a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? By'r lakin, a parlous fear. I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done. Not a whit: I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them out of fear. Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight. Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion? I fear it, I promise you. Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to bring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to look to 't. Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck: and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wish You,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I would entreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am a man as other men are;' and there indeed let him name his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner. Well it shall be so. But there is two hard things; that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for, you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight. Doth the moon shine that night we play our play? A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanac; find out moonshine, find out moonshine. Yes, it doth shine that night. Why, then may you leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon may shine in at the casement. Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and say he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby says the story, did talk through the chink of