Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness, and mere oblivion;

5 Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Re-enter ORLANDO, with ADAM.

Duke. Welcome. Set down your venerable burden, And let him feed.

Orl. I thank you most for him.

Adam. So had you need;

I scarce can speak to thank you for myself.
Duke. Welcome, fall to; I will not trouble you
As yet, to question you about your fortunes.-
Give us some music; and, good cousin, sing.

2

1inland bred, brought up in civilized society, not in upland districts, or in a small island, outside the great world. engender'd, brought forth; produced. 3 menling and puking, crying and vomiting. saws, sayings. sans, French for "without."

4

5

SCENE FROM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S

DREAM.

[A number of working men of Athens are preparing a play which they intend to perform on the occasion of the Duke's marriage. They meet together to rehearse the play, which is called Pyramus and Thisbe."]

SCENE: Athens.-A room in a Cottage.

Enter SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, QUINCE, and
STARVELING.

Quin. Is all our company here ?

Bot. You were best to call them generally, man by man, according to the 'scrip.

Quin. Here is the scroll of every man's name, which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude before the duke and duchess, on his wedding-day at night.

Bot. First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on ; then read the names of the actors and so grow to a point.

Quin. Marry, our play is-The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe.

Bot. A very good piece of work, I assure you, and a merry. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the scroll. Masters, spread yourselves.

Quin. Answer as I call you: Nick Bottom, the weaver. Bot. Ready. Name what part I am for, and proceed. Quin. You, Nick Bottom, are set down for Pyramus. Bot. What is Pyramus? a lover, or a tyrant?

Quin. A lover, that kills himself most gallantly for love. Bot. That will ask some tears in the true performing of it: if I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will move storms, I will condole in some measure. To the rest-Yet my chief humour is for a tyrant: I could play 3 Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, to make all split.

"The raging rocks,

"With shivering shocks,
"Shall break the locks
"Of prison-gates :
"And Phibbus' car
"Shall shine from far,
"And make and mar

66 The foolish fates."

This was lofty!-Now name the rest of the players.-This is Ercles' vein, a tyrant's vein; a lover is more condoling.

Quin. Francis Flute, the bellows-mender.

Flu. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. You must take Thisbe on you.

Flu. What is Thisbe? a wandering knight?

Quin. It is the lady that Pyramus must love.

Flu. Nay, faith, let me not play a woman; I have a beard coming.

Quin. That's all one; you shall play it in a mask, and you may speak as small as you will.

Bot. An I may hide my face, let me play Thisbe too! I'll speak in a monstrous little voice,-Thisne, Thisne.-Ah, Pyramus, my lover dear; thy Thisbe dear: and lady dear! Quin. No, no; you must play Pyramus, and, Flute, you Thisbe.

Bot. Well, proceed.

Quin. Robin Starveling, the tailor.

Star. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. Robin Starveling, you must play Thisbe's mother.Tom Snout, the tinker.

Snout. Here, Peter Quince.

Quin. You, Pyramus's father; myself, Thisbe's father;Snug, the joiner, you the lion's part :—and I hope, here is a play fitted.

Snug. Have you the lion's part written? pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study.

Quin. You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring.

Bot. Let me play the lion too : I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me; I will roar, that I make the duke say, Let him roar again; let him roar again.

Quin. An you should do it too terribly, you would fright the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek; and that were enough to hang us all.

All. That would hang us every mother's son.

Bot. I grant you, friends, if that you should fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more discretion but to hang us but I will aggravate my voice so, that I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar you an 'twere any nightingale.

Quin. You can play no play but Pyramus: for Pyramus is a sweet-faced man; a proper man, as one shall see in a summer's day: a most lovely, gentleman-like man; therefore you must needs play Pyramus.

Bot. Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best to play it in ?

Quin. Why, what you will.

Bot. I will discharge it in either your straw-coloured beard,

your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-grain beard, or your French-crown-coloured beard, your perfect yellow.

Quin. Masters, here are your parts: and I am to entreat you, request you, and desire you, to "con them by to-morrow night; and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the town, by moonlight; there will we rehearse for if we meet in the city we shall be dogg'd with company and our devices known. In the meantime I will draw a bill of 'properties, such as our play wants. I pray you, fail me not.

Bot. We will meet; and there we may rehearse more obscenely, and courageously. Take pains; be perfect: adieu. Quin. At the Duke's oak we meet.

[Exeunt.

'scrip, list; paper, 2 grow to a point, proceed to business. 3 Ercles, he means Hercules, an ancient hero famous for his strength. Phibbus, he means Phoebus, or Apollo, the god

of the sun.

5

extempore, offhand; without preparation. con,

7

8

learn by heart. properties, furniture; apparatus. obscenely, he probably means obscurely; secretly.

SCENE FROM THE TEMPEST.

[Prospero and his daughter live in

cell, or natural cave, in a

lonely island. The father gives his daughter an account of the way in which they came there.]

SCENE: An Island: before the Cell of Prospero.

Enter PROSPERO, and MIRANDA.

Mira. If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them :
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to the 'welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. Oh, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer!-a brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creatures in her,
Dash'd all to pieces. Oh, the cry did knock
Against my very heart! Poor souls! they perish'd.
Had I been any god of power, I would

Have sunk the sea within the earth, or e'er

It should the good ship so have swallow'd, and
The freighting souls within her.

2

Pro. Be collected;

No more amazement: tell your piteous heart,
There's no harm done.

Mira. O, woe the day!

Pro. No harm.

I have done nothing but in care of thee,

(Of thee, my dear one! thee, my daughter!) who Art ignorant of what thou art, nought knowing Of whence I am; nor that I am more better

3

Than Prospero, master of a 3 full poor cell,
And thy no greater father.

(Lays down his mantle.)

Lie there, my art. Wipe thou thine eyes; have comfort.

The direful spectacle of the wreck, which touch'd
The very virtue of compassion in thee,

I have with such provision in mine art

So safely order'd, that there is no soul,—
No, not so much perdition as an hair,

'Betid to any creature in the vessel

Which thou heard'st cry, which thou saw'st sink.
Sit down;

For thou must now know farther.

Mira. You have often

Begun to tell me what I am; but stopp'd,

5

And left me to a bootless inquisition;

Concluding, Stay-not yet.

Pro. The hour's now come;

The very minute bids thee ope thine ear:
Obey, and be attentive. Canst thou remember
A time before we came unto this cell?