SCENE Continues.
Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout and Starveling.
The Queen of Fairies lying asleep.
Bot. Are we all met?
Quin. Pat, pat! and here's a marvellous convenient place for our
rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our
tyring house, and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the
Duke.
Bot. Peter Quince.
Quin. What say'st thou, Bully Bottom?
Bot. There are things in this Comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that
will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself,
which the Ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?
Snout. By'rlaken, a parlous fear!
Starv. I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.
Bot. Not a whit; I have a device to make all well; write me a
prologue, and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with
our swords, and that Pyramus is not kill'd indeed; and for more better
assurance tell them, that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the
weaver: this will put them out of fear.
Quin. Well, we will have such a prologue, and it shall be written in
eight and six.
Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.
Snout. Will not the Ladies be afraid of the Lion?
Starv. I fear it, I promise you.
Bot. Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves; to bring in,
heaven shield us! a Lion among Ladies, is a most dreadful thing; for
there is not a more fearful wildfowl than your Lion, living; and we
ought to look to it.
Snout. Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a Lion.
Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen
through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, saying
thus, or to the same defect: Ladies, or fair Ladies, I would wish you,
or I would request you, or I would intreat you, not to fear, not to
tremble; my life for yours; if you think I come hither as a lion, it
were pity of my life; no, I am no such thing; I am a man as other men
are; and there indeed let him name his name, and tell them plainly, He
is Snug the Joiner.
Quin. Well, it shall be so; but there is two hard things, that
is, to bring the moon-light into a chamber; for you know Pyramus and
Thisby met by moon-light.
Snug. Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?
Bot. A kalendar, a kalendar! look into the almanack; find out
moon-shine, find out moon-shine.
Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night.
Bot. Why then may you leave a casement of the great chamber window,
where we play, open, and the moon may shine in at the casement.
Quin. Ay, or else one must come in with a bush of throns and a
lanthern; and say he comes to disfigure or to present the person of
moon-shine. Then there is another thing; we must have a wall in
the great chamber, for Pyramus and Thisby (says the story) did talk
through the chink of a wall.
Snug. You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?
Bot. Some man or other must present wall; and let him have some
plaster, or some loome, or some rough-cast, about him, to signify
wall: Or let him hold his fingers thus, and through the cranny shall
Pyramus and Thisby whisper.
Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down every
mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin; and when
you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake, and so every one
according to his cue.
Enter Puck.
Puck. What hempen homespuns have we swaggering
here, so near the cradle of the Fairy Queen?
What, a play tow'rd; I'll be an auditor;
An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause.
Quin. Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth.
Pyr. Thisby, the flower of odious savours sweet.
Quin. Odours, odours.
Pyr. Odours savours sweet;
So doth thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear:
But hark, a voice! Stay thou but here a while,
And by-and-by I will to thee appear,
Puck. A stranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here!
[Aside.
Now for a storm to drive these patches hence.
[He waves his wand.] Thunder and Lightning.
Quin. O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted:
Pray masters, fly masters, help!
[Exeunt Clowns.
Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round,
Thro' bog, thro' bush, thro' brake, thro' briar;
Sometimes a horse I'll be, sometimes a hound,
A hog, a headless bear, sometimes a fire,
And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.
[Exit.
Enter Bottom.
Bot. Why do they let a little thunder frighten them away? But I will
not stir from this place, do what they can: I will walk up and down
here, and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid.
[Sings.