he is often beguil'd,As waggish boyes in game themselues forsweare; So the boy Loue is periur'd euery where.
For ere Demetrius lookt on Hermias eyne,
He hail'd downe oathes that he was onely mine. And when this Haile some heat from Hermia felt, So he dissolu'd, and showres of oathes did melt,
I will goe tell him of faire Hermias flight: Then to the wood will he, to morrow night Pursue her; and for his intelligence,
If I haue thankes, it is a deere expence:
5
But heerein meane I to enrich my paine,
To haue his sight thither, and backe againe. Enter.
Enter Quince the Carpenter, Snug the Ioyner, Bottome the Weauer, Flute the bellowes-mender, Snout the Tinker, and Starueling the
Taylor.
Quin. Is all our company heere?
Bot. You were best to call them generally, man by man according to the scrip
Qui. Here is the scrowle of euery mans name, which is thought fit through all Athens, to play in our Enterlude before the Duke and
the Dutches, on his wedding day at night
Bot. First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on: then read the names of the Actors: and so grow on to a point
Quin. Marry our play is the most lamentable comedy, and most cruell death of Pyramus and Thisbie
Bot. A very good peece of worke I assure you, and a merry. Now good Peter Quince, call forth your Actors by the scrowle. Masters
spread your selues
Quince. Answere as I call you. Nick Bottome the
Weauer
Bottome. Ready; name what part I am for, and proceed
Quince. You Nicke Bottome are set downe for Pyramus
Bot. What is Pyramus, a louer, or a tyrant?
Quin. A Louer that kills himselfe most gallantly for
loue
Bot. That will aske some teares in the true performing of it: if I do it, let the audience looke to their eies: I will mooue stormes; I will condole in some measure. To the rest yet, my chiefe humour is for a tyrant. I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to teare a Cat in, to make all split the raging Rocks; and shiuering shocks shall break the locks of prison gates, and Phibbus carre shall shine from farre, and make and marre the foolish Fates. This was lofty. Now name the rest of the Players. This is Ercles vaine, a tyrants vaine: a louer
is more condoling
Quin. Francis Flute the Bellowes-mender
Flu. Heere Peter Quince
Quin. You must take Thisbie on you
Flut. What is Thisbie, a wandring Knight?
Quin. It is the Lady that Pyramus must loue
Flut. Nay faith, let not mee play a woman, I haue a beard comming
Qui. That's all one, you shall play it in a Maske, and
you may speake as small as you will
Bot. And I may hide my face, let me play Thisbie too: Ile speake in a monstrous little voyce; Thisne, Thisne, ah Pyramus my louer deare, thy Thisbie deare, and Lady deare
Quin. No no, you must play Pyramus, and Flute, you
Thisby
Bot. Well, proceed
Qu. Robin Starueling the Taylor
Star. Heere Peter Quince
6
Quince. Robin Starueling, you must play Thisbies
mother?
Tom Snowt, the Tinker
Snowt. Heere Peter Quince
Quin. you, Pyramus father; my self, Thisbies father; Snugge the Ioyner, you the Lyons part: and I hope there is a play fitted
Snug. Haue you the Lions part written? pray you if be, giue it me, for I am slow of studie
Quin. You may doe it extemporie, for it is nothing
but roaring
Bot. Let mee play the Lyon too, I will roare that I will doe any mans heart good to heare me. I will roare, that I will make the Duke say, Let him roare againe, let him roare againe
Quin. If you should do it too terribly, you would fright the Dutchesse and the Ladies, that they would shrike, and that were enough
to hang us all
All. That would hang vs euery mothers sonne
Bottome. I graunt you friends, if that you should fright the Ladies out of their Wittes, they would haue no more discretion but to hang vs: but I will aggrauate my voyce so, that I will roare you as gently as any sucking Doue; I will roare and 'twere any Nightingale
Quin. You can play no part but Piramus, for Piramus is a sweet-fac'd man, a proper man as one shall see in a summers day; a most
louely Gentleman-like man, therfore you must needs play Piramus
Bot. Well, I will vndertake 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 tawnie beard, your purple in graine beard, or your French-crowne colour'd beard, your perfect yellow
Quin. Some of your French Crownes haue no haire at all, and then you will play bare-fac'd. But masters here are your parts, and I am to intreat you, request you, and desire you, to con them by too morrow night: and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the Towne, by Moonelight, there we will rehearse: for if we meete in the Citie, we shalbe dog'd with company, and our deuises knowne. In the meane time, I wil draw a bil of properties, such as our play wants. I pray you faile me not
Bottom. We will meete, and there we may rehearse more obscenely and couragiously. Take paines, be perfect, adieu
Quin. At the Dukes oake we meete Bot. Enough, hold or cut bow-strings. Exeunt.
Actus Secundus.
Enter a Fairie at one dore, and Robin goodfellow at another.
Rob. How now spirit, whether wander you?
Fai. Ouer hil, ouer dale, through bush, through briar,
Ouer parke, ouer pale, through flood, through fire,
I do wander euerie where, swifter then y Moons sphere;
