenteth moone-shine. For if you will know,
By moone-shine did these Lovers thinke no scorne
To meet at Ninus toombe, there, there to wooe:
This grizy beast (which Lyon hight1 by name)
The trusty Thisby, comming first by night,
Did scarre away, or rather did affright:
And as she fled, her mantle she did fall;
Which Lyon vile with bloody mouth did staine.
Anon comes Piramus, sweet youth and tall,
And findes his Thisbies Mantle slaine;

1 called

Whereat, with blade, with bloody blamefull blade,
He bravely broacht his boiling bloudy breast,
And Thisby, tarrying in Mulberry shade,
His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest,
Let Lyon, Moone-shine, Wall, and Lovers twaine,
At large discourse, while here they doe remaine.

Exit all but Wall.

150

160

134. Tawyer ... them outt-Q2. 148. grizy: grisly-Q2.2-4F. 154. bis Thisbies: his trusty Thisby's-QQ.

Thes. I wonder if the Lion be to speake. Deme. No wonder, my Lord: one Lion many Asses doe.

may, when

Exit Lyon, Thisbie, and Mooneshine. Wall. In this same Interlude, it doth befall, That I, one Snowt (by name) present a wall: And such a wall, as I would have you thinke, That had in it a crannied hole or chinke:

Through which the Lovers, Piramus and Thisbie 170 Did whisper often, very secretly.

This loame, this rough-cast, and this stone doth shew, That I am that same Wall; the truth is so.

And this the cranny is, right and sinister,

Through which the fearefull Lovers are to whisper. Thes. Would you desire Lime and Haire to speake better?

Deme. It is the wittiest partition, that ever I heard discourse, my Lord.

Thes. Pyramus drawes neere the Wall, silence. 180

Enter Pyramus.

Pir. O grim lookt night, ô night with hue so blacke, O night, which ever art, when day is not: O night, ô night, alacke, alacke, alacke,

I feare my Thisbies promise is forgot.

And thou ô wall, thou sweet and lovely wall,

That stands betweene her fathers ground and mine,
Thou wall, ô wall, ô sweet and lovely wall,

Shew me thy chinke, to blinke through with mine eine.
[Wall holds up his fingers.]
Thankes courteous wall. Jove shield thee well for this.
But what see I? No Thisbie doe I see.

191

186. thou sweet and: O sweet O-Q2. 187. stands: stand'st-IQ.

O wicked wall, through whom I see no blisse,
Curst be thy stones for thus deceiving mee.

Thes. The wall me-thinkes being sensible,1 should curse againe. 1 having feeling

Pir. No in truth sir, he should not. Deceiving me, Is Thisbies cue; she is to enter, and I am to spy Her through the wall. You shall see it will fall.

Enter Thisbie.

Pat as I told you; yonder she comes.

200

This. O wall, full often hast thou heard mv mones,

For parting my faire Piramus, and me.

My cherry lips have often kist thy stones;

Thisbie?

Thy stones with Lime and Haire knit up in thee.
Pyra. I see a voyce; now will I to the chinke,
Το
spy and I can heare my Thisbies face.
This. My Love thou art, my Love I thinke.
Pir. Thinke what thou wilt, I am thy Lovers grace,

And like Limander am I trusty still.

This. And like Helen till the Fates me kill. 210
Pir. Not Shafalus to Procrus, was so true.
This. As Shafalus to Procrus, I to you.

Pir. O kisse me through the hole of this vile wall.
This. I kisse the wals hole, not your lips at all.
Pir. Wilt thou at Ninnies tombe meete me straight
way?

This. Tide life, tide death, I come without delay. [Exeunt Pyramus and Thisbe.] Wall. Thus have I Wall, my part discharged so; And being done, thus Wall away doth go. Exit Clow.

196-200. prose-POPE.

197. enter, and: enter now, and-Q0.

210. And like: And I like-Q2.2F.

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