1874Phi. No my noble Lord, it is not for you. I haue heard

1875It ouer, and it is nothing, nothing in the world;

1876Vnlesse you can finde sport in their intents,

1877Extreamely stretcht, and cond with cruell paine,

1878To doe you seruice.

1879Thes. I will heare that play. For neuer any thing

1880Can be amisse, when simplenesse and duty tender it.

1881Goe bring them in, and take your places, Ladies.

1882Hip. I loue not to see wretchednesse orecharged;

1883And duty in his seruice perishing.

1884Thes. Why gentle sweet, you shall see no such thing.

1885Hip. He saies, they can doe nothing in this kinde.

1886Thes. The kinder we, to giue them thanks for nothing

1887Our sport shall be, to take what they mistake;

1888And what poore duty cannot doe, noble respect

1889Takes it in might, not merit.

1890Where I haue come, great Clearkes haue purposed

1891To greete me with premeditated welcomes;

1892Where I haue seene them shiuer and looke pale,

1893Make periods in the midst of sentences,

1894Throttle their practiz'd accent in their feares,

1895And in conclusion, dumbly haue broke off,

1896Not paying me a welcome. Trust me sweete,

1897Out of this silence yet, I pickt a welcome:

1898And in the modesty of fearefull duty,

1899I read as much, as from the ratling tongue

1900Of saucy and audacious eloquence.

1901Loue therefore, and tongue-tide simplicity,

1902In least, speake most, to my capacity.

1903Egeus. So please your Grace, the Prologue is addrest.

1904Duke. Let him approach. Flor. Trum.

1906Pro. If we offend, it is with our good will.

1907That you should thinke, we come not to offend,

1908But with good will. To shew our simple skill,

1909That is the true beginning of our end.

1910Consider then, we come but in despight.

1911We do not come, as minding to content you,

1912Our true intent is. All for your delight,

1913We are not heere. That you should here repent you,

1914The Actors are at hand; and by their show,

1915You shall know all, that you are like to know.

1916Thes. This fellow doth not stand vpon points.

1917Lys. He hath rid his Prologue, like a rough Colt: he

1918knowes not the stop. A good morall my Lord. It is not

1919enough to speake, but to speake true.

1920Hip. Indeed hee hath plaid on his Prologue, like a

1921childe on a Recorder, a sound, but not in gouernment.

1922Thes. His speech was like a tangled chaine: nothing

1923impaired, but all disordered. Who is next?

1926Prol. Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show,

1927But wonder on, till truth make all things plaine.

1928This man is Piramus, if you would know;

1929This beauteous Lady, Thisby is certaine.

1930This man, with lyme and rough-cast, doth present

1931Wall, that vile wall, which did these louers sunder:

1932And through walls chink (poor soules) they are content

1933To whisper. At the which, let no man wonder.

1934This man, with Lanthorne, dog, and bush of thorne,

1935Presenteth moone-shine. For if you will know,

1936By moone-shine did these Louers thinke no scorne

1937To meet at Ninus toombe, there, there to wooe:

1938This grizly beast (which Lyon hight by name)

1939The trusty Thisby, comming first by night,

1940Did scarre away, or rather did affright:

1941And as she fled, her mantle she did fall;

1942Which Lyon vile with bloody mouth did staine.

1943Anon comes Piramus, sweet youth and tall,

1944And findes his Thisbies Mantle slaine;

1945Whereat, with blade, with bloody blamefull blade,

1946He brauely broacht his boiling bloudy breast,

1947And Thisby, tarrying in Mulberry shade,

1948His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest,

1949Let Lyon, Moone-shine, Wall, and Louers twaine,

1950At large discourse, while here they doe remaine.

1952Thes. I wonder if the Lion be to speake.

1953Deme. No wonder, my Lord: one Lion may, when

1954many Asses doe.

1956Wall. In this same Interlude, it doth befall,

1957That I, one Snowt (by name) present a wall:

1958And such a wall, as I vvould haue you thinke,

1959That had in it a crannied hole or chinke:

1960Through which the Louers, Piramus and Thisbie

1961Did whisper often, very secretly.

1962This loame, this rough-cast, and this stone doth shew,

1963That I am that same Wall; the truth is so.

1964And this the cranny is, right and sinister,

1965Through which the fearefull Louers are to whisper.

1966Thes. Would you desire Lime and Haire to speake

1967better?

1968Deme. It is the vvittiest partition, that euer I heard

1969discourse, my Lord.

1970Thes. Pyramus drawes neere the Wall, silence.

1972Pir. O grim lookt night, ô night with hue so blacke,

1973O night, which euer art, when day is not:

1974O night, ô night, alacke, alacke, alacke,

1975I feare my Thisbies promise is forgot.

1976And thou ô vvall, thou sweet and louely vvall,

1977That stands between her fathers ground and mine,

1978Thou vvall, ô vvall, o sweet and louely vvall,

1979Shew me thy chinke, to blinke through vvith mine eine.

1980Thankes courteous vvall. Ioue shield thee vvell for this.

1981But vvhat see I? No Thisbie doe I see.

1982O vvicked vvall, through vvhom I see no blisse,

1983Curst be thy stones for thus deceiuing mee.

1984Thes. The vvall me-thinkes being sensible, should

1985curse againe.

1986Pir. No in truth sir, he should not. Deceiuing me,

1987Is Thisbies cue; she is to enter, and I am to spy

1988Her through the vvall. You shall see it vvill fall.

1990Pat as I told you; yonder she comes.

1991This. O vvall, full often hast thou heard my mones,

1992For parting my faire Piramus, and me.

1993My cherry lips haue often kist thy stones;

1994Thy stones vvith Lime and Haire knit vp in thee.

1995Pyra. I see a voyce; now vvill I to the chinke,

1996To spy and I can heare my Thisbies face. Thisbie?

1997This. My Loue thou art, my Loue I thinke.

1998Pir. Thinke vvhat thou vvilt, I am thy Louers grace,

1999And like Limander am I trusty still.

2000This. And like Helen till the Fates me kill.

2001Pir. Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true.

2002This. As Shafalus to Procrus, I to you.