GON. You are gentlemen of brave mettle; you would lift the moon out of her sphere, if she would continue in it five weeks without changing.

Enter ARIEL invisible, playing folemn musick. SEB. We would so, and then go a bat-fowling. ANT. Nay, good my lord, be not angry.

Gon. No, I warrant you; I will not adventure my difcretion so weakly. Will you laugh me afsleep, for I am very heavy?

ANT. Go fleep, and hear us.

[All sleep but ALON. SEB. and Ant.

ALON. What, all so soon afleep! I wish mine eyes Would, with themselves, shut up my thoughts: I find, They are inclined to do so.

SEB. Please you, fir,

Do not omit the heavy offer of it:

It feldom vifits forrow; when it doth,
It is a comforter.

ANT. We two, my lord,

Will guard your person, while you take your reft,
And watch your safety.

ALON. Thank you: Wondrous heavy.

[Alonso fleeps. Exit ARIEL.

SEB. What a strange drowsiness possesses them?

ANT. It is the quality o' the climate.

SEB. Why

Doth it not then our eye-lids sink? I find not
Myself dispos'd to fleep.

ANT. Nor I; my spirits are nimble.
They fell together all, as by consent;

They dropp'd, as by a thunder-stroke. What might Worthy Sebastian?_O, what might ?-No more :And yet, methinks, I see it in thy face,

3

i

What thou should'st be: the occasion speaks thee; and

My strong imagination fees a crown

Dropping upon thy head.

SEB. What, art thou waking?

ANT. Do you not hear me speak?

SEB. I do; and, furely,

It is a fleepy language; and thou speak'st

Out of thy fleep: What is it thou didst say?

This is a strange repose, to be asleep

With eyes wide open; standing, speaking, moving,

And yet so fast asleep.

ANT. Noble Sebastian,

Thou let'st thy fortune sleep-die rather; wink'st
Whiles thou art waking.

SEB. Thou dost snore distinctly;

There's meaning in thy snores.

ANT. I am more ferious than my custom: you

Muft be so too, if heed me; which to do,

Trebles thee o'er.

SEB. Well; I am standing water.

ANT. I'll teach you how to flow.

SEB. Do so: to ebb,

Hereditary floth instructs me.

ΑΝΤ. Ο,

If you but knew, how you the purpose cherith,
Whiles thus you mock it! how, in stripping it,
You more invest it! Ebbing men, indeed,
Most often do so near the bottom run,

By their own fear, or floth.

SEB. Pr'ythee, say on:

The fetting of thine eye, and cheek, proclaim
A matter from thee; and a birth, indeed,
Which throws thee much to yield.

!

ANT. Thus, fir:

Although this lord of weak remembrance, this

(Who shall be of as little memory,

When he is earth'd,) hath here almost perfuaded
(For he's a spirit of perfuafion only,)

The king, his son's alive; 'tis as impossible
That he's undrown'd, as he that fleeps here, swims.

SEB. I have no hope

That he's undrown'd.

ANT. O, out of that no hope,

What great hope have you! no hope, that way, is
Another way so high an hope, that even

Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond,

But doubts discovery there. Will you grant, with me, That Ferdinand is drown'd ?

SEB. He's gone.

ANT. Then, tell me,

Who's the next heir of Naples ?

SEB. Claribel.

ANT. She that is queen of Tunis; she that dwells Ten leagues beyond man's life; she that from Naples Can have no note, unless the fun were post, (The man i' the moon's too flow,) till new-born chins Be rough and razorable; she, from whom We were all fea-fwallow'd, though some caft again; And, by that, destin'd to perform an act, Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come, In yours and my discharge.

SEB. What stuff is this? How say you? 'Tis true, my brother's daughter's queen of Tunis; So is she heir of Naples; 'twixt which regions There is some space.

ANT. A space whose every cubit

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Seems to cry out, How shall that Claribel

Meafure us back to Naples ?-Keep in Tunis,

And let Sebastian wake! _ Say, this were death

That now hath seiz'd them; why, they were no worse

Than now they are: There be, that can rule Naples,

As well as he that fleeps; lords, that can prate

As amply, and unnecessarily,

As this Gonzalo; I myself could make

A chough of as deep chat. O, that you bore

The mind that I do! what a fleep were this

For your advancement! Do you understand me ?

And, look, how well my garments fit upon me;
Much feater than before: My brother's servants

Were then my fellows, now they are my men.

SEB. But, for your confcience

ANT. Ay, Sir; where lies that? if it were a kybe, Twould put me to my flipper; But I feel not This deity in my bosom: twenty confciences, That stand 'twixt me and Milan, candy'd be they, And melt, ere they moleft! Here lies your brother,

No better than the earth he lies upon,

If he were that which now he's like; whom I,
With this obedient steel, three inches of it,
Can lay to bed for ever: whiles you, doing thus,
To the perpetual wink for aye might put
This ancient morsel, this fir Prudence, who
Should not upbraid our course. For all the rest,

VOL. I.

C

They'll take suggestion, as a cat laps milk;
They'll tell the clock to any business that
We say befits the hour.

SEB. Thy cafe, dear friend,

Shall be my precedent; as thou got'st Milan,
I'll come by Naples. Draw thy sword: one stroke
Shall free thee from the tribute which thou pay'st;

And I the king shall love thee.

ANT. Draw together:

And when I rear my hand, do you the like

To fall it on Gonzalo.

SEB. O, but one word.

[They converse apart.

Musick. Re-enter ARIEL invisible.

ARI. My master through his art foresees the danger

That these, his friends, are in; and sends me forth, (For elfe his project dies,) to keep them living.

[Sings in GONZALO's ear.

While you here do snoring lie,
Open-ey'd conspiracy

His time doth take:

If of life you keep a care,
Shake off Slumber, and beware :

Awake! Awake!

ANT. Then let us both be fudden.

GoN. Now, good angels, preserve the king ! [They wake.

ALON. Why, how now, ho! awake! Why are you

Wherefore this ghastly looking ?

GON. What's the matter?

[drawn ?

SEB. Whiles we stood here fecuring your repose,

Even now, we heard a hollow burst of bellowing
Like bulls, or rather lions; did it not wake you ?

It ftruck mine ear most terribly.

ALON. I heard nothing.