Page images
PDF
EPUB

With its sweet air: thence I have follow'd it,
Or it hath drawn me rather :-But 'tis gone.

No, it begins again.

ARIEL fings.

Full fathom five thy father lies ;

Of his bones are coral made ;
Those are pearls, that were his eyes :

Nothing of him that doth fade,

But doth fuffer a fea-change
Into fomething 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 found

That the earth owes :- I hear it now above me.

PRO. The fringed curtains of thine eye advance,

And fay, what thou feeft yond'.

MIRA. What is't? a spirit?
Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, fir,
It carries a brave form :-But 'tis a fpirit.

PRO. No, wench; it eats and fleeps, and hath fuch senses
As we have, fuch: This gallant, which thou feeft,
Was in the wreck; and but he's fomething stain'd
With grief, that's beauty's canker, thou might'st call him
A goodly perfon he hath lost his fellows,

And strays about to find them.

MIRA. I might call him

A thing divine; for nothing natural

I ever faw so noble.

PRO. It goes on,

[Afide

As my foul prompts it :-Spirit, fine spirit, I'll free thee Within two days for this.

FER. Moft fure, the goddess

On whom these airs attend! - Vouchsafe, my prayer

May know, if you remain upon this island;

And that you will fome good instruction give,

How I may bear me here: My prime request,
Which I do last pronounce, is, O you wonder!

If you be made, or no?

MIRA. No wonder, fir;

But, certainly a maid.

FER. My language! heavens!

I am the best of them that speak this speech,

Were I but where 'tis spoken.

PRO. How! the best ?

What wert thou, if the king of Naples heard thee?
FER. A fingle thing, as I am now, that wonders
To hear thee speak of Naples: He does hear me;
And, that he does, I weep: myself am Naples ;
Who with mine eyes, ne'er fince at ebb, beheld
The king my father wreck'd.

MIRA. Alack, for mercy!

FER. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the duke of Milan,

And his brave fon, 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 fight

They have chang'd eyes :-Delicate Ariel,

Il fet thee free for this! -A word, good fir;

[Afide.

I fear, you have done yourself fome wrong: a word.

MIRA. Why speaks my father so ungently? This

Is the third man that e'er I faw; the first

That e'er I

figh'd for: pity move my father

To be inclin'd my way!

Fer. O, if a virgin,

And your affection not gone forth, I'll make you

The queen of Naples.

PRO. Soft, fir; one word more.They are both in either's powers; but this swift business I must uneasy make, lest too light winning

[Afide.

Make the prize light. One word more; I charge thee,
That thou attend me: thou dost here ufurp
The name thou ow'st not; and haft put thyself

Upon this island, as a spy, to win it

From me, the lord on't.

FER. No, as I am a man.

MIRA. There's nothing ill can dwell in fuch a temple : If the ill spirit have so fair an house,

Good things will strive to dwell with't.

PRO. Follow me.

[TO FERD.

Speak not you for him; he's a traitor.-Come,
I'll manacle thy neck and feet together:

Sea-water shalt thou drink, thy food shall be
The fresh-brook muscles, wither'd roots, and husks

Wherein the acorn cradled: Follow.

FER. NO;

I will resist such entertainment, till

Mine enemy has more power.

MIRA. O dear father,

Make not too rash a trial of him, far

He's gentle, and not fearful.

PRO. What, I say,

[He draws.

My foot my tutor!-Put thy sword up, traitor;

Who makst a show, but dar'st not strike, thy confcience

Is so possess'd with guilt: come from thy ward;

For I can here disarm thee with this stick,

And make thy weapon drop.

MIRA. Beseech you, father!

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

PRO. Silence: one word more

Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee. What!

An advocate for an impoftor? hush !

Thou think'st, there are no more fuch shapes as he,
Having feen but him and Caliban: Foolish wench!

To the most of men this is a Caliban,

And they to him are angels.

MIRA. My affections

Are then most humble; I have no ambition

To fee a goodlier man,

PRO. Come on; obey :

Thy nerves are in their infancy again,

And have no vigour in them.

FER, So they are :

My fpirits, as in a dream, are all bound up.

My father's lofs, the weakness which I feel,

[TO FERD.

The wreck of all my friends, or this man's threats,

To whom I am fubdu'd, are but light to me,

Might I but through my prifon once a day
Behold this maid: all corners else o' the earth

Let liberty make use of; space enough

Have I, in fuch a prison.

PRO. It works:-Come on.

Thou haft done well, fine Ariel!-Follow me.

Hark, what thou else shalt do me.

MIRA. Be of comfort;

My father's of a better nature, fir,

[To FERD. and MIRA.

[TO ARIEL.

Than he appears by speech; this is unwonted,

Which now came from him.

PRO. Thou shalt be as free

As mountain winds: but then exactly do

All points of my command.

ARI. To the fyllable.

PRO. Come, follow: fpeak not for him.

ACT II.

[Exeunt,

SCENE I. Another part of the island. Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO, ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and others.

GON. 'Beseech you, fir, be merry: you have caufe
(So have we all) of joy; for our escape
Is much beyond our loss: Our hint of woe
Is common; every day, fome sailor's wife,
The masters of fome 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 wifely, good fir, weigh
Our forrow with our comfort.

ALON. Pr'ythee, peace.

SEB. He receives comfort like cold porridge.
ANT. The visitor will not give him o'er fo.

SEB. Look, he's winding up the watch of his wit; by

and by it will strike.

GON. Sir,

SEB. One:-Tell.

GON. When every grief is entertain'd, that's offer'd,

Comes to the entertainer

SEB. A dollar.

GON. Dolour comes to him, indeed; you have spoken truer than you purpos'd.

SEB. You have taken it wiselier than I meant you should.

« PreviousContinue »