[A confused noise_within.]-Mercy on us! We Four or five women once, that tended me? split, we split!-Farewell, my wife and children! Pro. Thou hadst, and more Miranda: But how Farewell, brother! We split, we split, we split!— is it, Ant. Let's all sink with the king. Seb. Let's take leave of him.
[Exit. [Exit. Gon. Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground; long heath, brown furze, any thing: The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death.
Enter PROSPERO and MIRANDA.
Mira. If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them:
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffer'd
With those that I saw suffer! a brave vessel,
Who had no doubt some noble creatures in her,
Dash'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock
Against my very heart! Poor souls! they perish'd.
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth, or e'er
It should the good ship so have swallowed, and
The freighting souls within her.
Be collected;
No more amazement: tell your piteous heart,
There's no harm done.
I should inform thee further. Lend thy band,
And pluck my magic garment from me.-So;
[Lays down his mantle.
Lie there my art.-Wipe thou thine eyes; have
comfort.
The direful spectacle of the wreck, which touch'd
The very virtue of compassion in thee,
I have with such provision in mine art
So safely order'd, that there is no soul-
No, not so much perdition as an hair,
Betid to any creature in the vessel
That this lives in thy mind? What see'st thou else
In the dark backward and abysm of time?
If thou remember'st ought, ere thou cam`st here,
How thou cam'st here, thou may'st.
Mira.
But that I do not.
Pro. Twelve years since, Miranda, twelve years
Thy father was the duke of Milan and
A prince of power.
Mira.
Sir, are not you my father?
Pro. Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and
She said-thou wast my daughter; and thy father
Was duke of Milan; and his only heir
A princess; no worse issued.
Mira.
O, the heavens!
What foul play had we, that we came from thence;
Or blessed was't, we did?
Pro.
Both, both, my girl;
By foul play, as thou say'st, were we heav'd thence;
But blessedly holp hither.
O, my heart bleeds To think o' the teen that I have turn'd you to, Which is from my remembrance! Please you, fur
Pro. My brother, and thy uncle, call'd Antonio,-
I pray thee, mark me,-that a brother should
Be so perfidious!-he whom, next thyself,
Of all the world I lov'd, and to him put
The manage of my state; as, at that time,
Through all the signories it was the first,
And Prospero the prime duke; being so reputed
In dignity, and, for the liberal arts,
Without a parallel: those being all my study,
The government I cast upon my brother.
And to my state grew stranger, being transported,
And rapt in secret studies. Thy false uncle-
Dost thou attend me?
Pro. Being once perfected how to grant suits,
How to deny them; whom to advance, and whom
To trash for over-topping; new created
The creatures that were mine, I say, or chang'd
them,
Or else new form'd them; having both the key
Of officer and office, set all hearts
To what tune pleas'd his ear; that now he was
The ivy, which bad bid my princely trunk,
And suck'd my verdure out on't.-Thou attend'st
Which thou heard'st cry, which thou saw'st sink. I pray thee, mark me.
Mira.
For thou must now know further.
Mira.
Begun to tell me what I am; but stopp'd
And left me to a bootless inquisition;
Concluding, Stay, not yet.—
The very minute bids thee ope thine ear;
Obey, and be attentive. Car.'st thou remember
A time before we came unto this cell?
Pro. I thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicate
To closeness, and the bettering of my mind
With that, which, but by being so retired,
O'er-priz'd all popular rate, in my false brother
Awak'd an evil nature: and my trust,
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falsehood, in its contrary as great
As my trust was; which had, indeed, no limit,
A confidence sans bound. He being thus lorded,
I do not think thou can'st; for then thou wast not Not only with what my revenue yielded,
Out three years old.
Your tale, sir, would cure deafness. Pro. To have no screen between this part he play'd,
And him he play'd it for, he needs will be
Absolute Milan: Me, poor man!-my library
Was dukedom large enough; of temporal royalties
He thinks me now incapable: confederates
(So dry he was for sway) with the king of Naples,
To give him annual tribute, do him homage;
Subject his coronet to his crown, and bend
The dukedom, yet unbow'd, (alas, poor Milan!)
