By moonshine did these lovers think no scorn To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to woo. This grisly beast, which Lion hight by name, And, as she fled, her mantle she did fall, Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade, He bravely broach'd his boiling bloody breast; And Thisbe, tarrying in mulberry shade, His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest, Let Lion, Moonshine, Wall, and lovers twain, At large discourse, while here they do remain.' [Exeunt Prol., THISBE, PYRAMUS, Lion, and Moonshine The. I wonder, if the lion be to speak. Dem. No wonder, my lord: one lion may, when many asses do. Wall. 'In this same interlude it doth befall, That I, one Snout by name, present a wall; And such a wall, as I would have you think, That had in it a crannied hole, or chink, Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe, Did whisper often very secretly. This lime, this rough-cast, and this stone, doth show That I am that same wall; the truth is so; Dem. It is the wittiest partition that ever I heard discourse, my lord. The. Pyramus draws near the wall: silence! Enter PYRAMUS Pyr. O grim-look'd night! O night with hue so black! O night, which ever art, when day is not! O night! O night! alack, alack, alack! I fear my Thisbe's promise is forgot. And thou, O wall! O sweet, O lovely wall, That stand'st between her father's ground and mine; Thou wall, O wall! O sweet and lovely wall! Show me thy chink to blink through with mine [Wall holds up his fingers. eyne. Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee well for this! But what see I No Thisbe do I see. O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss; The. The wall, methinks, being sensible, should curse again. Pyr. No, in truth, sir, he should not.-Deceiving me,' is Thisbe's cue: she is to enter now, and I am to spy her through the wall. You shall see, it will fall pat as I told you.-Yonder she comes. Enter THISBE This. O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans, For parting my fair Pyramus and me: My cherry lips have often kissed thy stones, Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee.' Pyr. 'I see a voice: now will I to the chink, To spy an I can hear my Thisbe's face. Thisbe !' This. My love! thou art my love, I think.' grace; And like Limander am I trusty still.' This. And I like Helen, till the Fates me kill.' Pyr. 'Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true.' This. I kiss the wall's hole, not your lips at all.' This. "Tide life, 'tide death, I come without delay.' Wall. "Thus have I, Wall, my part discharged so; And, being done, thus Wall away doth go.' [Exeunt Wall, PYRAMUS and THISBE The. Now is the mural down between the two neighbours. Dem. No remedy, my lord, when walls are so wilful to hear without warning. Hip. This is the silliest stuff that e'er I heard. The. The best in this kind are but shadows; and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them. Hip. It must be your imagination then, and not theirs. The. If we imagine no worse of them than they of themselves, they may pass for excellent men. Here come two noble beasts in, a moon and a lion. Enter Lion and Moonshine Lion. You, ladies, you, whose gentle hearts do fear The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor, For, if I should as lion come in strife The. A very gentle beast, and of a good conscience. Dem. The very best at a beast, my lord, that e'er I saw. Lys. This lion is a very fox for his valour. The. True; and a goose for his discretion. Dem. Not so, my lord; for his valour cannot carry his discretion, and the fox carries the goose. The. His discretion, I am sure, cannot carry his valour, for the goose carries not the fox. It is well leave it to his discretion, and let us listen to the moon. Moon. This lantern doth the hornéd moon pre sent.' Dem. He should have worn the horns on his head. |