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; he for a man, she for a woman.

Lys. She hath spied him already with those sweet eyes.

Dem. And thus she moans, videlicet :

This. Asleep, my love?

What, dead, my dove?

O Pyramus, arise !

Speak, speak. Quite dumb?

Dead, dead? A tomb

Must cover thy sweet eyes.
These lily lips,

This cherry nose, 39

These yellow cowslip cheeks,

Are gone, are gone :
Lovers, make moan;

His eyes were green as leeks.
O Sisters Three,
Come, come to me,

With hands as pale as milk;

Lay them in gore,

Since you have shore

With shears his thread of silk.

sage. Theseus reduces Bottom's pathos into naught, by coupling it with a source of grief abundantly sufficient in itself to cause sadness.

39. This cherry nose. See Note 25, Act v.

40. A Bergomask dance. A dance called in Italian a Bergomasco, because it was originally danced by the Bergamese, peasants of Bergamo, a province of Venetia. It is worthy of remark that Shakespeare has kept up the character of Bottom to the very last. He alone, of all the clownish actors, ventures to address the audience in his own person; he does it twice: first,

Tongue, not a word:

Come, trusty sword;

Come, blade, my breast imbrue :

[Stabs herself.

And, farewell, friends,

Thus Thisby 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?

The. No epilogue, I pray you; for your play needs no excuse. Never excuse; for when the Marry, if he that writ it had played Pyramus and players are all dead, there need none to be blamed. 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. [A dance.

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.-
A fortnight hold we this solemnity,
In nightly revels and new jollity.

SCENE II.

Enter PUCK.

Puck. Now the hungry lion roars,

[Exeunt.

And the wolf behowls the moon; Whilst the heavy ploughman snores All with weary task fordone.42 Now the wasted brands do glow,

Whilst the screech-owl, screeching 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,

he answers Theseus himself and flatly contradicts him-" No, in truth, sir, he should not," &c; and again plumps in with "No, I assure you; " undertaking to correct everybody, and set to rights everything.

41. Gross. Here used in the sense of clumsy, lumbering; which accords well with "the heavy gait of night,"-Shakespeare sometimes using the word "heavy" to express slow-paced, tardy. 42. Fordone. Overcome; what we should now, in common parlance, call 'over-done,' 'spent,' ' tired out.'

Enter OBERON and TITANIA, with their train. Obe. Through the 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 your 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,

Through this house each fairy stray.
To the best bride-bed will we,
Which by us shall blessèd be;

And the issue there create

Ever shall be fortunate.

So shall all the couples three
Ever true in loving be;

43 The triple Hecate. The goddess so-called, because she bore three names Luna, in heaven; Diana, on earth; and Hecate, in the infernal regions.

44 With broom, before, to sweep the dust behind the door. 'From' must be understood between "dust" and "behind;" in the elliptical style used by Shakespeare. Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, was represented in old prints, bearing a broom over his shoulder; and the fairies were supposed especially to favour household cleanliness. See Note 14, Act v., "Merry Wives of Windsor," and the previous speech, ending with "Our radiant queen hates sluts and sluttery."

45. Ever shall in safety rest, and the owner of it blest. These two lines have been variously altered; but they seem to

And the blots of Nature's hand
Shall not in their issue stand;
Never mole, hare-lip, nor scar,
Nor mark prodigious, such as are
Despised in nativity,

Shall upon their children be.
With this field-dew consecrate,

Every fairy take his gait;

And each several chamber bless,

Through this palace, with sweet peace:
Ever shall in safety rest,

And the owner of it blest.54
Trip away;

Make no stay;

Meet me all by break of day.

[Exeunt OBERON, TITANIA, and train. Puck. If we shadows have offended, Think but this (and all is mended), That you have but slumber'd here, While these visions did appear.46 And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend: If you pardon, we will mend. And, as I'm an honest Puck, If we have unearned luck "7.

Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,"

We will make amends ere long;

Else the Puck a liar call:

So, good night unto you all.