1793Hip. 'Tis strange my Theseus, y^t these louers speake of.

1794The. More strange then true. I neuer may beleeue

1795These anticke fables, nor these Fairy toyes,

1796Louers and mad men haue such seething braines,

1797Such shaping phantasies, that apprehend more

1798Then coole reason euer comprehends.

1799The Lunaticke, the Louer, and the Poet,

1800Are of imagination all compact.

1801One sees more diuels then vaste hell can hold;

1802That is the mad man. The Louer, all as franticke,

1803Sees Helens beauty in a brow of Egipt.

1804The Poets eye in a fine frenzy rolling, doth glance

1805From heauen to earth, from earth to heauen.

1806And as imagination bodies forth the forms of things

1807Vnknowne; the Poets pen turnes them to shapes,

1808And giues to aire nothing, a locall habitation,

1809And a name. Such tricks hath strong imagination,

1810That if it would but apprehend some ioy,

1811It comprehends some bringer of that ioy.

1812Or in the night, imagining some feare,

1813Howe easie is a bush suppos'd a Beare?

1814Hip. But all the storie of the night told ouer,

1815And all their minds transfigur'd so together,

1816More witnesseth than fancies images,

1817And growes to something of great constancie;

1818But howsoeuer, strange, and admirable.

1821The. Heere come the louers, full of ioy and mirth:

1822Ioy, gentle friends, ioy and fresh dayes

1823Of loue accompany your hearts.

1824Lys. More then to vs, waite in your royall walkes,

1825your boord, your bed.

1826The. Come now, what maskes, what dances shall

1827we haue,

1828To weare away this long age of three houres,

1829Between our after supper, and bed-time?

1830Where is our vsuall manager of mirth?

1831What Reuels are in hand? Is there no play,

1832To ease the anguish of a torturing houre?

1833Call Egeus.

1834Ege. Heere mighty Theseus.

1835The. Say, what abridgement haue you for this eue-

1836ning?

1837What maske? What musicke? How shall we beguile

1838The lazie time, if not with some delight?

1839Ege. There is a breefe how many sports are rife:

1840Make choise of which your Highnesse will see first.

1841Lis. The battell with the Centaurs to be sung

1842By an Athenian Eunuch, to the Harpe.

1843The. Wee'l none of that. That haue I told my Loue

1844In glory of my kinsman Hercules.

1845Lis. The riot of the tipsie Bachanals,

1846Tearing the Thracian singer, in their rage?

1847The. That is an old deuice, and it was plaid

1848When I from Thebes came last a Conqueror.

1849Lis. The thrice three Muses, mourning for the death

1850of learning, late deceast in beggerie.

1851The. That is some Satire keene and criticall,

1852Not sorting with a nuptiall ceremonie.

1853Lis. A tedious breefe Scene of yong Piramus,

1854And his loue Thisby; very tragicall mirth.

1855The. Merry and tragicall? Tedious, and briefe? That

1856is, hot ice, and wondrous strange snow. How shall wee

1857finde the concord of this discord?

1858Ege. A play there is, my Lord, some ten words long,

1859Which is as breefe, as I haue knowne a play;

1860But by ten words, my Lord, it is too long;

1861Which makes it tedious. For in all the play,

1862There is not one word apt, one Player fitted.

1863And tragicall my noble Lord it is: for Piramus

1864Therein doth kill himselfe. Which when I saw

1865Rehearst, I must confesse, made mine eyes water:

1866But more merrie teares, the passion of loud laughter

1867Neuer shed.

1868Thes. What are they that do play it?

1869Ege. Hard handed men, that worke in Athens heere,

1870Which neuer labour'd in their mindes till now;

1871And now haue toyled their vnbreathed memories

1872With this same play, against your nuptiall.

1873The. And we will heare it.

O2 Phil.

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.

2003Pir. O kisse me through the hole of this vile wall.

2004This. I kisse the wals hole, not your lips at all.

2005Pir. Wilt thou at Ninnies tombe meete me straight

2006way?

2007This. Tide life, tide death, I come without delay.

