Internet Shakespeare Editions

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Suzanne Westfall
Not Peer Reviewed

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Quarto 1, 1600)

A Midsommer nightes dreame.
A Lyon fell, nor else no Lyons damme.
For, if I should, as Lyon, come in strife,
Into this place, 'twere pitty on my life.
2030Duk. A very gentle beast, and of a good conscience.
Deme. The very best at a beast, my Lord, that ere I saw.
Lys. This Lyon is a very fox, for his valour.
Duk. True: and a goose for his discretion.
De. Not so my Lord. For his valour cannot carry his dis-
2035cretion: and the fox carries the goose.
Duk. His discretion, I am sure, cannot carry his valour.
For the goose carries not the fox. It is well: leaue it to his
discretion, and let vs listen to the Moone.
Moone. This lanthorne doth the horned moone present.
Deme. He should haue worne the hornes, on his head.
Duk. He is no crescent, and his hornes are inuisible, with-
in the circumference.
Moone. This lanthorne doth the horned moone present,
2045My selfe, the man ith Moone, doe seeme to be.
Duke. This is the greatest errour of all the rest; the man
should be put into the lanthorne. How is it else the man ith
Moone?
Deme. He dares not come there, for the candle. For,
2050you see, it is already in snuffe.
Dutch. I am aweary of this Moone. Would hee woulde change.
Duke. It appeares, by his small light of discretion, that
hee is in the wane: but yet in curtesie, in all reason, wee
2055must stay the time.
Lysan. Proceede, Moone.
Moon. All that I haue to say, is to tell you, that the lan-
thorne is the Moone, I the man ith Moone, this thorne bush
my thorne bush, and this dogge my dogge.
2060Deme. Why? All these should be in the lanthorne: for all
these are in the Moone. But silence: here comes Thisby.
Enter Thisby. Th. This is ould Ninies tumbe. Where is my loue? Lyon.Oh.
Demetrius