002 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 005 action as we will do it before the duke.

Bot. Peter Quince,—

Quin. What sayest thou, bully Bottom?

Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw 010 a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?

012 Snout. By’r lakin, a parlous fear.

Star. I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.

015 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 018 killed indeed; and, for the more better assurance, tell them that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: 020 this will put them out of fear.

Quin. Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six.

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

025 Snout. 025 Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?

Star. I fear it, I promise you.

027 Bot. Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to bring in,—God shield us!—a lion among ladies, is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl 030 than your lion living; and we ought to look to ’t.

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 035 speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect,—‘Ladies,’ —or, ‘Fair ladies,—I would wish you,’—or, ‘I would request you,’—or, ‘I would entreat 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 such thing; I 040 am a man as other men are:’ and there indeed let him 041 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 moonlight.

045 Snout. Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?

Bot. A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanac; find 047 out moonshine, find out moonshine.

Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night.

049 Bot. Why, then may you leave a casement of the great 050 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 of thorns and a lantern, and say he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of moonshine. Then, there is another 055 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.

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

060 Bot. Some man or other must present wall: and let him 061 have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast about 062 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 065 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.

068 Puck. What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here, So near the cradle of the fairy queen? 070 What, a play toward! I’ll be an auditor; 071 An actor too perhaps, if I see cause. Quin. Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth. 073 Bot. Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet,— 074 Quin. Odours, odours. 075 Bot. —— odours savours sweet: So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby 076 dear. But hark, a voice! stay thou but here 077 awhile, And by and by I will to thee appear. [Exit. Puck. 079 A stranger Pyramus than e’er play’d here. [Exit. 080 Flu. Must I speak now? 081 Quin. Ay, marry, must you; for you must understand he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again. Flu. Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue, Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier, 085 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 speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus: you speak all your 090 part at once, cues and all. Pyramus enter: your cue is past; it is, ‘never tire.’

Flu. O,—As true as truest horse, that yet would never 092 tire.

Re-enter Puck, and Bottom with an ass’s head.

093 Bot. If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine.

Quin. O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted. Pray, 095 masters! fly, masters! Help! [Exeunt Quince, Snug, Flute, Snout, and Starveling.

096 Puck. I’ll follow you, I’ll lead you about a round, 097 Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier: Sometime a horse I’ll be, sometime a hound, 099 A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire; 100 And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, 101 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 afeard.

Re-enter Snout.

104 Snout. O bottom, thou art changed! what do I see on 105 thee?

Bot. What do you see? you see an ass-head of your own, do you? [Exit Snout.

Re-enter Quince.

Quin. Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated. [Exit.

110 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 down here, and 113 I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid. [Sings.

114 The ousel cock so black of hue, 115 With orange-tawny bill, The throstle with his note so true, 117 The wren with little quill; Tita. [Awaking] What angel wakes me from my flowery bed? Bot. [Sings The finch, the sparrow, and the lark, 120 The plain-song 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?

125 Tita. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again: Mine ear is much enamour’d of thy note; 127 So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape; And thy fair virtue’s force perforce doth move me On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.

130 Bot. 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.

135 Tita. Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.

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

Tita. Out of this wood do not desire to go: Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. 140 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, 145 And sing, while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep: And I will purge thy mortal grossness so, That thou shalt like an airy spirit go. 148 Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed! Enter Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed. First Fai. 149 Ready. Sec. Fai. And I. Third Fai. And I. Fourth Fai. And I. All. Where shall we go? 150 Tita. Be kind and courteous to this gentleman; Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes; Feed him with apricocks and dewberries, With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries; 154 The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees, 155 And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs, And light them at the fiery glow-worm’s eyes, To have my love to bed and to arise; And pluck the wings from painted butterflies To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes: 160 Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.

161 First Fai. Hail, mortal!

Sec. Fai. Hail!

Third Fai. Hail!

Fourth Fai. Hail!

165 Bot. I cry your worships mercy, heartily: I beseech your worship’s name.

Cob. Cobweb.

168 Bot. I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good Master Cobweb: if I cut my finger, I shall make bold with 170 you. Your name, honest gentleman?

Peas. Peaseblossom.

Bot. I pray you, commend me to Mistress Squash, your mother, and to Master Peascod, your father. Good 174 Master Peaseblossom, I shall desire you of more acquaintance 175 too. Your name, I beseech you, sir?

176 Mus. Mustardseed.

177 Bot. Good Master Mustardseed, I know your patience well: that same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your house: I promise you 180 your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now. I desire 181 your more acquaintance, good Master Mustardseed.

Tita. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower. The moon methinks looks with a watery eye; 184 And when she weeps, weeps every little flower, 185 Lamenting some enforced chastity. 186 Tie up my love’s tongue, bring him silently. [Exeunt.