Act IV, Scene 2

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 1785
  transported.

• Flute. If he come not, then the play is marred: it goes
  not forward, doth it?

• Quince. It is not possible: you have not a man in all
  Athens able to discharge Pyramus but he. 1790

• Flute. No, he hath simply the best wit of any handicraft
  man in Athens.

• Quince. Yea and the best person too; and he is a very
  paramour for a sweet voice.

• Flute. You must say 'paragon:' a paramour is, God bless us, 1795
  a thing of naught.

[Enter SNUG]

• Snug. Masters, the duke is coming from the temple, and
  there is two or three lords and ladies more married:
  if our sport had gone forward, we had all been made 1800
  men.

• Flute. O sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a
  day during his life; he could not have 'scaped
  sixpence a day: an the duke had not given him
  sixpence a day for playing Pyramus, I'll be hanged; 1805
  he would have deserved it: sixpence a day in
  Pyramus, or nothing.

[Enter BOTTOM]

• Bottom. Where are these lads? where are these hearts?

• Quince. Bottom! O most courageous day! O most happy hour! 1810

• Bottom. Masters, I am to discourse wonders: but ask me not
  what; for if I tell you, I am no true Athenian. I
  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 1815
  the duke hath dined. Get your apparel together,
  good strings to your beards, new ribbons to your
  pumps; meet presently at the palace; every man look
  o'er his part; for the short and the long is, our
  play is preferred. In any case, let Thisby have 1820
  clean linen; and let not him that plays the lion
  pair his nails, for they shall hang out for the
  lion's claws. And, most dear actors, eat no onions
  nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I
  do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a sweet 1825
  comedy. No more words: away! go, away!

[Exeunt]