And a clear! life ensuing.

Perform'd, my Ariel; a grace it had, devouring:
Of my instruction hast thou nothing 'bated,
In what thou hadst to say so, with good life,
And observation strange, my meaner ministers
Their several kinds have done: my high charms
work,

And these, mine enemies, are all knit up
In their distractions: they now are in my power;
And in these fits I leave them, whilst I visit
Young Ferdinand (whom they suppose is drown'd,)
And his and my lov'd darling.

[Exit Prospero from above. Gon. I' the name of something holy, sir, why stand you

In this strange stare?

Alon.
O, it is monstrous! monstrous!
Methought, the billows spoke, and told me of it;
The winds did sing it to me; and the thunder,
That deep and dreadful organ-pipe, pronounc'd
The name of Prosper; it did bass my trespass.
Therefore my son i' the ooze is bedded; and
I'll seek him deeper than e'er plummet sounded,
And with him there lie mudded.

Seb.
I'll fight their legions o'er.
Ani.

Gon. All three of them
great guilt,

[Exit. But one fiend at a time,

I'll be thy second. [Exeunt Seb. and Ant. are desperate; their

Like poison given to work a great time after,
Now 'gins to bite the spirits:-I do beseech you
That are of suppler joints, follow them swiftly,
And hinder them from what this ecstacy
May now provoke them to.
Adr.

ACT IV.

Follow, I pray you. [Exeunt.

Fer.

As I hope With such love as 'tis now; the murkiest den, For quiet days, fair issue, and long life, The most opportune place, the strongest suggestion Our worser Genius can, shall never meit Mine honour into lust; to take away The edge of that day's celebration, Or night kept chain'd below. When I shall think, or Phœbus' steeds are founder'd Fairly spoke: Sit then, and talk with her, she is thine own.What, Ariel: my industrious servant Ariel!

Pro.

Now come, my Ariel; bring a corollary,*

pero, Ferdinand, and Miranda.

Pro. If I have too austerely punish'd you, Your compensation makes amends; for I Have given you here a thread of mine own life, Or that for which I live; whom once again I tender to thy hand: all thy vexations Were but my trials of thy love, and thou Hast strangely stood the test: here, afore Heaven, I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand, Do not smile at me, that I boast her off, For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise, And make it halt behind her.

Fer. Against an oracle.

I do believe it,

Pro. Then, as my gift, and thine own acquisition Worthily purchas'd, take my daughter: But If thou dost break her virgin knot before All sanctimonious ceremonies may With full and holy rite be minister'd, No sweet aspersion' shall the heavens let fall To make this contract grow; but barren hate,

(1) Pure, blameless, (2) Alienation of mind,

No tongue; all eyes; be silent. [Scft music.

A Masque. Enter Iris.

Iris. Cercs, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and pease;
Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
And flat meads thatch'd with stover, them to keep;
Thy banks with peonied and lilied brims,
Which spongy April at thy hest betrims,
To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy
broom groves,

Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves,
Being lass-lorn; thy pole-clipt vineyard;
And thy sea-marge, steril, and rocky-hard,
Where thou thyself dost air: The queen o' the sky.
Whose watery arch, and messenger, am I,
Bids thee leave these; and with her sovereign

me

To bless this twain, that they may prosperous be, And honour'd in their issue.

SONG.

Juno. Honor, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance, and increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you.

Cer. Earth's increase, and foizon3 plenty;
Barns, and garners never empty;
Vines, with clust'ring bunches growing;
Plants, with goodly burden bowing;
Spring come to you, at the farthest,
In the very end of harvest;
Scarcity, and want, shall shun you ;
Ceres' blessing so is on you.

Fer. This is a most majestic vision, and
Harmonious charmingly: May I be bold
To think these spirits?

Pro.

Spirits, which by mine art I have from their confines call'd to enact

There's something else to do: hush, and be mute, Or else our spell is marr'd.

Iris. You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the wand'ring brooks,

With your sedg'd crowns, and ever harmless looks,
Leave your crisp channels, and on this green land
Answer your summons; Juno does command:
Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
A contract of true love; be not too late.

Enter certain Nymphs.

