Dem. Well roared, lion. The. Well run, Thisbe. Hip. Well shone, moon.-Truly, the moon shines with a good grace. The. Well moused, lion." [The Lion tears THISBE's mantle, and exit. Dem. And so comes Pyramus. Lys. And then the moon vanishes. Enter PYRAMUS. 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;-O spite! "But mark;-Poor knight, "What dreadful dole is here? "How can it be? "O dainty duck! O dear! 66 Thy mantle good, "What, stain'd with blood? "Approach, ye furies fell! O fates! come, come; "Cut thread and thrum;7 "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. * IVell moused, lion.] To mouse signified to mammock, to tear in pieces, as a cat tears a mouse. ↑ Cut thread and thrum;] Thrum is the end or extremity of a weaver's warp; it is popularly used for very coarse yarn. The maids now call a mop of yarn a thrum mop. 8 and quell!] To quell is to murther, to destroy. 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.9 "Come, tears, confound; "The pap of Pyramus: "Where heart doth hop: "Thus die I, thus, thus, thus. 66 "Now am I dead, "Now am I fled; My soul is in the sky: Tongue, lose thy light! "Moon, take thy flight! "Now die, die, die, die, die. [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. Enter THISBE. Hip. Methinks, she should not use a long one, for such a Pyramus: I hope, she will be brief. Dem. A mote will turn the balance, which Pyramus, which Thisbe, is the better. cheer.] i. e. countenance. Lys. She hath spied him already with those sweet eyes. Dem. And thus she moans, videlicet.- "O Pyramus, arise, "Speak, speak. Quite dumb? "This cherry nose, "Are gone, are gone: Lovers, make moan! "His eyes were green as leeks. "Come, come, to me, "Since you have shore "With shears his thread of silk. "And farewell, friends; "Thus Thisbe ends: "Adieu, adieu, adieu." [Dies. The. Moonshine and lion are left to bury the dead. 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? 1 ―a Bergomask dance,] A dance after the manner of the peasants of Bergomasco, a country in Italy, belonging to the Venetians. 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, 2 The heavy gait of night.-Sweet friends, to bed.- 2 3 SCENE II. Enter PUCK. Puck. Now the hungry lion roars, [Exeunt. Whilst the scritch-owl, scritching loud, Puts the wretch, that lies in woe, In remembrance of a shroud. Now it is the time of night, That the graves, all gaping wide, In the church-way paths to glide: heavy gait-] i. e. slow passage, progress, - fordone.] i, e. overcome. And we fairies, that do run Following darkness like a dream, Enter OBERON and TITANIA, with their Train. Obe. Through this house give glimmering By the dead and drowsy fire: Hop as light as bird from brier; And this ditty, after me, Sing, and dance it trippingly. Tita. First, rehearse this song by rote: To each word a warbling note, Hand in hand, with fairy grace, Will we sing, and bless this place. SONG, AND DANCE. Obe. Now, until the break of day, And the blots of nature's hand * I am sent, with broom, before, To sweep the dust behind the door.] Cleanliness is always ne cessary to invite the residence and the favour of the fairies. |