Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

SCENE II. Another Part of the Island.

Enter STEPHANO and TRINCULO; CALIBAN following with a bottle.

Ste. Tell not me; when the butt is out, we will drink water; not a drop before: therefore bear 'em: Servant-monster, drink to me.

up,

and board

Trin. Servant-monster? the folly of this island! They say, there's but five upon this isle: we are three of them; if the other two be brained like us, the state totters.

Ste. Drink, servant-monster, when I bid thee; thy eyes are almost set in thy head.

Trin. Where should they be set else? he were a brave monster indeed, if they were set in his tail.

Se. My man-monster hath drowned his tongue in sack: for my part, the sea cannot drown me: I swam, ere I could recover the shore, five-and-thirty leagues, off and on, by this light. Thou shalt be my lieutenant, monster, or my standard.

Trin. Your lieutenant, if you list; he's no standard. Ste. We'll not run, monsieur monster.

Trin. Nor go neither; but you'll lie, like dogs; and yet say nothing neither.

Ste. Moon-calf, speak once in thy life, if thou beest a good moon-calf.

Cal. How does thy honour? Let me lick thy shoe: I'll not serve him, he is not valiant.

Trin. Thou liest, most ignorant monster; I am in case to justle a constable: Why, thou deboshed fish thou, was there ever man a coward, that hath drunk so much sack as I to-day? Wilt thou tell a monstrous lie, being but half a fish, and half a monster?

Cal. Lo, how he mocks me! wilt thou let him, my lord? Trin. Lord, quoth he!-that a monster should be such a natural!

Cal. Lo, lo, again! bite him to death, I pr'ythee.

Ste. Trinculo, keep a good tongue in your head; if you prove a mutineer, the next tree The poor monster's my subject, and he shall not suffer indignity.

Cal. I thank my noble lord. Wilt thou be pleased to hearken once again to the suit I made thee?

Ste. Marry will I: kneel, and repeat it; I will stand, and so shall Trinculo.

Enter ARIEL, invisible.

Cal. As I told thee before, I am subject to a tyrant; a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of this island. Ari. Thou liest.

Cal. Thou liest, thou jesting monkey, thou!

I would, my valiant master would destroy thee:
I do not lie.

Ste. Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in his tale, by this hand, will I supplant some of your teeth. Trin. Why, I said nothing.

Ste. Mum then, and no more.-[To CALIBAN.] Proceed.

Cal. I say, by sorcery he got this isle: From me he got it. If thy greatness will Revenge it on him-for, I know thou dar'st; But this thing dare not

Ste. That's most certain.

Cal. Thou shalt be lord of it, and I'll serve thee. Ste. How, now, shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to the party?

Cal. Yea, yea, my lord; I'll yield him thee asleep, Where thou may'st knock a nail into his head.

Ari. Thou liest, thou canst not.

Cal. What a pied ninny's this? Thou scurvy patch!— 1 do beseech thy greatness, give him blows, And take his bottle from him: when that's gone,

He shall drink nought but brine; for I'll not show him. Where the quick freshes are.

Ste. Trinculo, run into no further danger: interrupt the monster one word further, and by this hand, I'll turn my mercy out of doors, and make a stock-fish of thee.

Trin Why, what did I? I did nothing; I'll go further off. Ste. Didst thou not say, he lied?

Ari. Thou liest.

Ste. Do I so? take thou that.

[Strikes him.]

As you like this, give me the lie another time.

Trin. I did not give the lie:-Out o' your wits, and hearing too?A pox o' your bottle! this can sack, and drinking do. A murrain on your monster, and the devil take your fingers!

[ocr errors]

Cal. Ha, ha, ha!

Ste. Now, forward with your tale. Pr'ythee stand further off.

Cal. Beat him enough: after a little time, I'll beat him too.

Ste.

Stand further, Come proceed.

-

Cal. Why, as I told thee, 'tis a custom with him
I' the afternoon to sleep: there thou may'st brain him,
Having first seized his books; or with a log

Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,
Or cut his wezand with thy knife. Remember,
First, to possess his books; for without them
He's but a sot, as I am, nor hath not
One spirit to command: They all do hate him
As rootedly as I: Burn but his books;
He has brave utensils, (for so he calls them,)
Which, when he has a house he'll deck withal.
And that most deeply to consider, is
The beauty of his daughter; he himself
Calls her a nonpareil: I never saw a woman,
But only Sycorax my dam, and she;

But she as far surpasseth Sycorax,

As great'st does least.