To most ignoble stooping.
Pro. Mark his condition, and the event; then tell me,
If this might be a brother.
To think but nobly of my grandmother :
Good wombs have borne bad sons.
Pro.
Now the condition.
This king of Naples, being an enemy
To me inveterate, hearkens my brother's suit;
Which was, that he in lieu o' the premises,-
Of homage, and I know not how much tribute,-
Should presently extirpate me and mine
Out of the dukedom; and confer fair Milan,
With all the honours, on my brother: Whereon,
A treacherous army levied, one midnight
Fated to the purpose, did Antonio open
The gates of Milan; and, i' the dead of darkness,
The ministers for the purpose hurried thence
Me, and thy crying self.
Alack, for pity! 1, not rememb'ring how I cry'd out then, Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint,
That wrings mine eyes.
And then I'll bring thee to the present business
Which now's upon us; without the which, this story
Were most impertinent
Mira.
That hour destroy us? Pro.
Well demanded, wench; My tale provokes that question. Dear, they durst
(So dear the love my people bore me) nor set
A mark so bloody on the business; but
With colours fairer painted their foul ends.
In few, they hurried us aboard a bark;
Bore us some leagues to sea; where they prepar'd
A rotten carcase of a boat, not rigg'd,
Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats
Instinctively had quit it: there they hoist us,
To cry to the sea that roar'd to us; to sigh
To the winds, whose pity, sighing back again,
Did us but loving wrong.
Pro. Thou wast, that did preserve me! Thou didst smile, Infused with a fortitude from heaven, When I have deck'd the sea with drops full salt; Under my burden groan'd; which rais'd in me An undergoing stomach, to bear up Against what should ensue.
Pro. By Providence divine. Some food we had, and some fresh water, that A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,
Out of his clarity (who being then appointed Master of this design,) did give us; with Rich garments, linens, stuffs, and necessaries,
Know thus far forth.-
By accident most strange, bountiful fortune,
Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies
Brought to this shore: and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon
A most auspicious star; whose influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop.-Here cease more questions,
Thou art inclin'd to sleep; 'tis a good dulness,
And give it way;-I know thou can'st not choose.
[MIRANDA Sleeps.
Come away, servant, come: I am ready now;
Approach, my Ariel; come.
Ari. All hail, great master! grave sir, bail! I
To answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly,
To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride
On the curl'd clouds; to thy strong bidding, task
Ariel, and all his quality.
Hast thou, spirit,
Pro.
Perform'd to point the tempest that I bade thee?
Ari. To every article.
I boarded the king's ship; now on the beak,
Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin,
I flam'd amazement: Sometimes, I'd divide,
And burn in many places; on the top-mast
The yards and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly,
Then meet, and join: Jove's lightnings the precur-
Is the king's ship; in the deep nook, where once
Thou call'dst me up at midnight to fetch dew
From the still-vex'd Bermoothes, there she's hid:
The mariners all under hatches stow'd;
Whom, with a charm join'd to their suffer'd labour,
I have left asleep and for the rest o' the fleet,
Which I dispers'd, they all have met again;
And are upon the Mediterranean flote,
Bound sadly home for Naples;
Supposing that they saw the king's ship wreck'd,
And his great person perish.
Pro.
Ariel, thy charge
Exactly is perform'd; but there's more work:
What is the time o' the day?
Ari.
Past the mid season. Pro. At least two glasses: The time 'twixt six and now,
Must by us both be spent most preciously.
Ari. Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me
pains,
Let me remember thee what thou hast promis'd,
Which is not yet perform'd me.
Pro.
What is't thou can'st demand?
Ari.
My liberty.
Pro. Before the time be out? no more.
Ari.
I pray thee
Remember, I have done thee worthy service;
Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, serv'd
Without or grudge,_or_grumblings: thou didst
promise
From what a torment I did free thee?
