Unless you can find sport in their intents, I will hear that play; Hip. He says, they can do nothing in this kind. The. The kinder we, to give them thanks for nothing. Our sport shall be, to take what they mistake: Noble respect takes it in might, not merit. I read as much, as from the rattling tongue Enter Philostrate. Philost. So please your grace, the prologue is addrest.1 The. Let him approach. [Flourish of trumpets. Enter Prologue. Prol. If we offend, it is with our good will. That you should think, we come not to offend, But with good will. To show our simple skill, That is the true beginning of our end. Consider then, we come but in despite. We do not come as minding to content you, Our true intent is. All for your delight, We are not here. That you should here repent you, The actors are at hand; and, by their show, You shall know all, that you are like to know. The. This fellow doth not stand upon points. Lys. He hath rid his prologue, like a rough colt, he knows not the stop. A good moral, my lord: It is not enough to speak, but to speak true. 'This man, with lantern, dog, and bush of thorn, 'Presenteth moonshine: for, if you will know, 'By moonshine did these lovers think no scorn To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to woo This grisly beast, which by name lion hight," The trusty Thisby, coming first by night, Did scare away, or rather did affright; And, as she fled, her mantle she did fall; Which lion vile with bloody mouth did stain: Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth, and tall, And finds his trusty Thisby's mantle slain: 'Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade, 'He bravely broach'd his boiling bloody breast; 'And, Thisby tarrying in mulberry shade, His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest, 'Let Lion, Moonshine, Wall, and lovers twain, 'At large discourse, while here they do remain.' [Exeunt Prol. Thisbe, Lion, and Moonshine. The. I wonder, if the lion be to speak. Dem. No wonder, my lord: one lion may, when many asses do. Wall. In this same interlude, it doth befall, That I, one Snout by name, present a wall: And such a wall, as I would have you think, That had in it a cranny'd hole, or chink, 'Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisby, 'Did whisper often very secretly. This loam, this rough-cast, and this stone, doth show Hip. Indeed he hath played on this prologue,O Jike a child on a recorder; a sound, but not in government. The. His speech was like a tangled chain; nothing impaired, but all disordered. Who is next? Enter Pyramus and Thisbe, Wall, Moonshine, and Lion, as in dumb show. Prol. 'Gentles, perchance, you wonder at this But wonder on, till truth make all things plain. And through wall's chink, poor souls, they are content eyne. this! 'But what see I? No Thisby do I see. wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss Curst be thy stones for thus deceiving me The. The wall, methinks, being sensible, should curse again. Pyr. No, in truth, sir, he should not. Deceiving me, is Thisby's cue: she is to enter now, and I am to spy her through the wall. You shall see, it will fali pat as I told you:-Yonder she comes. Enter Thisbe. This. O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans, For parting my fair Pyramus and me: My cherry lips have often kiss'd thy stones; Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee.' Pyr. 'I see a voice; now will I to the chink, To spy an I can hear my Thisby's face. 'Thisby!' This. My love! thou art my love, I think? (3) Called. Pyr. Think what thou wilt, I am thy lover's Lys. Proceed, moon. This. I kiss the wall's hole, not your lips at all.' Pyr. Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straightway?' This. Tide life, tide death, I come without delay.' Wall. Thus have I, Wall, my part discharged so; 'And, being done, thus Wall away doth go.' [Exeunt Wall, Pyramus, and Thisbe. The. Now is the mural down between the two neighbours. Dem. No remedy, my lord, when walls are so wilful to hear without warning. Hip. This is the silliest stuit that ever I heard. The. The best in this kind are but shadows: and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them. Hip. It must be your imagination then, and not theirs. The. If we imagine no worse of them, than they of themselves, they may pass for excellent men. Here come two noble beasts in, a moon and a lion. Enter Lion and Moonshine. Lion. You, ladies, you, whose gentle hearts do fear The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor, 'May now, perchance, both quake and tremble here, "When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar. 