A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Original Classic Edition. Shakespeare William

Flu. Heere Peter Quince

       Quin. You must take Thisbie on you

       Flut. What is Thisbie, a wandring Knight?

       Quin. It is the Lady that Pyramus must loue

       Flut. Nay faith, let not mee play a woman, I haue a beard comming

       Qui. That's all one, you shall play it in a Maske, and

       you may speake as small as you will

       Bot. And I may hide my face, let me play Thisbie too: Ile speake in a monstrous little voyce; Thisne, Thisne, ah Pyramus my louer deare, thy Thisbie deare, and Lady deare

       Quin. No no, you must play Pyramus, and Flute, you

       Thisby

       Bot. Well, proceed

       Qu. Robin Starueling the Taylor

       Star. Heere Peter Quince

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       Quince. Robin Starueling, you must play Thisbies

       mother?

       Tom Snowt, the Tinker

       Snowt. Heere Peter Quince

       Quin. you, Pyramus father; my self, Thisbies father; Snugge the Ioyner, you the Lyons part: and I hope there is a play fitted

       Snug. Haue you the Lions part written? pray you if be, giue it me, for I am slow of studie

       Quin. You may doe it extemporie, for it is nothing

       but roaring

       Bot. Let mee play the Lyon too, I will roare that I will doe any mans heart good to heare me. I will roare, that I will make the Duke say, Let him roare againe, let him roare againe

       Quin. If you should do it too terribly, you would fright the Dutchesse and the Ladies, that they would shrike, and that were enough

       to hang us all

       All. That would hang vs euery mothers sonne

       Bottome. I graunt you friends, if that you should fright the Ladies out of their Wittes, they would haue no more discretion but to hang vs: but I will aggrauate my voyce so, that I will roare you as gently as any sucking Doue; I will roare and 'twere any Nightingale

       Quin. You can play no part but Piramus, for Piramus is a sweet-fac'd man, a proper man as one shall see in a summers day; a most

       louely Gentleman-like man, therfore you must needs play Piramus

       Bot. Well, I will vndertake it. What beard were I

       best to play it in?

       Quin. Why, what you will

       Bot. I will discharge it, in either your straw-colour beard, your orange tawnie beard, your purple in graine beard, or your French-crowne colour'd beard, your perfect yellow

       Quin. Some of your French Crownes haue no haire at all, and then you will play bare-fac'd. But masters here are your parts, and I am to intreat you, request you, and desire you, to con them by too morrow night: and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the Towne, by Moonelight, there we will rehearse: for if we meete in the Citie, we shalbe dog'd with company, and our deuises knowne. In the meane time, I wil draw a bil of properties, such as our play wants. I pray you faile me not

       Bottom. We will meete, and there we may rehearse more obscenely and couragiously. Take paines, be perfect, adieu

       Quin. At the Dukes oake we meete Bot. Enough, hold or cut bow-strings. Exeunt.

       Actus Secundus.

       Enter a Fairie at one dore, and Robin goodfellow at another.

       Rob. How now spirit, whether wander you?

       Fai. Ouer hil, ouer dale, through bush, through briar,

       Ouer parke, ouer pale, through flood, through fire,

       I do wander euerie where, swifter then y Moons sphere;

       And I serue the Fairy Queene, to dew her orbs vpon the green.

       The Cowslips tall, her pensioners bee, In their gold coats, spots you see, Those be Rubies, Fairie fauors,

       In those freckles, liue their sauors,

       I must go seeke some dew drops heere,

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       And hang a pearle in euery cowslips eare. Farewell thou Lob of spirits, Ile be gon,

       Our Queene and all her Elues come heere anon

       Rob. The King doth keepe his Reuels here to night,

       Take heed the Queene come not within his sight,

       For Oberon is passing fell and wrath, Because that she, as her attendant, hath

       A louely boy stolne from an Indian King, She neuer had so sweet a changeling,

       And iealous Oberon would haue the childe Knight of his traine, to trace the Forrests wilde. But she (perforce) with-holds the loued boy,

       Crownes him with flowers, and makes him all her ioy.

       And now they neuer meete in groue, or greene, By fountaine cleere, or spangled star-light sheene, But they do square, that all their Elues for feare Creepe into Acorne cups and hide them there

       Fai. Either I mistake your shape and making quite, Or else you are that shrew'd and knauish spirit

       Cal'd Robin Goodfellow. Are you not hee, That frights the maidens of the Villagree,

       Skim milke, and sometimes labour in the querne, And bootlesse make the breathlesse huswife cherne, And sometime make the drinke to beare no barme, Misleade night-wanderers, laughing at their harme, Those that Hobgoblin call you, and sweet Pucke, You do their worke, and they shall haue good lucke. Are not you he?

       Rob. Thou speak'st aright;

       I am that merrie wanderer of the night: I iest to Oberon, and make him smile, When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, Neighing in likenesse of a silly foale,

       And sometime lurke I in a Gossips bole, In very likenesse of a roasted crab:

       And when she drinkes, against her lips I bob, And on her withered dewlop poure the Ale. The wisest Aunt telling the saddest tale, Sometime for three-foot stoole, mistaketh me, Then slip I from her bum, downe topples she, And tailour cries, and fals into a coffe.

       And then the whole quire hold their hips, and loffe, And waxen in their mirth, and neeze, and sweare,

       A merrier houre was neuer wasted there. But roome Fairy, heere comes Oberon

       Fair. And heere my Mistris: Would that he were gone.

       Enter the King of Fairies at one doore with his traine, and the

       Queene at

       another with hers.

       Ob. Ill met by Moonelight. Proud Tytania

       Qu. What, iealous Oberon? Fairy skip hence.

       I haue forsworne his bed and companie

       Ob. Tarrie rash Wanton; am not I thy Lord? Qu. Then I must be thy Lady: but I know When thou wast stolne away from Fairy Land, And in the shape of Corin, sate all day,

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       Playing on pipes of Corne, and versing loue To amorous Phillida. Why art thou heere Come from the farthest steepe of India?

       But that forsooth the bouncing Amazon

       Your buskin'd Mistresse, and your Warrior loue, To Theseus must be Wedded; and you come,

       To giue their bed ioy and prosperitie

       Ob. How canst thou thus for shame Tytania. Glance at my credite, with Hippolita?

       Knowing I know thy loue to Theseus?

       Didst thou not leade him through the glimmering night

       From Peregenia, whom he rauished?

       And make him with faire Eagles breake his faith

       With Ariadne, and Antiopa?

       Que. These are the forgeries of iealousie, And neuer since