The Wood. TITANIA lying asleep.
 Enter the clowns: QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING.

Bottom	Are we all met?

Quince	Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our 
	rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this 
	hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we will do it in 
	action as we will do it before the duke.

Bottom	Peter Quince!

Quince	What sayst thou, Bully Bottom?

Bottom	There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisbe that 
	will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill 
	himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you 
	that?

Snout	By'r-lakin, a parlous fear.

Starveling	I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.

Bottom	Not a whit. I have a device to make all well. Write me a 
	prologue; and let the prologue seem to say we will do no 
	harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not killed 
	indeed; and, for the more better assurance, tell them that 
	I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver. This 
	will put them out of fear.

Quince	Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written 
	in eight and six.

Bottom	No, make it two more. Let it be written in eight and eight.

Snout	Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?

Starveling	I fear it, I promise you.

Bottom	Masters, you ought to consider with yourself: to bring in-
	God shield us! - a lion among ladies is a most dreadful 
	thing; for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your 
	lion living; and we ought to look to't.

Snout	Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.

Bottom	Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen 
	through the lion's neck, and he himself must speak through 
	saying thus, or to the same defect: 'Ladies', or 'Fair 
	ladies, I would wish you', or 'I would request you', or 'I 
	would entreat you not to fear, not to tremble. My life for 
	yours! If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity 
	of my life. No, I am no such thing; I am a man as other men 
	are'. And there, indeed, let him name his name, and tell 
	them plainly he is Snug the joiner.

Quince	Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things: that 
	is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for, you know, 
	Pyramus and Thisbe meet by moonlight.

Snout	Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?

Bottom	A calendar, a calendar! Look in the almanac. Find out 
	moonshine, find out moonshine.

Quince	Yes, it doth shine that night.

Bottom	Why, then may you leave a casement of the great chamber 
	window, where we play, open, and the moon may shine in at 
	the casement.

Quince	Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a 
	lantern and say he comes to disfigure, or to present, the 
	person of Moonshine. Then there is another thing: we must 
	have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisbe, 
	says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall.

Snout	You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?

Bottom	Some man or other must present Wall; and let him have some 
	plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast about him, to 
	signify Wall; and let him hold his fingers thus, and 
	through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisbe whisper.

Quince	If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down, every 
	mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin. 
	When you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake; 
	and so everyone according to his cue.

                           Enter PUCK, behind.

Puck	[Aside.] What hempen homespuns have we swagg'ring here,
	So near the cradle of the Fairy Queen?
	What, a play toward! I'll be an auditor;
	An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause.

Quince	Speak, Pyramus. Thisbe, stand forth.

Bottom	"Thisbe, the flowers of odious savours sweet"-

Quince	Odours, odours.

Bottom					"- odours savours sweet;
		So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisbe dear.
	But hark, a voice. Stay thou but here awhile,
		And by and by I will to thee appear."
											[Exit.
Puck	A stranger Pyramus than e'er played here.
											[Exit.

Flute	Must I speak now?

Quince	Ay, marry must you; for you must understand he goes but to 
	see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.

Flute	"Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,
		Of colour like the red rose on triumphant briar,
	Most brisky juvenal, and eke most lovely Jew,
		As true as truest horse that yet would never tire,
	I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb."

Quince	Ninus' tomb, man! Why, you must not speak that yet. That 
	you answer to Pyramus. You speak all your part at once, 
	cues and all. Pyramus! - enter, your cue is past. It is 
	'never tire.'

Flute	O!
	"As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire".

              Re-enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with an ass's head.

Bottom	"If I were fair, Thisbe, I were only thine."

Quince	O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted! Pray, masters! Fly, 
	masters! Help!
											[Exeunt QUINCE, SNUG, FLUTE,
											SNOUT, and STARVELING.

Puck	I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round,
		Through bog, through bush, through brake, through briar;
	Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound,
		A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire;
	And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
	Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.
											[Exit.

Bottom	Why do they run away? This is a knavery of them to make me 
	afeard.

                             Re-enter SNOUT.

Snout	O Bottom, thou art changed! What do I see on thee?

Bottom	What do you see? You see an ass-head of your own, do you?
											[Exit SNOUT.

                             Re-enter QUINCE.

Quince	Bless thee, Bottom, bless thee! Thou art translated.
											[Exit.

Bottom	I see their knavery. This is to make an ass of me, to 
	fright me, if they could. But I will not stir from this 
	place, do what they can. I will walk up and down here, and 
	I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid.

	[Sings.]	The ousel cock so black of hue,
				With orange-tawny bill,
			The throstle with his note so true,
				The wren with little quill;

Titania	[Waking.] What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?

Bottom	[Sings.]	The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,
				The plain-song cuckoo grey,
			Whose note full many a man doth mark,
				And dares not answer Nay-

	for indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a bird? Who 
	would give a bird the lie, though he cry 'cuckoo' never so?

Titania	I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again;
	Mine ear is much enamoured of thy note.
	So is mine eye enthralld to thy shape;
	And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
	On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.

Bottom	Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that. 
	And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little 
	company together nowadays; the more the pity that some 
	honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can 
	gleek upon occasion.

Titania	Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.

Bottom	Not so, neither; but if I had wit enough to get out of this 
	wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn.

Titania	Out of this wood do not desire to go;
	Thou shalt remain here, whither thou wilt or no.
	I am a spirit of no common rate;
	The summer still doth tend upon my state;
	And I do love thee; therefore, go with me.
	I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;
	And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,
	And sing while thou on pressd flowers dost sleep;
	And I will purge thy mortal grossness so
	That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.
	Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed!

            Enter PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, and MUSTARDSEED.


Peaseblossom	Ready.

Cobweb			And I.

Moth					And I.

Mustardseed								And I.

All									Where shall we go?

Titania	Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;
	Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes;
	Feed him with apricocks and dewberries,
	With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries.
	The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees,
	And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs,
	And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes,
	To have my love to bed and to arise;
	And pluck the wings from painted butterflies,
	To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes.
	Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.

Peaseblossom	Hail, mortal!

Cobweb	Hail!

Moth	Hail!

Mustardseed	Hail!

Bottom	I cry your worships mercy, heartily. I beseech your 
	worship's name.

Cobweb	Cobweb.

Bottom	I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good Master 
	Cobweb. If I cut my finger I shall make bold with you. Your 
	name, honest gentleman?

Peaseblossom	Peaseblossom.

Bottom	I pray you, commend me to Mistress Squash, your mother, and 
	to Master Peascod, your father. Good Master Peaseblossom, I 
	shall desire you of more acquaintance too. Your name, I 
	beseech you, sir?

Mustardseed	Mustardseed.

Bottom	Good Master Mustardseed, I know your patience well. That 
	same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath devoured many a 
	gentleman of your house. I promise you your kindred hath 
	made my eyes water ere now. I desire your more 
	acquaintance, good Master Mustardseed.

Titania	Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower.
		The moon, methinks, looks with a watery eye;
	And when she weeps, weeps every little flower,
		Lamenting some enforcd chastity.
		Tie up my love's tongue; bring him silently.
											[Exeunt.
