That is an old device; and it was play'd
When I from Thebes came last a conqueror.
The thrice three Mufes mourning for the death
Of learning, late deceas'd in beggary.
That is fome fatire, keen, and critical,
Not forting with a nuptial ceremony.
A tedious brief fcene of young Pyramus,
And his love Thibe; very tragical mirth.
Merry and tragical? Tedious and brief?
That is, hot ice, and wonderous ftrange fnow.

How fhall we find the concord of this discord?

Philoft. A play there is, my lord, fome ten words long ;

Which is as brief as I have known a play;

But by ten words, my lord, it is too long;
Which makes it tedious: for in all the play
There is not one word apt, one player fitted.
And tragical, my noble lord, it is;
For Pyramus therein doth kill himself.
Which, when I faw rehears'd, I must confefs,
Made mine eyes water; but more merry tears
The paffion 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 nuptial.

The. And we will hear it.

Philoft.

No, my noble lord,

It is not for you: I have heard it over,
And it is nothing, nothing in the world;
Unless you can find sport in their intents,
Extremely stretch'd, and conn'd with cruel pain,
you fervice.

To do

The.

I will hear that play :

For

For never any thing can be amifs,

When fimpleness and duty tender it.

Go, bring them in ;-and take your places, ladies.

[Exit PHILOSTRATE. Hip. I love not to fee wretchedness o'ercharg'd, And duty in his fervice perishing.

The. Why, gentle sweet, you shall fee no fuch thing. Hip. He fays, they can do nothing in this kind.

The. The kinder we, to give them thanks for nothing. Our sport shall be, to take what they mistake:

And what poor duty cannot do,

Noble respect takes it in might, not merit.

Where I have come, great clerks have purposed
To greet me with premeditated welcomes;
Where I have feen them shiver, and look pale,
Make periods in the midst of sentences,
Throttle their practis'd accent in their fears,
And, in conclusion, dumbly have broke off,
Not paying me a welcome: Trust me, sweet,
Out of this filence, yet, I pick'd a welcome;
And in the modesty of fearful duty

I read as much, as from the rattling tongue
Of fawcy and audacious eloquence.

Love, therefore, and tongue-tied fimplicity,
In leaft, fpeak moft, to my capacity.

Enter PHILOSTRATE.

Philoft. So please your grace, the prologue is addreft.

The. Let him approach.

Enter Prologue.

[Flourish of Trumpets.

Prol. If we offend, it is with our good will.
That you should think, we come not to offend,

But

But with good-will. To fhow our simple skill,
That is the true beginning of our end.
Confider then, we come but in defpite.

We do not come, as minding to content you,

Our true intent is.

All for your delight,

We are not here.
The actors are at hand; and, by their show,
You shall know all, that you are like to know.

That you should here repent you,

The. This fellow doth not stand upon points.

Lyf. He hath rid his prologue, like a rough colt; he knows not the ftop. A good moral, my lord: It is not enough to speak, but to speak true.

Hip. Indeed he hath play'd on this prologue, like a child on a recorder; a found, but not in government. The. His fpeech was like a tangled chain; nothing impaired, but all difordered. Who is next?

Enter PYRAMUS, and THISBE, Wall, Moonshine, and Lion, as in dumb show.

Prol. "Gentles, perchance, you wonder at this show; "But wonder on, till truth make all things plain. "This man is Pyramus, if you would know; "This beauteous lady Thisby is, certáin.

"This man, with lime and rough-caft, doth present "Wall, that vile wall which did thefe lovers funder: "And through wall's chink, poor fouls, they are content "To whisper; at the which let no man wonder. "This man, with lantern, dog, and bush of thorn, "Prefenteth moon-fhine: for, if you will know, "By moon-fhine did these lovers think no fcorn "To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to woo. "This grifly beast, which by name lion hight, "The trusty Thisby, coming firft by night, "Did fcare away, or rather did affright:

"And,

"And, as she fled, her mantle she did fall;

"Which lion vile with bloody mouth did stain : "Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth, and tall,

"And finds his trufty Thisby's mantle slain : "Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade, "He bravely broach'd his boiling bloody breast; "And, Thisby tarrying in mulberry shade,

"His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest, “Let lion, moon-fhine, wall, and lovers twain, "At large difcourfe, while here they do remain."

[Exeunt Prol. THISBE, Lion, and Moonshine.

The. I wonder, if the lion be to speak.

Dem. No wonder, my lord: one lion may, when many affes do.

Wall. "In this fame interlude, it doth befall, "That I, one Snout by name, present a wall: "And fuch a wall, as I would have you think, "That had in it a cranny'd hole, or chink,

Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisby, "Did whisper often very secretly.

"This loam, this rough-caft, and this stone, doth show "That I am that fame wall; the truth is fo

"And this the cranny is, right and finister,

:

Through which the fearful lovers are to whisper."

The. Would you defire lime and hair to speak better? Dem. It is the wittiest partition that ever I heard difcourse, my lord.

The. Pyramus draws near the wall: filence!

Enter PYRAMUS.

Pyr.
"O grim-look'd night! O night with hue fo black!
"O night, which ever art, when day is not!

"O night, O night, alack, alačk, alack,
"I fear my Thisby's promise is forgot!-
F

" And

"And thou, O wall, O fweet, O lovely wall, "That stand'st between her father's ground and mine; "Thou wall, O wall, O fweet and lovely wall,

"Show me thy chink, to blink through with mine eyne. [Wall holds up his fingers. "Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee well for this! "But what fee I? No Thisby do I fee.

"O wicked wall, through whom I fee no bliss; "Curft be thy ftones for thus deceiving me!"

The. The wall, methinks, being fenfible, fhould curfe again.

Pyr. No, in truth, fir, he should not. Deceiving me, is Thisby's cue; she is to enter now, and I am to spy her through the wall. You shall fee, it will fall pat as I told you :-Yonder she comes.

Enter THISBE.

Thif. "O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans, "For parting my fair Pyramus and me:

"My cherry lips have often kiss'd thy ftones;

"Thy ftones with lime and hair knit up in thee." Pyr. "I fee a voice: now will I to the chink, "To fpy an I can hear my Thisby's face. "Thisby!"

Thif. "My love! thou art my love, I think."

Pyr. "Think what thou wilt, I am thy lover's grace; "And like Limander am I trusty still."

Thif. "And I like Helen, till the fates me kill."

Pyr. "Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true."

Thif.

"As Shafalus to Procrus, I to you." Pyr. O, kifs me through the hole of this vile wall." Thif. "I kifs the wall's hole, not your lips at all." Pyr. "Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straightway?" Thif." Tide life, tide death, I come without delay."

Wall.