ACT V. SCENE I. The Same. An Apartment in the Palace of THESEUS. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, Lords, and Attendants. HIPPOLYTA. 'Tis strange, my Theseus, that these lovers speak of. THESEUS. More strange than true: I never may believe These antic fables, nor these fairy toys. Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet Are of imagination all compact : One sees more devils than vast Hell can hold ; That is the madman: the lover, all as frantic, Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt: The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven; And, as imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing A local habitation and a name. Such tricks hath strong imagination, That, if it would not apprehend some joy, It comprehends some bringer of that joy. HIPPOLYTA. But all the story of the night told over, And all their minds transfigur'd so together, More witnesseth than fancy's images, And grows to something of great constancy, THESEUS. Here come the lovers, full of joy and mirth. LYSANDER. More than to us Wait in your royal walks, your board, your bed! THESEUS. Come now; what masks, what dances shall we have, To wear away this long age of three hours PHILOSTRATE. Here, mighty Theseus. THESEUS. Say, what abridgment have you for this evening? PHILOSTRATE. There is a brief how many sports are ripe ; Make choice of which your highness will see first. LYSANDER (reads). "The Battle with the Centaurs, to be sung By an Athenian eunuch to the harp.” THESEUS. We'll none of that: that have I told my love, In glory of my kinsman Hercules. LYSANDER. "The riot of the tipsy Bacchanals, Tearing the Thracian singer in their rage." THESEUS. That is an old device; and it was play'd When I from Thebes came last a conqueror. [Giving a pa LYSANDER. "The thrice three Muses mourning for the death Of Learning, late deceas'd in beggary." THESEUS. That is some satire, keen and critical, LYSANDER. "A tedious brief scene of young Pyramus, And his love Thisbe: very tragical mirth." THESEUS. Merry and tragical! Tedious and brief! PHILOSTRATE. A play there is, my lord, some ten words long, THESEUS. What are they that do play it? PHILOSTRATE. Hard-handed men, that work in Athens here, Which never labor'd in their minds till now: And now have toil'd their unbreath'd memories. With this same play, against your nuptial. And we will hear it. THESEUS. PHILOSTRATE. No, my noble lord ; It is not for you: I have heard it over, Unless you can find sport in their intents, THESEUS. I will hear that play; For never anything can be amiss, When simpleness and duty tender it. Go, bring them in;-and take your places, ladies. HIPPOLYTA. [Exit PHILOSTRATE I love not to see wretchedness o'ercharg'd, And duty in his service perishing. THESEUS. Why, gentle sweet, you shall see no such thing. HIPPOLYTA. He says they can do nothing in this kind. THESEUS. The kinder we, to give them thanks for nothing. Noble respect takes it in might, not merit. I read as much as from the rattling tongue Of saucy and audacious eloquence. Enter PHILOSTRATE. PHILOSTRATE. So please your Grace, the Prologue is address'd. Let him approach. THESEUS. [Flourish of trumpets. |