Pro. Thou liest, malignant thing! Hast thou
forgot
The foul witch Sycorax, who, with age and envy,
Was grown into a hoop? hast thou forgot her?
Ari. No, sir.
Pro.
Pro. Dull thing, I say so; he, that Caliban,
Whom now I keep in service. Thou best know'st
What torment I did find thee in: thy groans
Did make wolves howl, and penetrate the breasts
Of ever-angry bears; it was a torment
To lay upon the damn'd, which Sycorax
Could not again undo; it was mine art,
When I arriv'd, and heard thee, that made gape
The pine, and let thee out.
Ari.
1 thank thee, master.
Pro. If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak,
And peg thee in his knotty entrails, till
Thou hast howl'd away twelve winters.
Ari.
I will be correspondent to command,
And do my spriting gently.
Do so; and after two days
That's my noble master!
What shall I do? say what? what shall I do?
Pro. Go make thyself like to a nymph o' the sea;
Be subject to no sight but mine; invisible
To every eye-ball else. Go, take this shape,
And hither come in't: hence, with diligence.
[Exit ARIEL. Awake, dear heart, awake! thou hast slept well; Awake!
Mira. The strangeness of your story put
Heaviness in me.
Shake it off: Come on;
We'll visit Caliban, my slave, who never
Yields us kind answer.
Thou hast: Where was she born? Come forth thou tortoise! when?
speak; tell me.
Ari. Sir, in Argier.
Pro.
O, was she so? I must,
Once in a month, recount what thou hast been,
Which thou forget'st. This damn'd witch, Sycorax,
For mischiefs manifold, and sorceries terrible
'To enter human hearing, from Argier,
Thou know'st, was banish'd; for one thing she did,
They would not take her life: Is not this true?
Ari. Ay, sir.
Re-enter ARIEL, like a water-nymph.
Fine apparition! My quaint Ariel,
Hark in thine ear.
Ari.
Pro. This blue-ey'd bag was hither brought with
child,
And here was left by the sailors: Thou, my slave,
As thou report'st thyself, wast then her servant :
And, for thou wast a spirit too delicate
To act her earthy and abhorr'd commands,
My lord, it shall be done. [Exit. Pro. Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself Upon thy wicked dam, come forth!
Cal. As wicked dew as e'er my mother brush'd
With raven's feather from unwholesome fen,
Drop on you both! a south-west blow on ye,
And blister you all o'er.
Pro. For this, be sure, to night thou shalt have
Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up; urchins
Shall, for that vast of night that they may work,
All exercise on thee: thou shalt be pinch'd
As thick as honey-combs, each pinch more stinging
Than bees that made them.
Cal.
I must eat my dinner.
This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou tak 'st from me. When thou camest first,
Thou strok'dst me, and mad'st much of me:
would'st give me
Water with berries in't; and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,
That burn by day and night: and then I lov'd thee,
And show'd thee all the qualities o' the isle,
The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place, and
fertile ;
Cursed be I that did so!-All the charms
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
For I am all the subjects that you have, [me
Which first was mine own king; and here you sty
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
The rest of the island.
Pro.
Thou most lying slave,
Whom stripes may move, not kindness: I have
Filth as thou art, with human care; and lodg'd thee In mine own cell, till thou did'st seek to violate The honour of my child.
Cal. O ho, Oho!-'would it had been done! Thou did'st prevent me; I had peopled else This isle with Calibans.
Pro. Abhorred slave ; Which any print of goodness will not take, Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee, Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour One thing or other: when thou did'st not, savage, Know thine own meaning, but would'st gabble like A thing most brutish, I endow'd thy purposes With words that made them known: But thy vile
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Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou Deservedly confin'd into this rock,
Who had'st deserv'd more than a prison.
Cal. You taught me language; and my profit on't Is, I know how to curse: the red plague rid you, For learning me your language!
Pro. Hag-seed, hence! Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou wert best, To answer other business. Shrug'st thou, malice? If thou neglect'st, or dost unwillingly What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps; Fill all thy bones with aches; make thee roar That beasts shall tremble at thy din. Cal.
