Star. I believe, we muft leave the killing out, when all is done. Bot. Not a whit; I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue: and let the prologue feem to fay, we will do no harm with our fwords; and that Pyramus is not kill'd indeed: and, for the more better affurance tell them, that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: This will put them out of fear. Quin. Well, we will have fuch a prologue; and it fhall be written in eight and fix. Bot. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight. Snout. Will not the ladies be afcard of the lion? Star. I fear it, I promise you. Bot. Mafters, you ought to confider with yourfelves to bring in, God fhield us! a lion among ladies, is a moft dreadful thing for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion, living; and we ought to look to it. Snout. Therefore, another prologue muft tell, he is not a lion. Bot. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, faying thus, or to the fame defect,-Ladies, or fair ladies, I would wish you, or, I would request you, or, I would entreat you, not to fear, not to tremble: my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of Parlous, a word corrupted from perilous, i. c. dangerous. So Phaer and Twyne tranflate Virg. Æn. lib. vii. 302: "Quid Syrtes, aut Scylla mihi, quid vafta Charybdis "Profuit ?" "What good did Scylla me? What could prevail Charybdis wood? "Or Sirtes parlous fands ?" STEEVENS. my 2 my life: No, I am no fuch thing; I am a man as other men are :-and there indeed, let him name his name; and tell them plainly, he is Snug the joiner. Quin. Well, it fhall be fo. But there is two hard things; that is, to bring the moon-light into a chamber: for you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moon-light. Snug. Doth the moon fhine, that night we play our play? Bot. A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanack; find out moon-fhine, find out moon-fhine. Quin. Yes, it doth fhine that night. Bot. Why, then you may leave a cafement of the great chamber window, where we play, open; and the moon may fhine in at the cafeinent. Quin. Ay; or elfe one muft come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and fay, he comes to disfigure,or to prefent, the perfon of moon-fhine. Then, there is another thing: we must have a wall in the 2 No, I am no fuch thing; I am a man, as other mèn are:---and there indeed, let him name his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.] There are probably many temporary allutions to particular incidents and characters fcattered through our author's plays, which gave a poignancy to certain paffages, while the events were recent, and the perfons pointed at, yet living-In the speech now before us, I think it not improbable that he meant to allude to a fact which happened in his time, at an entertainment exhibited before queen Elizabeth. It is recorded in a manufcript collection of anecdotes, stories, &c. entitled, Merry Paffages and Feafts, M. Harl. 6395: "There was a fpectacle prefented to queen Elizabeth upon the water, and among others Harry Goldingham was to reprefent Arion upon the dolphin's backe; but finding his voice to be very hoarfe and unpleasant, when he came to perform it, he tears off his difguife, and Javears he was none of Arion, not be, but even honeft Har. Goldingham; which blunt difcoverie pleafed the queene better than if it had gone through in the right way :-yet he could order his voice to an inftrument exceeding well.” The collector of thefe Merry Paffages appears to have been nephew to Sir Roger L'Eftrange. MALONE. great great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby, fays the ftory, did talk through the chink of a wall. Snug. You never can bring in a wall :-What fay you, Bottom? Bot. Some man or other must prefent wall and let him have fome plafter, or fome lome, or fome rough-caft, about him, to fignify wall; or let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny fhall Pyramus and Thisby whisper. Quin. If that may be, then all is well. Come, fit down, every mother's fon, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin when you have spoken your : fpeech, enter into that brake '; and so every one according to his cue. Enter Puck behind. Puck. What hempen home-fpuns have we swag, gering here, So near the cradle of the fairy queen? Quin. Speak, Pyramus :-Thifby, ftand forth. Pyr. -odours favours fweet. So doth thy breath, my dearest Thifty dear.But, hark, a voice! Stay thou but here a whit, And by and by I will to thee appear. [Exit. Pyramus. Puck. 3—that brake ;] Brake a thicket or buh. See vol. ii. p. 37. Brake, in the weft of England, is used to express a large extent of ground over-grown with furze, and appears both here and in the next scene to convey the fame idea: 5 "The fhalloweft thick fkin of the barren fort "Forfook his scene, and enter'd in a brake. HENLEY, 4 So doth thy breath,-] The old copies concur in reading: So hath thy breath, Mr. Pope, I believe, first made the alteration. STEEVENS. -fay thou but here a whit,] In the old editions: -fay thou but here a while; Puck. A ftranger Pyramus than e'er play'd here! [Afide. [Exit. Thif. Muft I fpeak now? Quin. Ay, marry, muft you: for you must underftand, he goes but to fce a noife that he heard, and is to come again. Thif. Most radiant Pyramus, moft lilly white of hue, Of colour like the red rofe on triumphant brier, Moft brifky juvenal", and eke most lovely Jew, As true as trueft horse that yet would never tire, I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb. Quin. Ninus' tomb, man: Why you must not fpeak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus: you fpeak all your part at once, cues and all.-Pyramus enter; your cue is paft; it is, never tire. Re-enter Puck, and Bottom, with an afs's head. Tif. O,-As true as trueft horfe, that yet would never 8 tire. Pyr. If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine : The verses should be alternately in rhime: but fweet in the clofe of the first line, and qubile in the third, will not do for this pur pofe. The author, doubtlefs, gave it: -Ray thou but here a whit; i. e. a little while: for fo it fignifies, as alfo any thing of no price or confideration; a trifle: in which fenfe it is very frequent with our author. THEOBALD. 5 — than e'er play'd here!] I suppose he means in that theatre where the piece was acting. STEEVENS. 6-juvenal,] i. e. young man. So, Falftaff, "the juve nal thy mafter. STREVENS. 7 -cues and all.] A cue, in ftage cant, is the last words of the preceding speech, and ferves as a hint to him who is to speak So Othello: next. "Were it my cue to fight, I fhould have known it So, in the Return from Parnaffus : "Indeed, mafter Kempe, you are very famous: but that is as well for works in print, as your part in cue." Shakspeare's fellow comedians. STEEVENS. 8 Kempe was one of If I avere fair, Thiby, I were only thine.] I think, this ought to be pointed differently:-If I were, (i, e. as true, &c.] fair Thibe, I were only thine. MALONE. VOL. II!. F Quin. Quin. O monstrous! O ftrange! we are haunted. Pray, mafters! fly, mafters! help! [Exeunt Clowns. Puck. I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through, bog, through bufh, through brake, through brier; Sometime a horfe I'll be, fometime a hound, Like horfe, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn. [Exit. Bot. Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to make me afeard'. Re-enter Snout, 2 Snout. O Bottom, thou art chang'd! what do I fee on thee? Bot. What do you fee? you fee an afs' head of your own; Do you? Re-enter Quince. Quin. Blefs thee, Bottom! blefs thee! thou art tranflated. Bot. I fee their knavery: this is of me; to fright me, if they could. [Exit. to make an afs But I will not ftir from this place, do what they can I will walk 9 Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier ;] Herc are two fyllables wanting. Perhaps, it was written: Through bog, through mire, JOHNSON. to make me afeard.] Afeard is from to fear, by the old form of the language, as an hungered, from to hunger. So adry, for thirty. See vol. i. p. 82. JOHNSON. 20 Bottom, thou art chang'd! what do I fee on thee ?] It is plain by Bottom's anfwer, that Snout mentioned an af's head. Therefore we should read: Spout. O Bottom, thou art changed! what do I fee on thee? An ais's head? JOHNSON, up |