ther; Snug, the joiner, you, the lion's part: I hope there is a play fitted. Snug. Have you the lion's part written? pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am flow of ftudy. 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 fay, "let him roar again, let him roar again." Quin. If you thould do it too terribly, you would fright the Dutchefs and the ladies, that they would fhriek, and that were enough to hang us all. All. That would hang us every mother's fon. Bot. I grant you, friends, if you fhould fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more difcretion but to hang us; but I will aggravate my voice fo, that I will roar you as gently as any fucking dove; I will roar you an 'twere any nightingale. Quin. You can play no part but Pyramus, for Pyramus is a fweet-fac'd man; a proper man, as one fhall fee in a fummer's-day; a most lovely gentlemanlike man therefore you muft 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 difcharge it in either your straw-colour'd beard, your orange-tawny beard, your 9 purple-ingrain beard, or your French crown-colour'd beard; your perfect yellow. Quin. Some of your French crowns have no hair at all, and then you will play bare-fac'd, But, mafters, here are your parts; and I am to intreat you, 9 Here Bottom again difcovers a true genius for the Stage by his folicitude for propriety of drefs, and his deliberation which heard to chufe among many beards, all unnatural. 1 That is, a head from which the hair has fallen in the les THE BALD. venerea. H 4 request request you, and defire you, to con them by-to-morrow night; and meet me in the palace-wood, a mile without the town, by moon light, there we will rehearfe; for if we meet in the city, we fhall be dog'd with company, and our devices known. In the mean time I will draw a bill of properties, fuch as our play wants. 1 pray you, fail me not. Bot. We will meet, and there we may rehearse more obfcenely and courageously. Take pains, be perfect, adieu. Quin. At the Duke's oak we meet. Bot. Enough; hold, or cut bow-ftings. 2-[Exeunt,. ACT II. SCENE I, A WOO D. Enter a Fairy at one Door, and Puck (or Robingood-fellow) at another. PUCK. OW now, fpirit, whither wander you? 2 At the Duke's Qak ave meet -hold, or cut bowftrings.] This proverbial phrafe came originally from the Camp. When a Rendezvous was appointed, the militia Soldiers would frequently make excufe for not keeping word that their boyftrings were broke, i. e. their arms unferviceable. Hence when one would give another abfolute affurance of meeting him, he would fay proverbially-bold or cut bow-frings-i. e. whether the bow-string held or broke, For cut is used as a neuter, like the verb frets. As when we fay, the string frets-the filk frets, for the paffive, it is cut or fretted. WARBURTON. Thorough brake, thorough brier, Over park, over pale, Through flood, through fire, I do wander every where, Puck. The King doth keep his revels here to night, Because that fhe, as her attendant, hath 4 To dew her orbs upon the green.] For crbs Dr. Gray is inclined to fubftitut beerbs. The orbs here mentioned are the cirches fuppofed to be made by the Fairies on the ground, whofe verdure proceeds from the Fairy's care to water them. They in their courfes make that In meadows and in marshes found, 5 The cowflip was a favourite among the fairies. There is a hint in Drayton of their attention to May morning. Fer the Queen a fitting tow'r Quoth be, is that fair cowflip flow'r. In all your train there's not a fav 6 - Leb ef fpirits.] Lob, lubber, looby, lobcock, all denote both inactivity of body and dulnefs of mind. Changeling.] Changeling is commonly used for the child fuppofed to be left by the fairies, but here for the child taken away. And 8 And now they never meet in grove, or green, Fai.*Or I mistake your shape and making quite, 8 gay. Sheen.] Shining, bright, 9 But they do Square.] To Square here is to quarrel. And are you now fuch fools to fquare for this. GRAY. The French word contrecarrer has the fame import. I. II. III. IV. Either. 1 Skim milk, and fometimes la bour in the quern, And bootless make the breathlefs bufwife chern. The fense of thefe lines is con- And Sometimes make the breath- the quern, Are not you he? Puck. I am-thou fpeak'ft aright; 3 And when she drinks, against her lips I bob, And then the whole quire hold their hips, and loffe, Sull walking like a ragged colt, Of purpefe to deceive us ; He doth with laughter leave us. It will be apparent to him that hall compare Drayton's Poem with this play, that either one of the poets copied the other, or, as I rather believe, that there was then fome fyftem of the fairy empire generally received which they both reprefented as And accurately as they could. Whether Drayton or Shakespear wrote first, I cannot difcover. 3 Puck. Thoufpeak' ft aright.] I have filled up the verfe which I fuppofe the author left complete. It seems that in the Fairy mythology Puck, or Hobgoblin, was the trufty fervant of Oberon, and always employed to watch or detect the Intrigues of Queen Mab, called by Shakespear Titania. Fot in Drayton's Nymphidia the fame fairies are engaged in the fame bufinefs. Mab has an amour with Pigwiggen, Oberon being jealous fends Hobgoblin to catch them, and one of Mab's Nymphs oppofes him by a spell. 4 And tailor cries.] The cuftom of crying tailor at a fudden fall backwards, I think I remember to have obferved. He that flips beside his chair falls as a taylor fquats upon his board. The Oxford Editor and Dr. War burton |