"O wicked wall, through whom I fee no blifs;
"Curit be thy ftones for thus deceiving me!"
The. The wall, methinks, being fenfible, should
curfe again.

Pyr. No, in truth, fir, he fhould not. Deceiving me, is Thiby's cue; fhe is to enter now, and I am to spy her through the wall. You fhall fee, it will fall pat as I told you :-Yonder fhe comes.

Enter THISBE,

Thif. "O wall, full often haft thou heard my moans, "For parting my fair Pyramus and me:

"My cherry lips have often kifs'd thy ftones;

66

Thy ftones with lime and hair knit up in thee." Pyr: "I fee a voice: now will Ito the chink, "To fpy an I can hear my Thisby's face. "Thisby!"

Thif. "My love! thou art my love, I think." Pyr. "Think what thou wilt, I am thy lover's "And like Limander am I trusty still."

[grace;
Thif. And I like Helen, 'till the fates me kill."
Pyr. "Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true."
Thif. "As Shafalus to Procrus, I to you."
Pyr. "O, kifs me through the whole of this vile wall."
Thif. "I kifs the wall's hole, not your lips at all."
Pyr. "Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straight-
way?"

Thif."Tide life, tide death, I come without delay.". Wall. "Thus have I wall my part discharged fo; "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.

F 3

Hip

Hip. This is the filliest stuff that ever I heard. The. The beft in this kind are but fhadows: 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 worfe of them, than they of themselves, they may pass for excellent men. Here comes two noble beasts in, a man and a lion.

Enter Lion, and Moonfbine.

Lion. "You, ladies, you, whofe gentle hearts do fear "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, one Snug the joiner, am "A lion fell, nor elfe no lion's dam:

"For if I fhould as lion come in ftrife

"Into this place, 'twere pity on my life."

The. A very gentle beaft, and of a good confcience. Dem. The very best at a beast, my lord, that e'er I faw. Lyf. This lion is a very fox for his valour.. The. True; and a goofe for his difcretion. Dem. Not fo, my lord: for his valour cannot carry his discretion; and the fox carries the goofe.

The. His difcretion, I am fure, cannot carry his valour; for the goofe carries not the fox. It is well: leave it to his discretion, and let us listen to the moon. Moon. "This lantern doth the horned moon prefent;" Dem. He fhould have worn the horns on his head. The. He is no crefcent, and his horns are invifible within the circumference.

Moon. "This lantern doth the horned moon prefent; "Myself the man i'the moon do seem to be."

The. This is the greatest error of all the rest: the man fhould be put into the lantern; how is it else the man i'the moon?

Dem

Dem. He dares not come there for the candle: for, you fee, it is already in fnuff.

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

The. It appears, by this fmall light of difcretion, that he is in the wane: but yet, in courtesy, in all reason, we muft ftay the time."

Lyf. Proceed, moon.

Moon. All that I have to fay, is, to tell you, that the lanthorn 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 lanthorn; for they are in the moon. But, filence; here comes Thisbe. Enter THISBE.

Thif. "Thisis old Ninny's tomb: Where is my love?" Lion. "Oh.-" [The lion roars. THISBE runs off. Dem. Well roar'd, lion.

The. Well run, Thibe.

Hip. Well fhone, moon.-Truly, the moon fhines with a good grace.

The. Well mous'd, lion.

Dem. And then came Pyramus.

Enter PYRAMUS.

Lyf. And fo the Lion vanish'd.

[Exit Lion.

Pyr. "Sweet moon, I thank thee forthy funny beams; "I thank thee, moon, for fhining now fo bright: For by thy gracious, golden, glittering ftreams, "I trust to taste of trueft Thisby's fight. "But ftay ;-O fpight!

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

"Eyes, do you fee?

"How can it be?

"O dainty duck! O dear!

" Thy

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

Hip. Befhrew my heart, but I pity the man. Pyr. "O, wherefore nature didst thou lions frame? "Since lion vile hath here deflour'd my dear : "Which is no, no-which was the fairest dame, "That liv'd, that lov'd, that lik'd, that look'd, with "Come, tears, confound;

"Now am I fled;

My foul is in the sky:
"Tongue, lofe thy light!
"Moon, take thy flight!

"Now die, die, die, die, die."

[cheer,

[Dies. Exit Moonfbine. Dem. No die, but an ace, for him; for he is but one. Lyf. Lefs, than an ace, man; for he is dead; he is nothing.

The. With the help of a furgeon, he might yet recover, and prove an afs.

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

The. She will find him by star light.-Here fhe comes;

Enter

Enter THISBE.

and her paffion ends the play.

+

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

Dem. A moth will turn the balance, which Pyramus, which Thisbe, is the better.

Lyf. Shehath spied him already, with those sweet eyes.
Dem. And thus fhe moans, videlicet.-

Thif." Afleep, my love?

"What, dead, my dove?
"O Pyramus, arife,

"Speak, fpeak. Quite dumb?
"Dead, dead? A tomb
"Muft cover thy fweet eyes.
"Thefe lily lips,

"This cherry nofe,

"Thefe yellow cowflip cheeks,

"Are gone, are gone:
"Lovers, make moan!

"His eyes were green as leeks.
"O fifters three,

"Come, come, to me,
"With hands as pale as milk;

"Lay them in gore,

"Since you have shore

"With fhears his thread of filk.

"Tongue, not a word :

"Come, trufty fword;

"Come blade, my breast imbrue :

"And, farewel, friends ;

"Thus Thisby ends:

"Adieu, adieu, adieu."

[Dies.

The. Moonshine and lion are left to bury the dead.

Dem.