Ste. Is it so brave a lass? Cal. Ay, lord; she will become thy bed, I warrant, And bring thee forth brave brood.

Ste. Monster, I will kill this man: his daughter and I will be king and queen: (save our graces!) and Trinculo and thyself shall be viceroys:-Dost thou like the plot, Trinculo? Trin. Excellent.

Ste. Give me thy hand; I am sorry I beat thee: but, while thou livest, keep a good tongue in thy head.

Cal. Within this half hour will he be asleep; Wilt thou destroy him then?

Ste.

Ay, on mine honor. Ari. This will I tell my master.

Cal. Thou mak'st me merry: I am full of pleasure; Let us be jocund: Will you troll the catch

You taught me but while-ere?

Ste. At thy request, monster, I will do reason, any

reason: Come on, Trinculo, let us sing.

[Sings.

Flout 'em, and skout 'em; and skout 'em, and flout 'em: Thought is free.

Cal. That's not the tune.

[ARIEL plays the tune on a tabor and pipe.

Ste. What is this same?

Trin. This is the tune of our catch, played by the picture of No-body.

Ste. If thou beest a man, show thyself in thy likeness: if thou beest a devil, take't as thou list.

Trin. O, forgive me my sins!

Ste. He that dies, pays all debts: I defy thee:- Mercy

upon us!

Cal. Art thou afeard?

Ste. No, monster, not I.

Cal. Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,

Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments

Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices,
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,

Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds, methought, would open, and show riches
Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.

Ste. This will prove a brave kingdom to me, where I shall have my music for nothing.

Cal. When Prospero is destroyed.

Ste. That shall be by and by: I remember the story. Trin. The sound is going away: let's follow it, and, after, do our work.

Ste. Lead, monster; we'll follow. I would, I could see this taborer: he lays it on.

Trin. Wilt come? I'll follow, Stephano.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Another Part of the island.

Enter ALONZO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO, ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and others.

Gon. By'r lakin, I can go no further, sir; My old bones ache; here's a maze trod, indeed, Through forth-rights, and meanders! by your patience, I needs must rest me.

Alon. Old lord, I cannot blame thee, Who am myself attached with weariness, To the dulling of my spirits: sit down, and rest. Even here I will put off my hope, and keep it No longer for my flatterer: he is drowned, Whom thus we stray to find; and the sea mocks Our frustrate search on land: Well, let him go. Ant. I am right glad that he's so out of hope.

[Aside to SEBASTIAN.

Do not, for one repulse, forego the purpose
That you resolved to effect.

Seb.
Will we take thoroughly.

Ant.

The next advantage

Let it be to-night:

For, now they are oppressed with travel, they
Will not, nor cannot, use such vigilance,
As when they are fresh.

I say, to-night: no more.

Seb. Solemn and strange music; and PROSPERO above, invisible. Enter several strange Shapes, bringing in a banquet; they dance about it with gentle actions of salutation; and inviting the king, &c. to eat, they depart.

Alon. What harmony is this? my good friends, hark! Gon. Marvellous sweet music!

Alon. Give us kind keepers, heavens! What were these? Seb. A living drollery: Now I will believe

That there are unicorns; that, in Arabia

There is one tree, the phoenix' throne; one phoenix
At this hour reigning there.

Ant.
I'll believe both;
And what does else want credit, come to me,
And I'll be sworn 'tis true: Travellers ne'er did lie,
Though fools at home condemn them.

If in Naples

Gon.
I should report this now, would they believe me?
If I should say I saw such islanders,

(For, certes, these are people of the island,)

Who, though they are of monstrous shape, yet note,
Their manners are more gentle, kind, than of
Our human generation you shall find

Many, nay, almost any.

Pro.

Honest lord,

Thou hast said well; for some of you there present
Are worse than devils.

I cannot too much muse,

[Aside.

Alon. Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound, expressing (Although they want the use of tongue) a kind Of excellent dumb discourse.

Pro.

Praise in departing.

[Aside.

Fran. They vanished strangely. Seb. No matter, since They have left their viands behind; for we have stomachs.Will't please you taste of what is here?

Alon.

Not I.

Gon. Faith, sir, you need not fear: When we were boys, Who would believe that there were mountaineers, Dew-lapped like bulls, whose throats had hanging at them. Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men,

« ZurückWeiter »