I must obey: his art is of such power, It would control my dam's god, Setebos, And make a vassal of him.
Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes.
N thing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell :
Hark! now I hear them,-ding-dong, bell.
[Burden, ding-dong.
Fer. The ditty does remember my drown'd father:
This is no mortal business, nor no sound
That the earth owes: - I hear it now above me.
Pro. The fringed curtains of thine eye advance
And say, what thou seest yond'.
What is't? a spirit? Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, sir, It carries a brave form :-But 'tis a spirit. Pro. No wench; it eats and sleeps, and hath such senses
As we have, such: This gallant, which thou seest, Was in the wreck; and but he's something stain'd With grief, that's beauty's canker, thou might's
A goodly person: he hath lost his fellows,
And strays about to find them.
Mira.
I might call him
A thing divine; for nothing natural
I ever saw so noble.
[Aside. As my soul prompts it:-Spirit, fine spirit! I'll
free thee Within two days for this. Fer. Most sure, the goddess On whom these airs attend!-Vouchsafe, my prayer thee!-Nay know, if you remain upon this island; [Aside. And that you will some good instruction give, How I may bear me here: My prime request, Which I do last pronounce, is, O you wonder! If you be maid or no? Mira. No wonder, sir;
So, slave; hence! [Exit CALIBAN.
Re-enter ARIEL invisible, playing and singing; FERDINAND following him,
ARIEL'S Song.
Come unto these yellow sands,
And then take hands:
Court'sied when you have, and kiss'd,
(The wild waves whist,)
Foot it featly here and there;
And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.
Hark, hark!
My language heavens!I am the best of them that speak his speech, Were I but where 'tis spoken.
Pro. How! the best? What wert thou, if the king of Naples heard thee? Fer. A single thing, as I am now, that wonders To hear thee speak of Naples: He does bear me; And, that he does, I weep: myself am Naples; Who with mine eyes, ne'er since at ebb, beheld The king my father wreck'd. Mira.
Fer. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the duke of To whom I am subdued, are but light to me,
Milan,
And his brave son, being twain.
Pro.
The duke of Milan,
And his more braver daughter, could control thee,
If now 'twere fit to do't:-At the first sight [Aside.
They have chang'd eyes :-Delicate Ariel,
I'll set thee free for this!-A word, good sir;
I fear you have done yourself some wrong: a word.
Mira. Why speaks my father so ungently? This
Is the third man that e'er I saw; the first
That e'er I sigh'd for: pity move my father
To be inclin'd my way!
O, if a virgin,
And your affection not gone forth, I'll make you
The queen of Naples.
Soft, sir; one word more. They are both in either's powers; but this swift
Might I but through my prison once a day
Behold this maid: all corners else o' the earth
Let liberty make use of; space enough
Have I in such a prison.
Pro.
It works:-Come on.-
Thou hast done well, fine Ariel!-Follow me.-
[To FERD. and MIR.
Hark, what thou else shalt do me. [To ARIEL.
Mira.
Be of comfort;
My father's of a better nature, sir,
Than he appears by speech; this is unwonted,
Which now came from him.
Thou shalt be as free
As mountain winds: but then exactly do
All points of my command.
Pro. Come, follow: speak not for him. [Exeunt
SCENE, I.-Another part of the Island.
Enter ALONZO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO,
ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and others.
Gon. 'Beseech you, sir, be merry: you have cause
(So have we all) of joy; for our escape
Is much beyond our loss: Our hint of woe
IS common; every day, some sailor's wife,
The masters of some merchant, and the merchant.
Have just our theme of woe: but for the miracle,
I mean our preservation, few in millions
Can speak like us: then wisely, good sir, weigh
Our sorrow with our comfort.
Alon.
Pr'ythee, peace.
Seb. He receives comfort like cold porridge.
Ant. The visitor will not give him o'er so.
Seb. Look, he's winding up the watch of his wit;
By and by it will strike.
Gon. Sir,
Seb. One:-Tell.
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