The raging rocks 25 And shivering shocks Shall break the locks Of prison-gates; And Phibbus’ car Shall shine from far, 30 And make and mar The foolish Fates. This was lofty! Now name the rest of the players. This is Ercles’ vein, a tyrant’s vein; a lover is more condoling. _Quin._ Francis Flute, the bellows-mender. 35 _Flu._ Here, Peter Quince. _Quin._ Flute, you must take Thisby on you. _Flu._ What is Thisby? a wandering knight? _Quin._ It is the lady that Pyramus must love. _Flu._ Nay, faith, let not me play a woman; I have a 40 beard coming. _Quin._ That’s all one: you shall play it in a mask, and you may speak as small as you will. _Bot._ An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too, I’ll speak in a monstrous little voice, ‘Thisne, Thisne;’ ‘Ah 45 Pyramus, my lover dear! thy Thisby dear, and lady dear!’ _Quin._ No, no; you must play Pyramus: and, Flute, you Thisby. _Bot._ Well, proceed. _Quin._ Robin Starveling, the tailor. 50 _Star._ Here, Peter Quince. _Quin._ Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby’s mother. Tom Snout, the tinker. _Snout._ Here, Peter Quince. _Quin._ You, Pyramus’ father: myself, Thisby’s father: 55 Snug, the joiner; you, the lion’s part: and, I hope, here is a play fitted. _Snug._ Have you the lion’s part written? pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study. _Quin._ You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but 60 roaring. _Bot._ Let me play the lion too: I will roar, that I will do any man’s heart good to hear me; I will roar, that I will make the duke say, ‘Let him roar again, let him roar again.’ 65 _Quin._ An you should do it too terribly, you would fright the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek; and that were enough to hang us all. _All._ That would hang us, every mother’s son. _Bot._ I grant you, friends, if that you should fright the 70 ladies out of their wits, they would have no more discretion but to hang us: but I will aggravate my voice so, that I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar you an ’twere any nightingale. _Quin._ You can play no part but Pyramus; for Pyramus 75 is a sweet-faced man; a proper man, as one shall see in a summer’s day; a most lovely, gentleman-like man: therefore you must needs play Pyramus. _Bot._ Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best to play it in? 80 _Quin._ Why, what you will. _Bot._ I will discharge it in either your straw colour beard, your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-grain beard, or your French crown colour beard, your perfect yellow. 85