The Bodleian First Folio

A digital facsimile of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays, Bodleian Arch. G c.7.



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Reference: O1v - Comedies, p. 158

Left Column


A Midsommer nights Dreame. With these mortals on the ground. Exeunt. Winde Hornes. Enter Theseus, Egeus, Hippolita and all his traine. Thes. Goe one of you, finde out the Forrester,
[1560]
For now our obseruation is perform'd; And since we haue the vaward of the day, My Loue shall heare the musicke of my hounds. Vncouple in the Westerne valley, let them goe; Dispatch I say, and finde the Forrester.
[1565]
We will faire Queene, vp to the Mountaines top. And marke the musicall confusion Of hounds and eccho in coniunction.
Hip. I was with Hercules and Cadmus once, When in a wood of Creete they bayed the Beare
[1570]
With hounds of Sparta; neuer did I heare Such gallant chiding. For besides the groues, The skies, the fountaines, euery region neere, Seeme all one mutuall cry. I neuer heard So musicall a discord, such sweet thunder.
Thes.
[1575]
My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kinde, So flew'd, so sanded, and their heads are hung With eares that sweepe away the morning dew, Crooke kneed, and dew‑lapt, like Thessalian Buls, Slow in pursuit, but match'd in mouth like bels,
[1580]
Each vnder each. A cry more tuneable Was neuer hallowed to, nor cheer'd with horne, In Creete, in Sparta, nor in Thessaly; Iudge when you heare. B ut soft, what nimphs are these?
Egeus. My Lord, this is my daughter heere asleepe,
[1585]
And this Lysander, this Demetrius is, This Helena, olde Nedars Helena, I wonder of this being heere together.
The. No doubt they rose vp early, to obserue The right of May; and hearing our intent,
[1590]
Came heere in grace of our solemnity. But speake Egeus, is not this the day That Hermia should giue answer of her choice?
Egeus. It is, my Lord. Thes. Goe bid the hunts‑men wake them with their hornes. Hornes and they wake. Shout within, they all start vp. Thes.
[1595]
Good morrow friends: Saint Valentine is past, Begin these wood birds but to couple now?
Lys. Pardon my Lord. Thes. I pray you all stand vp. I know you two are Riuall enemies.
[1600]
How comes this gentle concord in the world, That hatred is is is so farre from iealousie, To sleepe by hate, and feare no enmity.
Lys. My Lord, I shall reply amazedly, Halfe sleepe, halfe waking. But as yet, I sweare,
[1605]
I cannot truly say how I came heere. But as I thinke (for truly would I speake) And now I doe bethinke me, so it is; I came with Hermia hither. Our intent Was to be gone from Athens, where we might be
[1610]
Without the perill of the Athenian Law.
Ege. Enough, enough, my Lord: you haue enough; I beg the Law, the Law, vpon his head: They would have stolne away, they would Demetrius, Thereby to haue defeated you and me:
[1615]
You of your wife, and me of my consent; Of my consent, that she should be your wife.
Dem. My Lord, faire Helen told me of their stealth, Of this their purpose hither, to this wood,

Right Column


And I in furie hither followed them;
[1620]
Faire Helena, in fancy followed me. But my good Lord, I wot not by what power, (But by some power it is) my loue To Hermia (melted as the snow) Seems to me now as the remembrance of an idle gaude,
[1625]
Which in my childehood I did doat vpon: And all the faith, the vertue of my heart, The obiect and the pleasure of mine eye, Is onely Helena. To her, my Lord, Was I betroth'd, ere I see Hermia,
[1630]
But like a sickenesse did I loath this food, But as in health, come to my naturall taste, Now doe I wish it, loue it, long for it, And will for euermore be true to it.
Thes. Faire Louers, you are fortunately met;
[1635]
Of this discourse we shall heare more anon. Egeus, I will ouer‑beare your will; For in the Temple, by and by with vs, These couples shall eternally be knit. And for the morning now is something worne,
[1640]
Our purpos'd hunting shall be set aside. Away, with vs to Athens; three and three, Wee'll hold a feast in great solemnitie. Come Hippolitæ.
Exit Duke and Lords. Dem. These things seeme small & vndistinguishable,
[1645]
Like farre off mountaines turned into Clouds.
Her. Me‑thinks I see these things with parted eye, When euery things seemes double. Hel. So me‑thinkes: And I haue found Demetrius, like a iewell,
[1650]
Mine owne, and not mine owne.
Dem. It seemes to mee, That yet we sleepe, we dreame. Do not you thinke, The Duke was heere, and bid vs follow him? Her. Yea, and my Father. Hel.
[1655]
And Hippolitæ.
Lys. And he bid vs follow to the Temple. Dem. Why then we are awake; lets follow him, and by the way let vs recount our dreames. Bottome wakes. Exit Louers. Clo.

When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer.

My next is, most faire Piramus. Hey ho. Peter Quince?

