Quin. That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and you may speak as small as you will. Bot. An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too, I'll speak in a monstrous little voice, 'Thisne, Thisne;' 'Ah Pyramus, my lover dear! thy Thisby dear, and lady dear!' Quin. No, no; you must play Pyramus: and, Flute, you Thisby. Bot. Well, proceed. Quin. Robin Starveling, the tailor. Star. Here, Peter Quince. 50 Quin. Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby's mother. Tom Snout, the tinker. Snout. Here, Peter Quince. Quin. You, Pyramus' father: myself, Thisby's father. Snug, the joiner; you, the lion's part: and, I hope, here is a play fitted. Snug. Have you the lion's part written? pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study. 61 Quin. You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring. Bot. Let me play the lion too: I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me; I will roar, that I will make the duke say 'Let him roar again, let him roar again.' Quin. An you should do it too terribly, you would fright the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek; and that were enough to hang us all. All. That would hang us, every mother's son. 70 Bot. I grant you, friends, if that you should fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more discretion but to hang us: but I will aggravate my voice so, that I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar you an 'twere any nightingale. Quin. You can play no part but Pyramus; for Pyramus is a sweet-faced man; a proper man, as one shall see in a summer's day; a most lovely gentleman-like man: therefore you must needs play Pyramus. 80 Bot. Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best to play it in? Quin. Why, what you will. Bot. I will discharge it in either your straw-colour beard, your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-grain beard, or your French-crown-colour beard, your perfect yellow. Quin. Some of your French crowns have no hair at all, and then you will play barefaced. But, masters, here are your parts and I am to entreat you, request you and desire you, to con them by to-morrow night; and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the town, by moonlight; there will we rehearse, for if we meet in the city, we shall be dogged with company, and our devices known. In the meantime I will draw a bill of properties, such as our play wants. I pray you, fail me not. 95 Bot. We will meet; and there we may rehearse most obscenely and courageously. Take pains; be perfect: adieu. Quin. At the duke's oak we meet. Bot. Enough; hold or cut bow-strings. [Exeunt. ACT II. SCENE I. A wood near Athens. Enter, from opposite sides, a FAIRY, and PUCK. Puck. How now, spirit! whither wander you? Fai. Over hill, over dale, Thorough bush, thorough brier, Over park, over pale, Thorough flood, thorough fire, I do wander every where, And I serve the fairy queen, Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone : Puck. The king doth keep his revels here to-night: Because that she as her attendant hath Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy: But they do square, that all their elves for fear Fai. Either I mistake your shape and making quite, Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite Call'd Robin Goodfellow: are not you he And bootless make the breathless housewife churn; Puck. Thou speak'st aright; I am that merry wanderer of the night. 30 40 I jest to Oberon and make him smile And when she drinks, against her lips I bob And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh, A merrier hour was never wasted there. But, room, fairy! here comes Oberon. 50 Fai. And here my mistress. Would that he were gone! Enter, from one side, OBERON, with his train; from the other, TITANIA, with hers. Obe. Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania. Tita. What, jealous Oberon! Fairies, skip hence: I have forsworn his bed and company. Obe. Tarry, rash "wanton: am not I thy lord? Tita. Then I must be thy lady: but I know To give their bed joy and prosperity. Obe. How canst thou thus for shame, Titania, Glance at my credit with Hippolyta, Knowing I know thy love to Theseus ? Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night 60 70 From Perigenia, whom he ravished? And make him with fair Ægle break his faith, Tita. These are the forgeries of jealousy: To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind, But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport. By their increase, now knows not which is which: |