With all the honours, on my brother. Whereon
A treacherous army levy'd, one mid-night
Fated to th' purpose, did Anthonio open

The gates of Milan, and i' th' dead of darkness
The minifters for th' purpose hurry'd thence
Me and thy crying felf.

Mir. Alack for pity!

I not remembring how I cry'd out then,
Will cry it o'er again; it is a hint
That wrings mine eyes to't.

Pro. Hear a little further,

And then I'll bring thee to the present business
Which now's upon's, without the which this story
Were most impertinent.

Mir. Why did they not

That hour destroy us?

Pro. Well demanded, wench;

My tale provokes that question. They durft not,
So dear the love my People bore me, fet
A mark fo bloody on the bufinefs; but
With colours fairer painted their foul ends.
In few, they hurry'd us aboard a bark,
Bore us fome leagues to fea, where they prepar'd
A rotten carcass of a boat, not rigg'd,

Nor tackle, nor fail, nor maft; the very rats
Inftinctively had quit it: there they hoift us
To cry to th' fea that roar'd to us; to figh
To winds, whofe pity fighing back again
Did us but loving wrong.

Mir. Alack! what trouble

Was I then to you?

Pro. O a cherubim

Thou waft that did preferve me: Thou didst smile
Infused with a fortitude from heav'n;

(When I have brack'd the fea with drops full falt,
Under my burthen groan'd) which rais'd in me
An undergoing ftomach, to bear up

Against what fhould enfue.

Mir. How came we afhore?

Pro. By providence divine.

Some

Some food we had, and fome fresh water, that
A noble Neapolitan Gonzalo,

Out of his charity (being then appointed
Mafter of this defign) did give us, with

Rich garments, linens, ftuffs, and neceffaries

Which fince have fteeded much. So of his gentleness,
Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me

From my own library, with volumes that
I prize above my Dukedom.

Mir. Would I might

But ever fee that man!

Pro. Now I arise :

Sit ftill, and hear the last of our fea-forrow.
Here in this ifland we arriv'd, and here

Have I, thy fchool-mafter, made thee more profit
Than other Princes can, that have more time

For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful.

Mir. Heavens thank you for't! And now I pray you, Sir, (For ftill 'tis beating in my mind) your reafon For raifing this fea-ftorm?

Pro. Know thus far forth;

By accident moft ftrange bountiful fortune
(Now my dear lady) hath mine enemies
Brought to this fhore: and by my prescience
I find my Zenith doth depend upon
A moft aufpicious ftar, whofe influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop. Here ceafe more questions,
Thou art inclin'd to fleep. "Tis a good dulness,
And give it way; I know thou can'st not chuse.
Come away, fervant, come; I'm ready now:
Approach, my Ariel. Come.

SCENE III. Enter Ariel.

Ari. All hail, great master! grave Sir, hail! I come To answer thy beft pleasure. Be't to fly ;

To fwim; to dive into the fire; to ride

On the curl'd clouds: to thy ftrong bidding tafk

Ariel and all his qualities.

Pro. Haft thou, spirit,

Perform'd to point the tempeft that I bad thee?

Ari. To every article.

I boarded the King's fhip: now on the beak,
Now in the wafte, 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 bolt-fprit would I flame distinctly,
Then meet and join. Jove's lightnings, the precurfers
Of dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary

And fight out-running were not; the fire and cracks
Of fulphurous roaring the most mighty Neptune
Seem'd to befiege, and make his bold waves tremble,
Yea, his dread trident shake.

Pro. That's my brave spirit!

Who was fo firm, fo conftant, that this coyl
Would not infect his reafon?

Ari. Not a foul

But felt a feaver of the mind, and plaid
Some tricks of defperation: all but mariners
Plung'd in the foaming brine, and quit the vessel,
Then all a-fire with me: the King's fon Ferdinand
With hair up-staring (then like reeds, not hair)
Was the first Man that leap'd; cry'd hell is empty,
And all the devils are here,

Pro. Why that's my spirit!
But was not this nigh shore?
Ari. Close by, my mafter.
Pro. But are they, Ariel, fafe?
Ari. Not a hair perifh'd:

On their sustaining garments not a blemish,

But fresher than before. And as thou badft me,
In troops I have difpers'd them 'bout the Ile:
The King's fon have I landed by himself,
Whom I left cooling of the air with fighs
In an odd angle of the Ifle, and fitting,
His arms in this fad knot.