2008Wall. Thus haue I Wall, my part discharged so;

2009And being done, thus Wall away doth go. Exit Clow.

2010Du. Now is the morall downe between the two

2011Neighbors.

2012Dem. No remedie my Lord, when Wals are so wil-

2013full, to heare without vvarning.

2014Dut. This is the silliest stuffe that ere I heard.

2015Du. The best in this kind are but shadowes, and the

2016worst are no worse, if imagination amend them.

2017Dut. It must be your imagination then, & not theirs.

2018Duk. If wee imagine no worse of them then they of

2019themselues, they may passe for excellent men. Here com

2020two noble beasts, in a man and a Lion.

2022Lyon. You Ladies, you (whose gentle harts do feare

2023The smallest monstrous mouse that creepes on floore)

2024May now perchance, both quake and tremble heere,

2025When Lion rough in wildest rage doth roare.

2026Then know that I, one Snug the Ioyner am

2027A Lion fell, nor else no Lions dam:

2028For if I should as Lion come in strife

2029Into this place, 'twere pittie of my life.

2030Du. A verie gentle beast, and of good conscience.

2031Dem. The verie best at a beast, my Lord, y^t ere I saw.

2032Lis. This Lion is a verie Fox for his valor.

2033Du. True, and a Goose for his discretion.

2034Dem. Not so my Lord: for his valor cannot carrie

2035his discretion, and the Fox carries the Goose.

2036Du. His discretion I am sure cannot carrie his valor:

2037for the Goose carries not the Fox. It is well; leaue it to

2038his discretion, and let vs hearken to the Moone.

2039Moone. This Lanthorne doth the horned Moone pre-

2040sent.

2041De. He should haue worne the hornes on his head.

2042Du. Hee is no crescent, and his hornes are inuisible,

2043within the circumference.

2044Moon. This lanthorne doth the horned Moone pre-

2045sent: My selfe, the man i'th Moone doth seeme to be.

2046Du. This is the greatest error of all the rest; the man

2047Should be put into the Lanthorne. How is it els the man

2048i'th Moone?

2049Dem. He dares not come there for the candle.

2050For you see, it is already in snuffe.

2051Dut. I am vvearie of this Moone; vvould he would

2052change.

2053Du. It appeares by his smal light of discretion, that

2054he is in the wane: but yet in courtesie, in all reason, vve

2055must stay the time.

2056Lys. Proceed Moone.

2057Moon. All that I haue to say, is to tell you, that the

2058Lanthorne is the Moone; I, the man in the Moone; this

2059thorne bush, my thorne bush; and this dog, my dog.

2060Dem. Why all these should be in the Lanthorne: for

2061they are in the Moone. But silence, heere comes Thisby.

2063This. This is old Ninnies tombe: where is my loue?

2064Lyon. Oh.

2066Dem. Well roar'd Lion.

2067Du. Well run Thisby.

2068Dut. Well shone Moone.

2069Truly the Moone shines with a good grace.

2070Du. Wel mouz'd Lion.

2071Dem. And then came Piramus.

2072Lys. And so the Lion vanisht.

2074Pyr. Sweet Moone, I thank thee for thy sunny beames,

2075I thanke thee Moone, for shining now so bright:

2076For by thy gracious, golden, glittering beames,

2077I trust to taste of truest Thisbies sight.

2078But stay: O spight! but marke, poore Knight,

2079What dreadful dole is heere?

2080Eyes do you see! How can it be!

2081O dainty Ducke: O Deere!

2082Thy mantle good; what staind with blood!

2083Approch you Furies fell:

2084O Fates! come, come: Cut thred and thrum,

2085Quaile, crush, conclude, and quell.

2086Du. This passion, and the death of a deare friend,

2087Would go neere to make a man looke sad.

2088Dut. Beshrew my heart, but I pittie the man.

2089Pir. O wherefore Nature, did'st thou Lions frame?

2090Since Lion vilde hath heere deflour'd my deere:

2091Which is: no, no, which was the fairest Dame

2092That liu'd, that lou'd, that lik'd, that look'd with cheere.

