LITMIR.BIZ

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Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lantern, 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.

       SNOUT

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

       BOTTOM

       Some man or other must present wall: and let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper.

       QUINCE

       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.

       [Enter PUCK behind.]

       PUCK

       What hempen homespuns have we swaggering here,

       So near the cradle of the fairy queen?

       What, a play toward! I’ll be an auditor;

       An actor too perhaps, if I see cause.

       QUINCE

       Speak, Pyramus.—Thisby, stand forth.

       PYRAMUS

       ‘Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet,’

       QUINCE

       Odours, odours.

       PYRAMUS

       ‘—odours savours sweet:

       So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.—

       But hark, a voice! stay thou but here awhile,

       And by and by I will to thee appear.’

       [Exit.]

       PUCK

       A stranger Pyramus than e’er played here!

       [Aside.—Exit.]

       THISBE

       Must I speak now?

       QUINCE

       Ay, marry, must you: for you must understand he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.

       THISBE

       ‘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 would never tire,

       I’ll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny’s tomb.’

       QUINCE

       Ninus’ tomb, man: why, you must not speak that yet: that you answer to Pyramus. You speak all your part at once, cues, and all.—Pyramus enter: your cue is past; it is ‘never tire.’

       THISBE

       O,—‘As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire.’

       [Re-enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with an ass’s head.]

       PYRAMUS

       ‘If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine:—’

       QUINCE

       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.]

       BOTTOM

       Why do they run away? This is a knavery of them to make me afeard.

       [Re-enter SNOUT.]

       SNOUT

       O Bottom, thou art changed! What do I see on thee?

       BOTTOM

       What do you see? you see an ass-head of your own, do you?

       [Re-enter QUINCE.]

       QUINCE

       Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated.

       [Exit.]

       BOTTOM

       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 down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid.

       [Sings.]

       The ousel cock, so black of hue,

       With orange-tawny bill,

       The throstle with his note so true,

       The wren with little quill.

       TITANIA

       [Waking.]

       What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?

       BOTTOM

       [Sings.]

       The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,

       The plainsong cuckoo gray,

       Whose note full many a man doth mark,

       And dares not answer nay;—

       for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a bird? Who would give a bird the lie, though he cry ‘cuckoo’ never so?

       TITANIA

       I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again;

       Mine ear is much enamour’d of thy note.

       So is mine eye enthrallèd to thy shape;

       And thy fair virtue’s force perforce doth move me,

       On the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee.

       BOTTOM

       Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days: the more the pity that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.

       TITANIA

       Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.

       BOTTOM

       Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn.

       TITANIA

       Out of this wood do not desire to go;

       Thou shalt remain here whether thou wilt or no.

       I am a spirit of no common rate,—

       The summer still doth tend upon my state;

       And I do love thee: therefore, go with me,

       I’ll give thee fairies to attend on thee;

       And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,

       And sing, while thou on pressèd flowers dost sleep:

       And I will purge thy mortal grossness so

       That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.—

       Peasblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed!

       [Enter Four Fairies.]

       FIRST FAIRY

       Ready.

       SECOND FAIRY

       And I.

       THIRD FAIRY

       And I.

       FOURTH FAIRY

       Where

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