SCENE II.
A Cottage.
Enter Quince the carpenter, Snug the joiner, Bottom the
weaver, Flute the bellows-mender8 note, Snout the tinker,
and Starveling the taylor9 note.
Quin.
Is all our company here?
Bot.
You were best to call them generally, man
by man, according to the scrip1 note
.
Quin.
Here is the scrowl of every man's name,
which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in
our interlude before the duke and dutchess, on his
wedding-day at night.
Bot.
First, good Peter Quince, say what the play
-- 18 --
treats on; then read the names of the actors; and so
2 note
grow to a point. 9Q0272
Quin.
Marry our play is—The most lamentable3 note
comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby.
Bot.
A very good piece of work, I assure you,
and a merry.—Now, good Peter Quince, call forth
your actors by the scrowl: Masters, spread yourselves.
Quin.
Answer, as I call you.—Nick Bottom the
weaver.
-- 19 --
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 Ercles rarely, or a part to tear
a cat in4 note
, to make all split5 note
.
“The raging rocks,
“And shivering shocks,
-- 20 --
“Shall break the locks
“Of prison-gates;
“And Phibbus' car
“Shall shine from far,
“And make and mar
“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 Thisby on you.
Flu.
What is Thisby? 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 will6 note
.
Bot.
An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby
too: I'll speak in a monstrous little voice;—Thisne,
-- 21 --
Thisne,—Ah, Pyramus, my lover dear; thy Thisby dear!
and lady dear!
Quin.
No, no; you must play Pyramus, and,
Flute, you Thisby.
Bot.
Well, proceed.
Quin.
Robin Starveling, the taylor.
Star.
Here, Peter Quince.
Quin.
Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby's mother7 note
.—Tom Snowt, the Tinker.
Snow.
Here, Peter Quince.
Quin.
You, Pyramus's father; myself, Thisby's
father;—Snug, the joiner, you, the lion's part:—
and, I hope, there is a play fitted8 note.
Snug.
Have you the lion's part written? pray you,
if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study9 note.
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 will make the duke say, Let him roar again,
let him roar again.
Quin.
An you should do it too terribly, you would
fright the dutchess and the ladies, that they would
shriek; and that were enough to hang us all.
All.
That would hang us every mother's son.
-- 22 --
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 9Q0273 any nightingale.
Quin.
You can play no part but Pyramus: for Pyramus
is a sweet-fac'd man; a proper man, as one
shall see in a summer's-day; a most lovely, gentlemanlike
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-colour beard,
your perfect yellow1 note
.
Quin.
2 noteSome of your French crowns have no hair
at all, and then you will play bare-fac'd.—But, 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 moon light; there will we rehearse:
for if we meet in the city, we shall be dog'd
with company, and our devices known. In the mean
time, I will draw a bill of properties3 note
, such as our
play wants. I pray you, fail me not.
-- 23 --
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.
Bot.
Enough; Hold, or cut bow-strings4 note
.
[Exeunt.
-- 24 --
Samuel Johnson [1778], The plays of William Shakspeare. In ten volumes. With the corrections and illustrations of various commentators; to which are added notes by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens. The second edition, Revised and Augmented (Printed for C. Bathurst [and] W. Strahan [etc.], London) [word count] [S10901].