2093Come teares, confound: Out sword, and wound

2094The pap of Piramus:

2095I, that left pap, where heart doth hop;

2096Thus dye I, thus, thus, thus.

2097Now am I dead, now am I fled, my soule is in the sky,

2098Tongue lose thy light, Moone take thy flight,

2099Now dye, dye, dye, dye, dye.

2100Dem. No Die, but an ace for him; for he is but one.

2101Lis. Lesse then an ace man. For he is dead, he is no-

2102thing.

2103Du. With the helpe of a Surgeon, he might yet reco-

2104uer, and proue an Asse.

2105Dut. How chance Moone-shine is gone before?

2106Thisby comes backe, and findes her Louer.

2108Duke. She wil finde him by starre-light.

2109Heere she comes, and her passion ends the play.

2110Dut. Me thinkes shee should not vse a long one for

2111such a Piramus: I hope she will be breefe.

2112Dem. A Moth wil turne the ballance, which Piramus

2113which Thisby is the better.

2114Lys. She hath spyed him already, with those sweete (eyes.

2115Dem. And thus she meanes, videlicit.

2116This. Asleepe my Loue? What, dead my Doue?

2117O Piramus arise:

2118Speake, Speake. Quite dumbe? Dead, dead? A tombe

2119Must couer thy sweet eyes.

2120These Lilly Lips, this cherry nose,

2121These yellow Cowslip cheekes

2122Are gone, are gone: Louers make mone:

2123His eyes were greene as Leekes.

2124O sisters three, come, come to mee,

2125With hands as pale as Milke,

2126Lay them in gore, since you haue shore

2127With sheeres, his thred of silke.

2128Tongue not a word: Come trusty sword:

2129Come blade, my brest imbrue:

O3 And

2130And farwell friends, thus Thisbie ends;

2131Adieu, adieu, adieu.

2132Duk. Moone-shine & Lion are left to burie the dead.

2133Deme. I, and Wall too.

2134Bot. No, I assure you, the wall is downe, that parted

2135their Fathers. Will it please you to see the Epilogue, or

2136to heare a Bergomask dance, betweene two of our com-

2137pany?

2138Duk. No Epilogue, I pray you; for your play needs

2139no excuse. Neuer excuse; for when the plaiers are all

2140dead, there need none to be blamed. Marry, if hee that

2141writ it had plaid Piramus, and hung himselfe in Thisbies

2142garter, it would haue beene a fine Tragedy: and so it is

2143truely, and very notably discharg'd. But come, your

2144Burgomaske; let your Epilogue alone.

2145The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelue.

2146Louers to bed, 'tis almost Fairy time.

2147I feare we shall out-sleepe the comming morne,

2148As much as we this night haue ouer-watcht.

2149This palpable grosse play hath well beguil'd

2150The heauy gate of night. Sweet friends to bed.

2151A fortnight hold we this solemnity.

2152In nightly Reuels; and new iollitie. Exeunt.

2154Puck. Now the hungry Lyons rores,

2155And the Wolfe beholds the Moone:

2156Whilest the heauy ploughman snores,

2157All with weary taske fore-done.

2158Now the wasted brands doe glow,

2159Whil'st the scritch-owle, scritching loud,

2160Puts the wretch that lies in woe,

2161In remembrance of a shrowd.

2162Now it is the time of night,

2163That the graues, all gaping wide,

2164Euery one lets forth his spright,

2165In the Church-way paths to glide,

2166And we Fairies, that do runne,

2167By the triple Hecates teame,

2168From the presence of the Sunne,

2169Following darkenesse like a dreame,

2170Now are frollicke; not a Mouse

2171Shall disturbe this hallowed house.

2172I am sent with broome before,

2173To sweep the dust behinde the doore.

2175Ob. Through the house giue glimmering light,

2176By the dead and drowsie fier,

2177Euerie Elfe and Fairie spright,

2178Hop as light as bird from brier,

2179And this Ditty after me, sing and dance it trippinglie.

2180Tita. First rehearse this song by roate,

2181To each word a warbling note.

2182Hand in hand, with Fairie grace,

2183Will we sing and blesse this place.