SCENE II. Athens. QUINCE'S house.
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
FLUTE
If he come not, then the play is marred: it goes
FLUTE
not forward, doth it?
QUINCE
It is not possible: you have not a man in all
QUINCE
Athens able to discharge Pyramus but he.
FLUTE
No, he hath simply the best wit of any handicraft
QUINCE
Yea and the best person too; and he is a very
QUINCE
paramour for a sweet voice.
FLUTE
You must say 'paragon:' a paramour is, God bless us,
SNUG
Masters, the duke is coming from the temple, and
SNUG
there is two or three lords and ladies more married:
SNUG
if our sport had gone forward, we had all been made
FLUTE
O sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a
FLUTE
day during his life; he could not have 'scaped
FLUTE
sixpence a day: an the duke had not given him
FLUTE
sixpence a day for playing Pyramus, I'll be hanged;
FLUTE
he would have deserved it: sixpence a day in
FLUTE
Pyramus, or nothing.
BOTTOM
Where are these lads? where are these hearts?
QUINCE
Bottom! O most courageous day! O most happy hour!
BOTTOM
Masters, I am to discourse wonders: but ask me not
BOTTOM
what; for if I tell you, I am no true Athenian. I
BOTTOM
will tell you every thing, right as it fell out.
QUINCE
Let us hear, sweet Bottom.
BOTTOM
Not a word of me. All that I will tell you is, that
BOTTOM
the duke hath dined. Get your apparel together,
BOTTOM
good strings to your beards, new ribbons to your
BOTTOM
pumps; meet presently at the palace; every man look
BOTTOM
o'er his part; for the short and the long is, our
BOTTOM
play is preferred. In any case, let Thisby have
BOTTOM
clean linen; and let not him that plays the lion
BOTTOM
pair his nails, for they shall hang out for the
BOTTOM
lion's claws. And, most dear actors, eat no onions
BOTTOM
nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I
BOTTOM
do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a sweet
BOTTOM
comedy. No more words: away! go, away!
