Enter BOTTOM. BOT. Where are these lads? where are these hearts? QUIN. Bottom!-O most courageous day! O most happy hour! Bor. Masters, I am to discourse wonders: but ask me not what; for if I tell you I am no true Athenian. I will tell you everything, right as it fell out. QUIN. Let us hear, sweet Bottom. BOT. Not a word of me. All that I will tell you is, that the duke hath dined: Get your apparel together; good strings to your beards", new ribbons to your pumps; meet presently at the palace; every man look o'er his part; for, the short and the long is, our play is preferred. In any case, let Thisby have clean linen; and let not him that plays the lion pare his nails, for they shall hang out for the lion's claws. And, most dear actors, eat no onions, nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I do not doubt but to hear them say it is a sweet comedy. No more words; away; go, away. [Exeunt. Right is omitted in the folio. b Preferred-not in the sense of chosen in preference-but offered-as a suit is preferred. SCENE I.-Athens. An Apartment in the Palace of Theseus. HIP. 'Tis strange, my Theseus, that these lovers speak of. THE. More strange than true. I never may believe These antique fables, nor these fairy toys. Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, Are of imagination all compact: One sees more devils than vast hell can hold That is the madman: the lover, all as frantic, Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt: The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven, The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Such tricks hath strong imagination; And grows to something of great constancy; Enter LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, HERMIA, and HELENA. THE. Here come the lovers, full of joy and mirth. Wait in your royal walks, your board, your bed! To ease the anguish of a torturing hour? THE. Say, what abridgment have you for this evening? The lazy time, if not with some delight? The folio has "Call Egeus;" and to him nearly all the speeches subsequently given to Philostrate are assigned. As some stage convenience possibly suggested this arrangement in the folio, it is not worth while to derange the received allotment of the dialogue to Philostrate, which is that of the quartos. Ꮟ Abridgment-pastime-something that may abridge "the lazy time." This is one explanstion. Is it not, rather,-what short thing have you, of play, or mask, or music? PHILOST. There is a brief, how many sports are rifea; Make choice of which your highness will see first. By an Athenian eunuch to the harp." THE. We'll none of that: that have I told my love, In glory of my kinsman Hercules. LYS. "The riot of the tipsy Bacchanals, Tearing the Thracian singer in their rage." THE. That is an old device, and it was play'd Not sorting with a nuptial ceremony. That is, hot ice, and wonderous strange snow. But by ten words, my lord, it is too long, THE. What are they that do play it? PHILOST. Hard-handed men, that work in Athens here, [Giving a paper. In the quartos, Theseus reads the "brief," and makes the remarks upon each item;—in the folio, Lysander reads the list. The lines are generally printed as in the quartos; but the division of so long a passage is clearly better, and is perfectly natural and proper. • Wonderous strange snow. This has sorely puzzled the commentators. They want an antithesis for snow, as hot is for ice. Upton, therefore, reads, "black snow;" Hanmer, “scorching snow;" and Mason, "strong snow." Surely snow is a common thing; and, therefore, "wonderous strange" is sufficiently antithetical-hot ice, and snow as strange. (Unless you can find sport in their intents a,) Extremely stretch'd and conn'd with cruel pain, To do you service. THE. I will hear that play; For never anything can be amiss When simpleness and duty tender it. Go, bring them in: and take your places, ladies. HIP. I love not to see wretchedness o'ercharg'd, And duty in his service perishing. THE. Why, gentle sweet, you shall see no such thing. Noble respect takes it in might, not merit. I read as much, as from the rattling tongue Enter PHILOSTRATE. PHILOST. So please your grace, the prologue is address'dc. [Exit PHILOSTRATE. THE. Let him approach. Enter Prologue. [Flourish of trumpets. PROL. If we offend, it is with our good will. That you should think we come not to offend, This line is parenthetical, and we print it so. Johnson says he does not know what it is to stretch and con an intent. It is the play which Philostrate has heard over, so stretch'd and cons'd, which he describes as nothing. Might. This is not used to express power, but will-what one mayeth-the will for the deed. (See Tooke's 'Diversions of Purley,' Part II., c. 5.) Address'd-ready. |