Me and thy crying self.
Mir.

Alack, for pity!

I, not remembering how I cried out then,

Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint

That wrings mine eyes to't.

Hear a little further,

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

Were most impertinent.

Mir.

That hour destroy us?
Pros.

Wherefore did they not

Well demanded, wench:

135

My tale provokes that question. Dear, they durst not, 140
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 prepared

145

A rotten carcass of a butt, not rigg'd,
Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats
Instinctively have 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,

150

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 burthen groan'd; which raised in me
An undergoing stomach, to bear up

How came we ashore?

Pros. By Providence divine.

Some food we had, and some fresh water, that

Out of his charity, who being then appointed
Master of this design, did give us, with

Rich garments, linens, stuffs and necessaries,

Which since have steaded much; so, of his gentleness,

Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow.

Here in this island we arrived; and here
Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit

Than other princess' 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 still 'tis beating in my mind, your reason

For raising this sea-storm?

Pros.

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 inclined to sleep; 'tis a good dulness,
And give it way: I know thou canst not choose.

176

180

185

[Miranda sleeps.

Come away, servant, come. I am ready now.
Approach, my Ariel, come.

Enter ARIEL.

Ari. All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I come

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.

Pros.

Hast thou, spirit,

Perform'd to point the tempest that I bade thee?

190

Ari. To every article.

195

I boarded the king's ship; now on the beak,
Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin,
I flamed amazement: sometime I'ld divide,
And burn in many places; on the topmast,
The yards and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly,
Then meet and join. Jove's lightnings, the precursors
O' the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary
And sight-outrunning were not: the fire and cracks
Of sulphurous roaring the most mighty Neptune
Seem to besiege, and make his bold waves tremble,

200

205

Yea, his dread trident shake.

Pros.

My brave spirit ! Who was so firm, so constant, that this coil

Would not infect his reason?

Ari.

Not a soul

But felt a fever of the mad, and play'd
Some tricks of desperation. All but mariners

Plunged in the foaming brine, and quit the vessel,

Then all afire with me: the king's son, Ferdinand, With hair up-staring, then like reeds, not hair,Was the first man that leap'd; cried, 'Hell is empty,

And all the devils are here.'

210

Pros.

Why, that's my spirit! 215

But was not this nigh shore ?
Ari.

Close by, my master.

Pros. But are they, Ariel, safe?
Ari.

Not a hair perish'd;

On their sustaining garments not a blemish,
But fresher than before: and, as thou badest me,

In troops I have dispersed them 'bout the isle.
The king's son have I landed by himself;
Whom I left cooling of the air with sighs
In an odd angle of the isle, and sitting,

His arms in this sad knot.

Pros.

Of the king's ship, The mariners, say how thou hast disposed, And all the rest o' the fleet.

Ari.

Safely in harbour

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;

Who, with a charm join'd to their suffer'd labour,
I have left asleep: and for the rest o' the fleet,
Which I dispersed, 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.

Pros.

Ariel, thy charge

Exactly is perform'd: but there's more work.

218 sustaining] sea-stained Edwards conj. unstaining Hudson (Spedding conj.). sea-staining Spedding conj. sea-drenched Gould conj.

224, 225 ship, The] Ff. ship The Hanmer.

225 thou hast hast thou S. Walker conj.

226 fleet.] Knight. Fleete? Ff. VOL. I.

220

225

230

235

229 Bermoothes] Bermudas Theobald.
231 Who] Whom Hanmer.
234 are] all Collier MS.

upon] on Pope.

flote] float Collier (ed. 2).

235-237 Bound...perish] Two lines, the first ending that, Keightley conj.

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