1747Quin. Haue you sent to Bottomes house? Is he come

1748home yet?

1749Staru. He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt hee is

1750transported.

1751This. If he come not, then the play is mar'd. It goes

1752not forward, doth it?

1753Quin. It is not possible: you haue not a man in all

1754Athens, able to discharge Piramus but he.

1755This. No, hee hath simply the best wit of any handy-

1756craft man in Athens.

1757Quin. Yea, and the best person too, and hee is a very

1758Paramour, for a sweet voyce.

1759This. You must say, Paragon. A Paramour is (God

1760blesse vs) a thing of nought.

1762Snug. Masters, the Duke is comming from the Tem-

1763ple, and there is two or three Lords & Ladies more mar-

1764ried. If our sport had gone forward, we had all bin made

1765men.

1766This. O sweet bully Bottome: thus hath he lost sixe-

1767pence a day, during his life; he could not haue scaped six-

1768pence a day. And the Duke had not giuen him sixpence

1769a day for playing Piramus, Ile be hang'd. He would haue

1770deserued it. Sixpence a day in Piramus, or nothing.

1772Bot. Where are these Lads? Where are these hearts?

1773Quin. Bottome, ô most couragious day! O most hap-

1774pie houre!

1775Bot. Masters, I am to discourse wonders; but ask me

1776not what. For if I tell you, I am no true Athenian. I

1777will tell you euery thing as it fell out.

1778Qu. Let vs heare, sweet Bottome.

1779Bot. Not a word of me: all that I will tell you, is, that

1780the Duke hath dined. Get your apparell together, good

1781strings to your beards, new ribbands to your pumps,

1782meete presently at the Palace, euery man looke ore his

1783part: for the short and the long is, our play is preferred:

1784In any case let Thisby haue cleane linnen: and let not him

1785that playes the Lion, paire his nailes, for they shall hang

1786out for the Lions clawes. And most deare Actors, eate

1787no Onions, nor Garlicke; for wee are to vtter sweete

1788breath, and I doe not doubt but to heare them say, it is a

1789sweet Comedy. No more words: away, go away.