This. " And I like Helen, till the fates me kill."
Pyr. « Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true.”
This. “ As Shafalus to Procrus, I to you."
Pyr. “ 0, kiss me through the hole of this vile

“ wall." This. “ I kiss the wall's hole, not your lips at all." Pyr. " Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me

“ straightway?" This. “ Tide life, tide death, I come without de.

211

Wall. “ Thus have I, wall, my part discharged so; “ And, being done, thus wall away doth go.”

[Exeunt WALL, PYRAMUS, and Thisbe. The. · Now is the mural down between the two neighbours,

Dem. No remedy, my lord, when walls are so wilful to hear without warning.

Hip. This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard.

The. The best in this kind are but shadows : and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them.

Hip. It must be your imagination then, and not theirs.

The. If we imagine no worse of them, than they of themselves, they may pass for excellent men. Here come two noble beasts in, a moon, and a lion,

a

221

Enter Lion and MOONSHINE.

Lion. “ You, ladies, you, whose gentle hearts do fear Hiij

" The

“ The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on

floor, “ May now, perchance, both quake and tremble here,

“ When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar. “ Then know, that I, as Snug the joiner, am " A lion fell, nor else no lion's dam : “ For if I should as lion come in strife “ Into this place, 'twere pity on my life.” 229

The. A very gentle beast, and of a good conscience. Dem. The very best at a beast, my lord, that e'er I

:

saw.

:

Lys. This lion is a very fox for his valour.
The. True; and a goose for his discretion.

Dem. Not so, my lord : for his valour cannot carry his discretion ; and the fox carries the goose.

The. His discretion, I am sure, cannot carry his valcur; for the goose carries not the fox. It is well : leave it to his discretion, and let us listen to the moon.

240 Moon. " This lantern doth the horned moon

“ present :" Dem. He should have worn the horns on his head.

The. He is no crescent, and his horns are invisible within the circumference.

Moon. " This lantern doth the horned moon pre

16 sent;

" Myself the man i’the moon do seem to be."

The. This is the greatest error of all the rest; the

man

man should be put into the lantern ; How is it else the man i'the moon?

250 Dem. He dares not come there for the candle; for you see, it is already in snuff.

Hip. I am weary of this moon: Would, he would change!

The. It appears, by his small light of discretion, that he is in the wane ; but yet, in courtesy, in all reason, we must stay the time.

Lys. Proceed, moon.

Moon. All that I have to say, is to tell you, that the lantern is the moon; I, the man in the moon; this thorn-bush, my thorn-bush; and this dog, my dog.

Dem. Why, all these should be in the lantern; for they are in the moon. But, silence ; here comes Thisbe.

" 264

Enter THISBE. This. “ This is old Ninny's tomb : Where is my

" love?" Lion. “Oh~" (The Lion roars. Thisbe runs off: Dem. Well roar'd, lion. The. Well run, Thisbe.

Hip. Well shone, moon.-Truly, the moon shines with a good grace.

270 The. Well mous'd, lion. Dem. And then came Pyramus, Lys. And so the lion vanish’d.

Enter Enter PYRAMUS.

Pyr.

« Sweet moon, I thank thee for thy sunny

« beams; “ I thank thee, moon, for shining now so bright : “ For, by thy gracious, golden, glittering streams, “ I trust to taste of truest Thisby's sight.

“ But stay ;- spight!

" But mark ;-Poor knight, What dreadful dole is here?

280 “ Eyes, do you see?

" How can it be?
« Q dainty duck? O dear!

“. Thy mantle good,

“What, stain'd with blood ?
« Approach, ye furies fell!

" O fates! come, come;
• Cut thread and thrum;

Quail, crush, conclude, and quell !". The. This passion, and the death of a dear friend, would go near to make a man look sad.

291
Hip. Beshrew my heart, but I pity the man.
Pyr. “ 0, wherefore, nature, didst thou lions

" frame?
Since lion vile hath here defiour'd

my " Which is no, no-which was the fuirest dame, « That liv'd, that lov'd, that lik’d, that look'd

“ with cheer.
" Come tears, confound;
“ Out sword, and wound

“ The

dear :

“ The pap of Pyramus :
Ay, that left pap,

300
“ Where heart doth hop:
“ Thus die I, thus, thus, thus.

“ Now am I dead,

« Now ain I fled; “ My soul is in the sky :

Tongue, lose thy light!

" Moon take thy flight!
« Now, die, die, die, die, die."

[Dies. Exit MOONSHINE. Dem. No die, but an ace, for him ; for he is but

310 Lys. Less than an ace, man; for he is dead; he is nothing. ..The. With the help of a surgeon, he might yet recover, and prove an ass.

Hip. How chance the moonshine is gone, before Thisbe comes back and finds her lover ?

The. She will find him by star-light.-

one.

Enter ThisBE.

Here she comes, and her passion ends the play.

Hip. Methinks, she should not use a long one, for such a Pyramus: I hope, she will be brief.

390
Dem. A moth will turn the balance, which Pyra-
mus, which Thisbe, is the better.
Lys. She hath spied him already, with those sweet

eyes.
Dem. And thus she moans, videlicet,