Lysander, look, how I do quake with fear. ACT THREE. [Exit. SCENE I.The Same. The Queen of Fairies lying asleep. Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STAR VELING. Воттом. Are we all met? Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our tiring-house; and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the Duke. Bot. Peter Quince, Quin. What say'st thou, bully Bottom? 150 Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that will never please. First, Pyramus 10 must draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? 150 you. The folio misprints yet. (w) prey, i. e. preying. (R) 154 of all loves. A pretty adjuration common on feminine lips in Shakespeare's day. See Note VOL. III. - 13 Ion The Merry Wives of Windsor, 8 bully, a familiar and friendly epithet. (R) Snout. By 'r lakin, 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 seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not kill'd indeed: and, for the more better 20 assurance, tell them, that I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Bottom, the weaver. This will put them out of fear. Quin. Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six. Bot. No, make it two more let it be written in eight and eight. Snout. Will not the ladies be afear'd of the lion ? : Bot. Masters, you ought to consider with your- 30 selves to bring in, God shield us! a lion among ladies, is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought 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 seen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect: "Ladies, or fair ladies, I would wish 40 you, or, I would request you, or, I would entreat you, not to fear, not to tremble: my life for yours. think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of 18 By'r lakin, a corruption of "by our ladykin," or little lady [i. e. the Virgin], as parlous is of "perilous." (w) If you my life: 25 in eight and six. In lines of eight and six syllables alternately. no, I am no such 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 shall be so. But there is two hard things that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by 50 moonlight. Snug. Doth the moon shine that night we play our play? Bot. A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanack; find out moonshine, find out moonshine. Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night. Bot. Why, then you may leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open; and the moon may shine in at the casement. Quin. Ay; or else one must come in with a bush 60 of thorns and a lanthorn, and say, he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby (says the story) did talk through the chink of a wall. Snug. You can never bring in a wall. — What say you, Bottom? Bot. Some man or other must present Wall; and let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some 70 rough-cast about him, to signify wall: and let him hold his fingers thus; and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper. Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin. When you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake; and so every one according to his cue. 71 and let him. The originals have or let him. Enter PUCK behind. Puck. What hempen home-spuns have we swag gering here, So near the cradle of the Fairy Queen? What, a play toward? I'll be an auditor; Quin. Speak, Pyramus. - Thisby, stand forth. Pyr. "odours savours sweet: savours So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby, dear. But, hark, a voice! stay thou but here a while, 80 And by and by I will to thee appear." [Exit. Puck. A stranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here! 90 This. Must I speak now? [Exit. Quin. Ay, marry, must you; for you must understand, he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again. This. "Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue, Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier, Most brisky juvenal, and eke most lovely Jew, As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire, I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb." Quin. Ninus' tomb, man. Why, you must not 100 speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus. You 84 savours. 81 toward, in progress. (w) Apparently the verb is intended, and hath in l. 87 for doth. (R) 90 This [speech] is given to Quince in both quartos; the cor rection of the error in the folio is noteworthy. (w) 97 Jew. There is probably a suggestion intended of jewel. Cf. Love's Labour's Lost, III. i. 136. Herford. (R) speak all your part at once, cues and all. Pyramus, enter your cue is past; it is, never tire." 66 Enter Puck, and Borrом with an ass's head. This. O!"As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire." Pyr. "If I were fair Thisby, I were only thine: Quin. O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted. Pray, Masters! fly, Masters! help! [Exeunt Clowns. Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier: Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound, A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire; And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn. [Exit. Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to make me afear'd. 110 Enter SNOUT. [Exit. Snout. O Bottom! thou art chang'd: what do I see on thee? Bot. What do you see? you see an ass-head of your own, do you? Enter QUINCE. Quin. Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated. [Exit. Bot. I see their knavery. This is to make an ass of me, to fright me, if they could; but I will not stir from this place, do what they can. I will walk up and 122 translated. Cf. I. i. 191. (R) 120 |