ACT III. THE WOOD. Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling. A The Queen of Fairies lying afleep: RE we all met? Воттом. Quin. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our ftage, this hawthorn-brake our tyring-houfe; and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the duke. Bot. Peter Quince, Quin. What fay'ft 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 anfwer you that? Snout. By'rlakin, a parlous fear. Star. 3 In the time of Shakespeare, there were many companies of players, fometimes five at the fame time, contending for the favour of the publick. Of these fome were undoubtedly very unskilful and very poor, and it is probable that the defign of this fcene was to ridicule their ignorance, and the odd expedients to which they might be driven by the want of proper decorations. Bottom was perhaps the head of a rival houfe, and is therefore honoured with an afs's head. JOHNSON. 4 Enter Quince, &c.] The two quarto's 1600, and the folio, read only, Enter the Clowns. STEEVENS. By'rlakin, a parlous fear.] By our ladykin, or little lady, as ifakins is a corruption of by my faith. Parlous, a word corrupted from perilous, i. e. dangerous. So Phaer and Twyne translate Virg. Æn. 1.7. 302. Quid Syrtes, aut Scylla mihi, quid vafta Charybdis What -Star. 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 feem to fay, we will do no harm with our fwords; and that Pyramus is not kill'd indeed: and, for more better afsurance tell them, that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: This will put them out of fear. Quin. Well, we will have fuch a prologue; and it fhall be written in eight and fix. Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight. Snout. Will not the ladies be afraid of the lion? Bot. Masters, you ought to confider with yourfelves to bring in, God fhield us! a lion among ladies, is a moft dreadful thing: for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to look to it. Snout. Therefore another prologue muft tell, he is not a lion. Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be feen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, faying thus, or to the fame defect;-Ladies, or fair ladies, I would wish you, or, I would request you, or, I would entreat 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 fuch 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 fhall be fo. But there is two hard What good did Scylla me? what could prevail Charybdis wood? Or Sirtes parlous fands? VOL. III. STEEVENS. E things; things; that is, to bring the moon-light into a chamber: for, you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moon-light. Snug. Doth the moon fhine that night we play our play? Bot. A kalendar, a kalendar! look in the almanack; find out moon fhine, find out moon-shine. Quin. Yes, it doth shine that night. Bot. Why then you may leave a cafement of the great chamber window, where we play, open; and the moon may fhine'in at the casement. Quin. Ay; or elfe one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and fay, he comes to disfiguré, or to prefent, the perfon of moon-fhine. Then, there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby, fays the ftory, did talk through the chink of a wall. Snug. You never can bring in a wall.-What fay you, Bottom? Bot. Some man or other muft prefent wall: and let him have fome plaifter, or fome lome, or fome rough-caft, about him, to fignify wall; or let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny fhall Pyramus and Thisby whisper. Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, fit down, every mother's fon, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your fpeech, enter into that brake; and fo every one according to his cue. Enter Puck behind. Pack. What hempen home-fpuns have we fwaggering here, So near the cradle of the fairy queen?. What, a play toward? I'll be an auditor; Quin. Speak, Pyramus:-Thisby, stand forth. Pyr. Pyr. Thisby, the flower of odious favours fweet. Pyr. Odours, favours fweet. So doth thy breath, my dearest Thisby, dear': But bark, a voice! Stay thou but here à whit ;" And, by and by, I will to thee appear. [Exit Pyramus. Puck. A ftranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here ! Thif. Muft I fpeak now? [Afide. Quin. Ay, marry, must you; for you must underftand, he goes but to fee a noise that he heard, and is to come again. Thif. Moft radiant Pyramus, moft lilly white of bue, Of colour like the red rofe on triumphant brier, Moft brifky Juvenal, and eke most lovely Jew, As true as trueft horse, that yet would never tire, I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb. Quin. Ninus' tomb, man: why you must not speak that yet that you answer to Pyramus: you speak all your part at once, cues and all.-Pyramus enter; your cue is paft; it is, never tire. 7 Re-enter Bottom, with an afs head. Thif. O,-As true as trueft horfe, that yet would never tire. So doth thy breath,-] The old copies concur in reading, So hath thy breath, Mr. Pope, I believe, firft made the alteration. STEEVENS. -flay thou but here a whit;] In the old editions, flay thou here a while; The verfes fhould be alternately in rhyme: but feet in the 'clofe of the first line, and while in the third, will not do for this purpose. The author, doubtlefs, gave it, -ftay thou but here a whit; 1. e. a little while: for fo it fignifies, as alfo any thing of no price or confideration; a trifle; in which fenfe it is very frequent with our author. THEOBALD. Pyr. If I were, fair Thisby, I were only thine. Quin. O monstrous! O ftrange! we are haunted. Pray, mafters! fly, mafters! help! [The Clowns exeunt.. Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bufh, through brake, through bryer; Sometime a horfe I'll be, fometime a hound, And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, Re-enter Snout. Snout. O Bottom! thou art chang'd! what do I fee on thee?i Bot. What do you your own; Do you? fee? you fee an ass head of Re-enter Quince Quin. Bless thee, Bottom! blefs thee! thou art tranflated. [Exit. Bot. I fee their knavery: this is to make an afs of me; to fright me if they could. But I will not ftir 8 Through bog, through bush, through brake, through bryer ;] Here are two fyllables wanting. Perhaps, it was written, Through bog, through mire, JOHNSON. -to make me afeard.] Throughout the old copies of this author, the word afraid is always thus fpelt; I fuppofe, according to the vulgar pronunciation. STEEVENS. Afeard is from to fear, by the old form of the language, as ax bungred, from to hunger. So adry, for thirty. JOHNSON. I O Bottom, thou art chang'd! what do I fee on thee ] It is plain by Bottom's answer, that Snout mentioned an afs's head. Therefore we should read, Snout. O Bottom, thou art changed! what do I fee on thee? An afs's head? JOHNSON. from |