Not Peer Reviewed
- Edition: A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Modern)
- Texts of this edition
- Facsimiles
4.2.0.1[4.2]
1746Enter Quince, Flute [as] Thisby, Snout, and Starveling.
Have you sent to Bottom's house? Is he come 1748home yet?
He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he is 1750transported.
If he come not, then the play is marred. It goes 1752not forward, doth it?
It is not possible. You have not a man in all 1754Athens able to discharge Pyramus but he.
No, he hath simply the best wit of any 1756handicraft man in Athens.
Yea, and the best person too, and he is a very 1758paramour for a sweet voice.
You must say "paragon." A paramour is (God 1760bless us), a thing of naught.
Masters, the duke is coming from the 1763temple, and there is two or three lords and ladies more 1764married. If our sport had gone forward, we had all been made 1765men.
O sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost 1767sixpence a day during his life. He could not have 'scaped 1768sixpence a day. And the duke had not given him sixpence 1769a day for playing Pyramus, I'll be hanged. He would have 1770deserved it. Sixpence a day in Pyramus, or nothing.
Where are these lads? Where are these hearts?
Bottom! O most courageous day! O most 1774happy hour!
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 every thing as it fell out.
Let us hear, sweet Bottom.
Not a word of me. All that I will tell you is, that 1780the duke hath dined. Get your apparel together, good 1781strings to your beards, new ribbons to your pumps, 1782meet presently at the palace, every man look o're his 1783part; for the short and the long is, our play is preferred! 1784In any case, let Thisby have clean linen, and let not him 1785that plays the lion pare his nails, for they shall hang 1786out for the lion's claws. And, most dear actors, eat 1787no onions, nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet 1788breath; and I do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a 1789sweet comedy. No more words. Away! go away!