VSCENE changes to the Town,mby Quin. HAVE you fent to Bottom's house ? is he come home yet ollut an bid in b Star. He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt, he is tranfported.st 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 difcharge Pyramus, but he. Flu. No, he hath fimply the beft wit of any handycraft man in Athens. Quin. Yea, and the best perfon too; and he is a very paramour for a fweet voice. Flu. You mult fay, paragon; (22) a paramour is (God bless us!) a thing of naught. Enter Snug. Snug Masters, the Duke is coming from the temple, and there is two or three lords and ladies more married; if our sport had gone forward, we had all been made men, 193 bs Flu. Ofweet bully Bottom! thus hath he loft fixpence a-day during his life; he could not have 'fcap'd fix-pence a-day; an the Duke had not given him fixpence a day for playing Pyramus, I'll be hang'd: he would have deferv'd it. Six-pence a-day, in Pyramus, or nothing. Enter Bottom. Bot. Where are thefe lads where are thefe hearts? 'ter & which the wife Editors not understanding, concluded, two Words were erroneoufly got together; fo, fplitting them, and clapping in an b, produced the prefent Readingat her, (22) 4 Paramour is (God bless us!) a thing of Nought. This is a Reading, I am fure, of Nought. My Change of a fingle Letter gives a very important Change to the Humour of the Paffage.. A Thing of naught, means, a naughty Thing, little better than downright Bawdry. Quin G 3 Quin. Bottom! moft courageous day! O mont happy hour! O Bot. Masters, 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. Quin. Let us hear, sweet Bottom. Bot. Not a word of me; all I will tell you is, that the Duke hath dined. Get your apparel together, good frings 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 fay, it is a moft fweet comedy. No more words; away; go away. [Exeunt. Enter Thefeus, Hippolita, Egeus, and his Lords IS ftrange, niy Thefeus, what thefe lovers speak of. 'T' These antick fables, nor thefe fairy toys; Lovers and madmen have fuch feething brains, The lunatick, the lover, and the poet, I SULLAIN SAW Are of imagination all compact's One fees more devils than vaft hell can hold; The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rowling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heav'n g And And, as imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Such tricks hath ftrong imagination, Hip. But all the ftory of the night told over, And grows to fomething of great conftancy; Enter Lyfander, Demetrius, Hermia and Helena. The. Here come the lovers, full of joy and mirth. Joy gentle friends; joy and fresh days of love Accompany your hearts. Ly. More than to us, Wait on your royal walks, your board, your bed. The. Come now, what masks, what dances fhall we have, To wear away this long age of three hours, Between our after-fupper and bed-time? Where is our ufual manager of mirth? What revels are in hand? is there no play, To eafe the anguifh of a torturing hour? Call Philoftrate. Enter Philoftrates Philoft. Here, mighty Thefeus. 1 The. Say, what abridgment have you for this evening? What mafque what mufick? how fhall we beguile The lazy time, if not with fome delight? ? Philof. There is a brief, how many fports are ripe : Make choice of which your Highness will fee firft. [Giving a Paper. The. reads.] The battle with the Centaurs, to be Jung By an Athenian eunuch to the harp. We'll We'll none of that. That I have told my love, The riot of the tipy Bacchanals, Tearing the Thracian finger in their rage, sunli The thrice three Mufes mourning for the death. AN That is fome fatire, keen and critical ; For Pyramus therein doth kill himself, Which, when I faw rehears'd, I must confefs, Made mine eyes water; but more merry tears asi ni The paflion of loud laughter never shed. The. What are they, that do play it? Philoft. Hard-handed men, that work in Athens here, Which never labour'd in their minds 'till now, And now have toil'd their unbreath'd memories With this fame play against your nuptials. Philoft. No, my noble lord, 7. It is not for you. I have heard it over The. I will hear that play: -For never any thing can be amifs, ود When When fimplenels and duty tender it. 34.00 [Exit. Phil. Hip. I love not to fee wretchednefs o'ercharg'd, And duty in his fervice perifhing. 951V9 The. Why, gentle fweet, you fhall fee no fuch thing. I read as much, as from the rattling tongue Love therefore, and tongue-ty'd fimplicity, My Enter Philoftrate. Philoft. So please your Grace, the prologue is addreft. [Flour, Trum The. Let him approach. Enter Quince, for the prologue. ith our good will. offend, That you fhould think, we come not to (22) And what poor duty cannot do, noble Respect t Takes it in Might, not Merit.] What Ears have these poetical Editors, to palm this firft Line upon us as a Verfe of Shakespear? 'Tis certain, an Epithet had flips out, and I have ventur'd to tefore fuch a one as the Senfe may difpenfe with; and which makes the two Verfes flowing and perfect. G S Confider |