'Then know, that I, one Snug the joiner, am 'A lion fell, nor else no lion's dam: 'For if I should as lion come in strife Into this place, 'twere pity on my life.' The. A very gentle beast, and of a good con science. Dem. The very best at a beast, my lord, that e'er I saw. Lys. This lion is a very fox for his valour. The. True; and a goose for his discretion. Dem. Not so, my lord: for his valour cannot carry his discretion; and the fox carries the goose. The. His discretion, I am sure, cannot carry his valour; for the goose carries not the fox. It is well: leave it to his discretion, and let us listen to present; Myself the man i' th' moon do seem to be.' The. This is the greatest error of all the rest: the man should be put into the lantern: How is it else the man i' the moon? Dem. He dares not come there for the candle: for, you see, it is already in snuff.1 Hip. I am aweary of this moon: Would, he would change! The. It appears, by his small light of discretion, that he is in the wane: but yet, in courtesy, in all reason, we must stay the time. Moon. All that I have to say, is, to tell you, that the lantern is the moon; I, the man in the moon; this thorn-bush, my thorn-bush; and this dog, my dog. Dem. Why, all these should be in the lantern; for they are in the moon. But, silence; here comes Enter Thisbe. Thisbe. Pyr. Sweet moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams; 'I thank thee, moon, for shining now so bright: For, by thy gracious, golden glittering streams, I trust to taste of truest Thisby's sight. But stay;-0 spite! 'But mark:-Poor knight, 'What dreadful dole is here! Eyes, do you see? 'O dainty duck! O dear! Thy mantle good, O fates! come, come; 'Quail, crush, conclude, and quell !'' The. This passion, and the death of a dear friend, would go near to make a man look sad. Hip. Beshrew my heart, but I pity the man. Pyr. O, wherefore, nature, didst thou lions frame? 'Since lion vile hath here deflour'd my dear: Which is-no, no-which was the fairest dame, 'That liv'd, that lov'd, that lik'd, that look'd with cheer.4 'Come, tears, confound; Ay, that left pap, Tongue, lose thy light! [Dies.-Exit Moonshine. Dem. No die, but an ace, for him; for he is but one. Lys. Less than an ace, man; for he is dead; he is nothing. The. With the help of a surgeon, he might yet recover, and prove an ass. Hip. How chance Moonshine is gone, before. Thisbe comes back and finds her lover? The. She will find him by star-light.-Here she comes; and her passion ends the play. Dem. Ay, and Wall too. Bot. No, I assure you; the wall is down that parted their fathers. Will it please you to see the epilogue, or to hear a Bergomask dance, between two of our company? The. No epilogue, I pray you; for your play needs no excuse. Never excuse; for when the players are all dead, there need none to be blamed. Marry, if he that writ it had play'd Pyramus, and hanged himself in Thisbe's garter, it would have been a fine tragedy: and so it is, truly; and very notably discharged. But come, your Bergomask: let your epilogue alone. [Here a dance of Clowns. The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve:Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time. I fear we shall out-sleep the coming morn, As much as we this night have overwatch'd. This palpable gross play hath well beguil'd The heavy gait of night.-Sweet friends, to bed.- SCENE II.-Enter Puck. Puck. Now the hungry lion roars, [Exeunt. Whilst the scritch-owl, scritching loud, Now it is the time of night, By the triple Hecate's team, From the presence of the sun, Following darkness like a dream, Now are frolic; not a mouse Shall disturb this hallow'd house : I am sent, with broom before, To sweep the dust behind the door. Enter Oberon and Titania, with their Train. Obe. Through this house give glimmering light, By the dead and drowsy fire: Every elf, and fairy sprite, Hop as light as bird from brier; And this ditty, after me, Sing and dance it trippingly. Tita. First rehearse this song by rote: SONG, AND DANCE. Obe. Now, until the break of day, Shall upon their children be.-- And each several chamber bless, And the owner of it blest. Puck. [Exeunt Oberon, Titania, and Train. Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, [Exit. Boyet, lords, attending on the princess Mercade, France. -- Forester. Princess of France. Rosaline, of Maria, ladies, attending on the princess. Katharine, Don Adriano de Armado, a fantastical Spaniard. Jaquenetta, a country wench. Sir Nathaniel, a curate. Holofernes, a schoolmaster. Dull, a constable. Costard, a clown. Moth, page to Armado. ACT I. And, one day in a week to touch no food; And but one meal on every day beside; The which, I hope, is not enrolled there: SCENE I.-Navarre. A park, with a palace And then to sleep but three hours in the night, in it. Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, Dumain. LET King. and And not to be seen.. wink of all the day; fame, that all hunt after in their lives, Live register'd upon our brazen tombs, And then grace us in the disgrace of death; When, spite of cormorant devouring time, The endeavour of this present breath may buy That honour, which shall bate his scythe's keen edge, And make us heirs of all eternity. Therefore, brave conquerors!