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  • Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Quarto 1, 1600)
  • Editor: Suzanne Westfall
  • ISBN: 978-1-55058-465-3

    Copyright Suzanne Westfall. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Suzanne Westfall
    Not Peer Reviewed

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

    A Midsommer nightes dreame.
    Quin. I marry must you. For you must vnderstand, he goes
    but to see a noyse, that he heard, and is to come againe.
    Thys. Most radiant Pyramus, most lillie white of hewe,
    Of colour like the red rose, on triumphant bryer,
    Most brisky Iuuenall, and eeke most louely Iewe,
    As true as truest horse, that yet would neuer tyre,
    910Ile meete thee Pyramus, at Ninnies toumbe.
    Quin. Ninus toumbe, man. Why? you mu} not speake
    That yet. That you answere to Pyramus. You speake
    Al your part at once, cues, and, all. Pyramus, enter: your cue
    is past: It is; neuer tire.
    915Thys. O, as true as truest horse, that yet would neuer tyre.
    Py. If I were faire, Thysby, I were onely thine.
    Quin. O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted. Pray ma-
    sters: fly masters: helpe.
    Rob. Ile follow you: Ile leade you about a Round,
    Through bogge, through bush, through brake, through (bryer:
    Sometime a horse Ile be, sometime a hound,
    A hogge, a headelesse Beare, sometime a fier,
    925And neigh, and barke, and grunt, and rore, and burne,
    Like horse, hound, hogge, beare, fire, at euery turne. Exit.
    Bott. Why doe they runne away? This is a knauery of
    them to make mee afeard. Enter Snowte.
    930Sn. O Bottom, thou art chaung'd. What do I see on thee?
    Bot. What Doe you see? You see an Asse head of your
    owne. do you?

    Enter Quince.
    935Quin. Blesse thee Bottom, blesse thee. Thou art trāslated. ( Exit.
    Bot. I see their knauery. This is to make an asse of mee, to
    fright me, if they could: but I wil not stirre from this place,
    do what they can. I will walke vp and downe heere, and I
    940will sing, that they shall heare I am not afraide.
    The Woosell cock, so blacke of hewe,
    With Orange tawny bill,
    The