1 Fai. You spotted snakes, with double tongue, Newts, and blind-worms, do no wrong; CHORUS. Philomel, with melody, Sing in our sweet lullaby: Lulla, lulla, lullaby: lulla, lulla, lullaby: II. 8 Fai. Weaving spiders, come not here; Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence: CHORUS. Philomel, with melody, &c. I Fai. Hence, away; now all is well: One, aloof, stand sentinel. [Exeunt Fairies. Titania sleeps. Obe. What thou seest, when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true-love take; Love, and languish for his sake; In thy eye that shall appear When thou wak'st, it is thy dear; Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA. [Bxit. Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood; And, to speak troth, I have forgot our way; We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, And tarry for the comfort of the day. Her. Be it so, Lysander, find you out a bed, For I upon this bank will rest my head. Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; Lys. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence; Her. Lysander riddles very prettily.- Here is my bed: Sleep give thee all his rest! Her. With half that wish the wisher's eyes be press'd! (They sleep.) Enter PUCK. Puck. Through the forest have I gone, On whose eyes I might approve All the power this charm doth owe: Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running. [Exit Demetrius. For she hath blessed and attractive eyes. How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears: No, no, I am as ugly as a bear; For beasts that meet me, run away for fear: Lys. And run through fire I will, for thy sweet sake. (Waking.) Transparant Helena! Nature here shows art, That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. Hel. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so: What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though? The tedious minutes I with her have spent. Not Hermia, but Helena I love: Who will not change a raven for a dove ? Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When, at your hands, did I deserve this scorn? Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, [Exit. But fare you well: perforce I must confess, Are hated most of those they did deceive: [there; And all my powers, address your love and might, [Exit. Her. (Starting.) Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best, To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast! ACT III. SCENE 1.-The same. [Exit. The Queen of Fairies lying asleep. Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, Bot. Are we all met? Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsa!: This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our tyring 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? Bot. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus D and Thisby, that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? Snout. By'rlakin, 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 killed indeed; and, for the more better 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 afeard of the lion? 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 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 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 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 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. |