Pro. Of the King's ship

The mariners, fay how thou haft difpos'd,

And all the reft o'th' fleet?

Ari. Safely in harbour

Is the King's fhip'; in the deep nook, where once

Thou

Thou call'dft me up at midnight, to fetch dew
From the ftill-vext Bermoothes *, there fhe's hid:
The mariners all under hatches ftow'd,

Whom with a charm join'd to their fuffered labour
I've left afleep; and for the rest o'th' fleet
(Which I difpers'd) they all have met again,
And are upon the Mediterranean flote,

Bound fadly home for Naples,

Suppofing that they saw the King's fhip wreck'd,
And his great perfon perish.

Pro. Ariel, thy charge

Exactly is perform'd; but there's more work :
What is the time o'th' day?

Ari. Paft the mid feafon,

Pro. At least two glaffes: the time 'twixt fix and now Muft by us both be spent most preciously.

Ari. Is there more toil? fince thou doft give me pains, Let me remember thee what thou haft promis'd, Which is not yet perform'd me.

Pro. How now? moody?

What is't thou canst demand?

Ari. My liberty.

Pro. Before the time be out? no more..

Ari. I pr'ythee

Remember I have done thee worthy fervice,

Told thee no liés, made no mistakings, serv'd
Without or grudge or grumblings; thou didst promise

To bate me a full year.

Pro. Doft thou forget

From what a torment I did free thee?

Ari. No.

Pro. Thou doft; and think'ft it much to tread the ooze Of the falt deep;

To run upon the sharp wind of the North,

*This is the Spanish pronunciation of Bermudas: the account of which Ifland in Purchas's Pilgrimage is that it was call'd the lfland of Devils and the inchanted Inland, thefe names being given it from the monstrous tempefts which there have been often fuftain'd. And again fpeaking of the whole cluster of Iflands with which the great one is furrounded, he faith, The Iflands fee rent with tenpetts of thunder, ightening and rain, which threaten in time to devour them all.

To

To do me bufinefs in the veins o'th' earth,
When it is bak'd with froft.

Ari. I do not, Sir.

Pro. Thou lyft, malignant thing; haft thou forget
The foul witch Sycorax, who with age and envy
Was grown into a hoop? haft thou forgot her?

Ari. No, Sir.

Pro. Thou haft; where was she born? speak; tell me, say, Ari. Sir, in Argier,

Pro. Oh, was the fo? I must

Once in a month recount what thou hast been,
Which thou forget'ft. This damn'd witch Sycorax,
For mischiefs manifold, forceries too terrible

To enter human hearing, from Argier

Thou know'ft was banish'd: for one thing she did
They would not take her life. Is this not true?

Ari. Ay, Sir.

Pro. This blue-ey'd hag was hither brought with child,

And here was left by th' failors; thou my flave,

As thou report' thy felf, waft then her fervant;

And, for thou waft a spirit too delicate

To act her earthly and abhorr'd commands,
Refufing her grand hefts, she did confine thee,
By help of her more potent ministers
And in her moft unmitigable rage,
Into a cloven pine; within which rift
Imprifon'd, thou didst painfully remain

A dozen years, within which space she dy'd,

And left thee there: where thou didst vent thy groans
As faft as mill-wheels ftrike. Then was this Island

(Save for the fon that she did litter here,

A freckl'd whelp, hag-born) not honour'd with
A human shape.

Ari. Yes; Caliban her fon.

Pro. Dull thing, I fay fo: he, that Caliban
Whom now I keep in fervice. Thou best know'it
What torment I did find thee in; thy groans
Did make wolves howl, and penetrate the breafts
Of ever-angry bears; it was a torment

To lay upon the damn'd, which Sycorax
VOL. I.

Could