A Midsummer Night's Dream

The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not211

seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive,

nor his heart to report, what my dream was. I will get Peter

Quince to write a ballad of this dream: it shall be called

'Bottom's215 Dream', because it hath no bottom; and I will sing it in the latter end of a play, before the duke. Peradventure216, to make it the more gracious, I shall sing it at her217 death.

Exit

[Act 4 Scene 2]

running scene 6

Enter Quince, Flute, Snout and Starveling

QUINCE Have you sent to Bottom's house? Is he come home yet?

STARVELING He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he is transported.

FLUTE If he come not, then the play is marred. It goes not forward5, doth it?

QUINCE It is not possible: you have not a man in all Athens able to discharge7 Pyramus but he.

FLUTE No, he hath simply the best wit8 of any handicraft man in Athens.

QUINCE Yea, and the best person10 too, and he is a very paramour11 for a sweet voice.

FLUTE You must say 'paragon'. A paramour is, God bless us, a thing of naught13.

Enter Snug the joiner

SNUG Masters, the duke is coming from the temple, and there is two or three lords and ladies more married. If our

sport had gone forward, we had all been made men16.

FLUTE O sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a17

day during his life; he could not have scaped18 sixpence a day.

An19 the duke had not given him sixpence a day for playing Pyramus, I'll be hanged. He would have deserved it.

Sixpence a day in Pyramus, or nothing.

Enter Bottom

BOTTOM Where are these lads? Where are these hearts22?

QUINCE Bottom! O most courageous day! O most happy hour!

BOTTOM 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 as it fell out27.

QUINCE Let us hear, sweet Bottom.

BOTTOM Not a word of29 me. All that I will tell you is that the duke hath dined. Get your apparel together, good strings30 to your beards, new ribbons to your pumps. Meet presently31 at the palace, every man look o'er his part, for the short and the