Enter Thefeus, Egeus, Hippolita, and all his train. We will, fair Queen, up to the mountain's top, Of hounds and echo in conjunction. Hip. I was with Hercules and Cadmus once, The. My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind, Was never hallo'd to, nor cheer'd with horn, Judge, when you hear. But foft, what nymphs are thefe ? Ege. My Lord, this is my daughter here asleep, And this Lyfander, this Demetrius is, This Helena, old Nedar's Helena; I wonder at their being here together. The. No doubt, they rofe up early to obferve The rite of May; and, hearing our intent, Came here in grace of our folemnity. But fpeak, Egeus, is not this the day, That Hermia should give anfwer of her choice? Ege. It is, my Lord. The. Go bid the huntfmen wake them with their horns. *Meaning the obfervance of the time prefcribed for their nuptials. Horns, and fhout within; Demetrius, Lyfander, Her- The. Good morrow, friends; Saint Valentine is past; The. I pray you, all stand up: How comes this gentle concord in the world, Lyf. My Lord, I fhall reply amazedly, I came with Hermia hither. Our intent Ege. Enough, enough; my Lord, you have enough; They would have ftol'n away, they would, Demetrius, You, of your wife; and me, of my confent; Dem My Lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth, But, my good Lord, I wot not by what power, VOL. I. The. The. Fair lovers, you are fortunately met: Come, Hippolita. [Exeunt Duke, Hippol. and train. Dem. These things feem fmall and undiftinguishable, Like far-off mountains turned into clouds. Her. Wethinks I fee these things with parted eye, When every thing feems double. Hel So methinks; And I have found Demetrius like a gemell, Dem. It feems to me, That yet we fleep, we dream. Do not you think, Her. Yea, and my father. Hel. And Hippolita. Lyf. And he did bid us follow to the temple. Dem. Why then, we are awake; let's follow him; And, by the way, let us recount our dreams. [Exeunt. SCENE III. As they go out, Bottom wakes. Bot. When my cue comes, call me, and I will anfwer. My next is, Moft fair Pyramus - hey, ho,Peter Quince, Flute the bellows-mender! Snowt the tinker! Starveling! god's my life! ftol'n hence, and left me asleep? I have had a most rare vifion. I had a dream, past the wit of man to fay what dream it was: man is but an afs, if he go about to expound this dream. Methought I was, there is no man can tell what. Methought I was, and methought I had,- But man is but a patch'd fool, if he will offer to fay what methought I had. The eye of man hath not heard, the er of man hath not feen; man's hand is not able to taite, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report what my dream was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of this dream; it shall be called Bottom's Dream, because it hath no bottom; and will fing it in the latter end of the play before the Duke. peradventure, to make it the more gracious, I fhall fing it after death. [Exit. SCENE IV. Changes to the town. Enter Quince, Flute, Snowt, and Starveling. Quin. Have you fent to Bottom's house is he come home yet? Star He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he is transported. Flu. If he come not, then the play is marr'd. It goes not forward, doth it? Quin. It is not poffible; you have not a man in all Athens able to discharge Pyramus but he. Flu No, he hath fimply the beft wit of any handycraft man in Athens. Quin. Yea, and the best person too; and he is a very paramour for a sweet voice. Flu You must say, paragon; a paramour is (God bless us!) a thing of naught. Enter Snug. Snug Mafters, the Duke is coming from the temple, and there is two or three Lords and Ladies more married; if our fport had gone forward, we had all been made men. Flu. O fweet bully Bottom! thus hath he loft fixpence a-day during his life; he could not have 'fcap'd fixpence a-day; an the Duke had not given him fixpence a-day for playing Fyramus, I'll be hang'd: he would have deferv'd it. Sixpence a-day, in Pyramus, or nothing. Enter Bottom. Bot. Where are thefe lads' where are these hearts? Quin. Bottom!-O most courageous day! O most happy hour! Bot. Mafters, I am to difcourfe wonders, but ask me not what for if I tell you, I am no true Athenian. I will tell you every thing as it fell out. Q 2 Quin. Quin. Let us hear, fweet Bottom. Bot. Not a word of me; all I will tell you is, that the Duke hath dined. Get your apparel together, good ftrings to your beards, new ribbons to your pumps; meet prefently at the palace, every man look o'er his part; for the fhort and the long is, our play is preferr'd; in any cafe, let Thisby have clean linen; and let not him that plays the lion pare his nails, for they fhall hang out for the lion's claws; and, most dear actors! eat no onions, nor garlick, for we are to utter fweet breath; and I do not doubt to hear them say, it is a moft fweet comedy. No more words; away; go [Exeunt. away. A C T V. SCENE I. The palace. Enter Thefeus, Hippolita, Egeus, and his Lords. Hip." IS ftrange, my Thefeus, what these lovers fpeak of. The. More ftrange than true. I never may believe These antic fables, nor these fairy toys; Lovers and madmen have fuch feething brains, "One fees more devils than vast hell can hold; "Doth glance from heav'n to earth, from earth to "And, as imagination bodies forth [heav'n; "The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen "Turns them to fhape, and gives to aiery nothing "A local habitation and a name. Such tricks hath ftrong imagination, "That if it would but apprehend fome joy, "It comprehends fome bringer of that joy; Or in the night imagining fome fear, How eafy is a bufh fuppos'd a bear? |