Her filver vifage in the wat'ry glass,

Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grafs,
(A time that lovers' flights doth still conceal,)
Through Athens' gates have we devis'd to steal.
Her. And in the wood, where often you and I
Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie,
Emptying our bofoms of their counsel sweet;
There my Lyfander and myself shall meet :
And thence, from Athens, turn away our eyes,
To feek new friends and stranger companies.
Farewel, fweet playfellow; pray thou for us,
And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius !-
Keep word, Lyfander: we must starve our fight
From lovers' food, till morrow deep midnight.

[Exit HERM.
Lyf. I will, my Hermia.-Helena, adieu :
As you on him, Demetrius dote on you! [Exit Lys.
Hel. How happy fome, o'er other fome, can be!
Through Athens I am thought as fair as she.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not fo;
He will not know what all but he do know,
And as he errs, doting on Hermia's eyes,
So I, admiring of his qualities.

Things bafe and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can transpose to form and dignity.

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind :
Nor hath love's mind of any judgement taste;
Wings, and no eyes, figure unheedy haite:
And therefore is love faid to be a child,
Because in choice he is fo oft beguil'd.
As waggish boys in game themfelves forfwear,
So the boy love is perjur'd every where :

For

For ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne,
He hail'd down oaths, that he was only mine;
And when this hail fome heat from Hermia felt,
So he diffolv'd, and showers of oaths did melt.
I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight:
Then to the wood will he, to-morrow night,
Purfue her; and for this intelligence
If I have thanks, it is a dear expence :
But herein mean I to enrich my pain,
To have his fight thither, and back again.

[Exit.

SCENE II.

The fame. A Room in a Cottage.

Enter SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, QUINCE, and STARVELING.

Quin. Is all our company here?

Bot. You were beft to call them generally, man by man, according to the fcrip.

Quin. Here is the fcroll of every man's name, which is. thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude before the duke and duchefs, on his wedding-day at night.

Bot. First, good Peter Quince, fay what the play treats on; then read the names of the actors; and fo grow to a point.

Quin. Marry, our play is-The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby.

Bot. A very good piece of work, I affure you, and a merry.-Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the fcroll: Mafters, spread yourselves.

3

Quin.

Quin. Anfwer, as I call you.-Nick Bottom, the wea

ver.

Bot. Ready: Name what part I am for, and proceed. Quin. You, Nick Bottom, are fet down for Pyramus. Bot. What is Pyramus? a lover, or a tyrant?

Quin. A lover, that kills himself most gallantly for love.

:

Bot. That will ask fome tears in the true performing of it If I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will move ftorms, I will condole in fome meafure. To the reft:-Yet my chief humour is for a tyrant: I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, to make all split.

"The raging rocks,
"With shivering shocks,
"Shall break the locks
"Of prison-gates :

"And Phibbus' car

"Shall fhine from far,

"And make and mar

"The foolish fates."

This was lofty!-Now name the reft of the players.→ This is Ercles' vein, a tyrant's vein; a lover is more condoling.

Quin. Francis Flute, the bellows-mender.

Flu. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. You must take Thisby on you.

Flu. What is Thisby? a wandering knight?

Quin. It is the lady that Pyramus must love.

Flu. Nay, faith, let me not play a woman; I have a beard coming.

Quin. That's all one; you shall play it in a mask, and you may speak as small as you will.

Bot.

Bot. An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too: I'll speak in a monstrous little voice;—Thifne, Thisne,— Ab, 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.

Quin. Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby's mother. Tom Snout, the tinker.

Snout. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. You, Pyramus's father; myfelf, 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 flow of study,

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 fay, Let him roar again, let him roar again.

Quin. An you should do it too terribly, you would fright the duchefs and the ladies, that they would shriek ; and that were enough to hang us all.

All. That would hang us every mother's fon.

Bot. I grant you, friends, if that you thould fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more difcretion but to hang us: but I will aggravate my voice fo, that I will roar you as gently as any fucking 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

fummer's

fummer's day; a most lovely, gentleman-like man ; there. fore you must needs play Pyramus.

Bot. Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best to play it in?

Quin. Why, what you will.

Bot. I will difcharge it in either your ftraw-coloured 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 bare-faced.-But, mafters, here are your parts and I am to entreat you, request you, and defire you, to con them by to-morrow night; and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the town, by moon-light; there will we rehearse: for if we meet in the city, we shall be dog'd with company, and our devices known. In the mean time, I will draw a bill of properties, fuch as our play wants. I pray you, fail me not.

Bot. We will meet; and there we may rehearse more obscenely, and courageously. Take pains; be perfect; adieu.

Quin. At the duke's oak we meet.

Bot. Enough; Hold, or cut bow-ftrings.

[Exeunt.

ACT