--for so you are, Biron. I can but say their protestation over, I King. Your oath is pass'd to pass away from these. Biron. Let me say no, my liege, an if you please; only swore, to study with your grace, And stay here in your court for three years' space. Long. You swore to that, Biron, and to the rest. Biron. By yea and nay, sir, then I swore in jest. What is the end of study? let me know. not know. Biron. Things hid and barr'd, you mean, from common sense; King. Ay, that is study's god-like recompense. Biron. Come on, then, I will swear to study so. To know the thing I am forbid to know: As thus-To study where I well may dine, When I to feast expressly am forbid ; Or, study where to meet some mistress fine, When mistresses from common sense are hid: Or, having sworn too hard-a-keeping oath, Study to break it, and not break my troth. If study's gain be thus, and this be so, Study knows that, which yet it doth not know: Swear me to this, and I will ne'er say, no. King. These be the stops that hinder study quite, And train our intellects to vain delight. Biron. Why, all delights are vain; but that most vain, Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain: As, painfully to pore upon a book, To seek the like of truth; while truth the while Doth falsely blind the eyesight of his look: Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile : So, ere you find where light in darkness lies, Your light grows dark by losing of your eyes. (1) Dishonestly, treacherously. Therefore this article is made in vain, Study me how to please the eye indeed, That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks; Than those that walk, and wot not what they are. Too much to know, is, to know nought but fame; And every godfather can give a name. King. How well he's read, to reason against reading! Dum. Proceeded well, to stop all good proceeding! Long. He weeds the corn, and still lets grow the weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geese Fit in his place and time. Dum. In reason nothing. Before the birds have any cause to sing? Climb o'er the house to unlock the little gate. And, though I have for barbarism spoke more, And 'bide the penance of each three years' day. Biron. [Reads.] Item, That no woman shall come within a mile of my court.And hath this been proclaim'd? Long. Four days ago. Biron. Let's see the penalty. [Reads.]-On pain of losing her tongue.Who devis'd this? Long. Marry, that did I. Biron. A dangerous law against gentility. [Reads.] Item, If any man be seen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court can possibly devise This article, my liege, yourself must break; For, well you know, here comes in embassy The French king's daughter, with yourself to speak, A maid of grace, and complete majesty,About surrender-up of Aquitain To her decrepit, sick, and bed-rid father: Or vainly comes the admired princess hither. King. What say you, lords? why, this was quite forgot. Biron. So study evermore is overshot; While it doth study to have what it would, It doth forget to do the thing it should: And when it hath the thing it hunteth most, 'Tis won, as towns with fire; so won, so lost. King. We must, of force, dispense with this decree; She must lie' here on mere necessity. Biron. Necessity will make us all forsworn Three thousand times within this three years? space: For every man with his affects is born; Not by might master'd, but by special grace: If I break faith, this word shall speak for me, am forsworn on mere necessity. I So to the laws at large I write my name: [Subscribes And he that breaks them in the least degree, Stands in attainder of eternal shame : I Suggestions are to others, as to me; But, I believe, although I seem so loth, am the last that will last keep his oath. But is there no quick recreation granted: King. Ay, that there is: our court, you know, is haunted With a refined traveller of Spain; A man in all the world's new fashion planted, 6 For interim to our studies, shall relate, In high-born words, the worth of many a knight From tawny Spain, lost in the world's debate.. How you delight, my lords, I know not, I; But I protest, I love to hear him lie, And I will use him for my minstrelsy. Biron. Armado is a most illustrious wight, A man of fire-new words, fashion's own knight. Long. Costard the swain, and he, shall be our sport; And, so to study, three years is but short. Enter Dull, with a letter, and Costard. Dull. Which is the duke's own person? Biron. This, fellow; What would'st? Dull. I myself reprehend his own person, for t am his grace's tharborough: but I would see his own person in flesh and blood. Biron. This is he. Dull. Signior Arme-Arme-commends you.There's villany abroad; this letter will tell you more. Cost. Sir, the contempts thereof are as touching me. King. A letter from the magnificent Armado. Biron. How low soever the matter, I hope in God for high words. Long. A high hope for a low having: God grant us patience! Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing? Long. To hear meekly, sir, and to laugh maderately; or to forbear both. Biron. Well, sir, be it as the style shall give us cause to climb in the merriness. (5) Lively, sprightly. |