[1660]

Flute the bellowes‑mender? Snout the tinker? Starue­ ling ? Gods my life! Stolne hence, and left me asleepe: I

haue had a most rare vision. I had a dreame, past the wit

of man, to say, what dreame it was. Man is but an Asse,

if he goe about to expound this dreame. Me‑thought I

[1665]

was, there is no man can tell what. Me‑thought I was,

and me‑thought I had. But man is but a patch'd foole,

if he will offer to say, what me‑thought I had. The eye of

man hath not heard, the eare of man hath not seen, mans

hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceiue, nor his

[1670]

heart to report, what my dreame was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballet of this dreame, it shall be called

Bottomes Dreame, because it hath no bottome; and I will

sing it in the latter end of a play, before the Duke. Per­

aduenture, to make it the more gracious, I shall sing it

[1675]

at her death.

Exit.
[Act 4, Scene 2] Enter Quince, Flute, Thisbie, Snout, and Starueling. Quin.

Haue you sent to Bottomes house? Is he come

home yet?

Staru.

He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt hee is

transported.

This. If

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[Act 4, Scene 2] Enter Quince, Flute, Thisbie, Snout, and Starueling. Quin.

Haue you sent to Bottomes house? Is he come

home yet?

Staru.

He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt hee is

transported.

This.
[1680]

If he come not, then the play is mar'd. It goes

not forward, doth it?

Quin.

It is not possible: you haue not a man in all

Athens, able to discharge Piramus but he.

This.

No, hee hath simply the best wit of any handy­

[1685]

craft man in Athens.

Quin.

Yea, and the best person too, and hee is a very

Paramour, for a sweet voyce.

This.

You must say, Paragon. A Paramour is (God

blesse vs) a thing of nought.

Enter Snug the Ioyner. Snug.
[1690]

Masters, the Duke is comming from the Tem­

ple, and there is two or three Lords & Ladies more mar­

ried. If our sport had gone forward, we had all bin made

men.

This.

O sweet bully Bottome: thus hath he lost sixe­

[1695]

pence a day, during his life; he could not haue scaped six­

pence a day. And the Duke had not giuen him sixpence

a day for playing Piramus, Ile be hang'd. He would haue

deserued it. Sixpence a day in Piramus, or nothing.

Enter Bottome. Bot.

Where are these Lads? Where are these hearts?

Quin.
[1700]

Bottome, ô most couragious day! O most hap­

pie houre!

Bot.

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 euery thing as it fell out.

Qu.
[1705]

Let vs heare, sweet Bottome.

Bot.

Not a word of me: all that I will tell you, is, that

the Duke hath dined. Get your apparell together, good

strings to your beards, new ribbands to your pumps,

meete presently at the Palace, euery man looke ore his

[1710]

part: for the short and the long is, our play is preferred:

In any case let Thisby haue cleane linnen: and let not him

that playes the Lion, paire his nailes, for they shall hang

out for the Lions clawes. And most deare Actors, eate

no Onions, nor Garlicke; for wee are to vtter sweete

[1715]

breath, and I doe not doubt but to heare them say, it is a

sweet Comedy. No more words: away, go away.

Exeunt.
 

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   <head type="supplied">[Act 4, Scene 2]</head>
   <stage rend="italic center" type="entrance">Enter Quince, Flute, Thisbie, Snout, and Starueling.</stage>
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      <speaker rend="italic">Quin.</speaker>
      <p n="1676">Haue you sent to<hi rend="italic">Bottomes</hi>house? Is he come
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      <speaker rend="italic">Snug.</speaker>
      <p n="1690">Masters, the Duke is comming from the Tem­
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      <speaker rend="italic">This.</speaker>
      <p n="1694">O sweet bully<hi rend="italic">Bottome</hi>: thus hath he lost sixe­
      <lb n="1695"/>pence a day, during his life; he could not haue scaped six­
      <lb n="1696"/>pence a day. And the Duke had not giuen him sixpence
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   <stage rend="italic center" type="entrance">Enter Bottome.</stage>
   <sp who="#F-mnd-bot">
      <speaker rend="italic">Bot.</speaker>
      <p n="1699">Where are these Lads? Where are these hearts?</p>
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      <p n="1700">Bottome, ô most couragious day! O most hap­
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      <speaker rend="italic">Bot.</speaker>
      <p n="1702">Masters, I am to discourse wonders; but ask me
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   <sp who="#F-mnd-qui">
      <speaker rend="italic">Qu.</speaker>
      <p n="1705">Let vs heare, sweet<hi rend="italic">Bottome</hi>.</p>
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   <sp who="#F-mnd-bot">
      <speaker rend="italic">Bot.</speaker>
      <p n="1706">Not a word of me: all that I will tell you, is, that
      <lb n="1707"/>the Duke hath dined. Get your apparell together, good
      <lb n="1708"/>strings to your beards, new ribbands to your pumps,
      <lb n="1709"/>meete presently at the Palace, euery man looke ore his
      <lb n="1710"/>part: for the short and the long is, our play is preferred:
      <lb n="1711"/>In any case let<hi rend="italic">Thisby</hi>haue cleane linnen: and let not him
      <lb n="1712"/>that playes the Lion, paire his nailes, for they shall hang
      <lb n="1713"/>out for the Lions clawes. And most deare Actors, eate
      <lb n="1714"/>no Onions, nor Garlicke; for wee are to vtter sweete
      <lb n="1715"/>breath, and I doe not doubt but to heare them say, it is a
      <lb n="1716"/>sweet Comedy. No more words: away, go away.</p>
   </sp>
   <stage rend="italic rightJustified" type="exit">Exeunt.</stage>
</div>

                                
                            

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