You sun-burn'd sicklemen, of August weary,
Come hither from the furrow, and be merry;
Make holy-day: your rye-straw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing.

Enter certain Reapers, properly habited; they join with the Nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the end whereof Prospero starts suddenly, and speaks; after which, to a strange, hollow, and confused noise, they heavily vanish.

Pro. [Aside.] I had forgot that foul conspiracy Of the beast Caliban, and his confederates, Against my life; the minute of their plot Is almost come.-[To the Spirits.] Well done ;avoid;-no more.

Fer. This is most strange: your father's in some passion That works him strongly. Mira. Never till this day, Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd. Pro. You do look, my son, in a mov'd sort, As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir: Our revels now are ended; these our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits, and Are melted into air, into thin air And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve; And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind: We are such stuff As dreams are made of, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep.-Sir, I am vex'd; Bear with my weakness; my old brain is troubled. Be not disturb'd with my infirmity: If you be pleas'd, retire into my cell, And there repose; a turn or two I'll walk, To still my beating mind. Fer. Mira.

We wish your peace.
[Exeunt.

Pro. Come with a thought:-I thank you :-
Ariel, come.

That if you now beheld them, your affections Would become tender.

Pro.

and groves;

And ye, that on the sands with printless foot
Do chase the ebbing Neptune, and do fly him,
When he comes back; you demy-puppets, that
By moon-shine do the green-sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites; and you, whose pas-
time

Is to make midnight-mushrooms; that rejoice
To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid
(Weak masters though ye be,) I have be-dimm'd
The noon-tide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
And 'twixt the green sea and the azur'd vault
Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
Have I given fire, and rifted Jove's stout oak
With his own bolt: the strong-bas'd promontory
Have I made shake; and by the spurs pluck'd up
The pine and cedar: graves, at my command,
Have wak'd their sleepers; op'd, and let them
forth

By my so potent art: But this rough magic
I here abjure: and, when I have requir'd
Some heavenly music (which even now I do,)
To work mine end upon their senses, that
This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And, deeper than did ever plummet sound,
I'll drown my book.
[Solemn music.

Thy brother was a furtherer in the act;-
Thou'rt pinch'd for't now, Sebastian.-Flesh and
blood,

You brother mine, that entertain'd ambition,
Expell'd remorse and nature; who, with Sebastian,
(Whose inward pinches therefore are most strong,)
Would here have kill'd your king; I do forgive thee,
Unnatural though thou art!-Their understanding
Begins to swell: and the approaching tide
Will shortly fill the reasonable shores,
That now lie foul and muddy. Not one of them,
That yet looks on me, or would know me:-Ariel,
Fetch me the hat and rapier in my cell;

[Exit Ariel.
I will dis-case me, and myself present,
As I was sometime Milan:-quickly, spirit;
Thou shalt ere long be free.

Ariel re-enters, singing, and helps to allire
Prospero.

Ari. Where the bee sucks, there suck I;
In a cowslip's bell I lie:

There I couch when owls do cry.
On the bal's back I do fly,

After summer, merrily:

Merrily, merrily, shall I live now,

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.

Pro. Why, that's my dainty Ariel; I shall miss thee;

But yet thou shalt have freedom: so, so, so
To the king's ship, invisible as thou art:
There shalt thou find the mariners asleep
Under the hatches; the master, and the boatswain,
Being awake, enforce them to this place;
And presently, I pr'ythee.

Ari. I drink the air before me, and return
Or e'er your pulse twice beat.

[Exit Ariel. Gon. All torment, trouble, wonder, and amaze

ment

Inhabits here: Some heavenly power guide us Out of this fearful country!

Pro.

Behold, sir king, The wrong'd duke of Milan, Prospero; For more assurance that a living prince Does now speak to thee, I embrace thy body; And to thee, and thy company, I bid A hearty welcome.

Alon.

A solemn air, and the best comforter
To an unsettled fancy, cure thy brains,

Now useless, boil'd within thy skull! There stand,
For you are spell-stopp'd.-

Holy Gonzalo, honourable man,

Mine eyes, even sociable to the show of thine,
Fall fellowly drops.-The charm dissolves apace;
And as the morning steals upon the night,
Melting the darkness, so their rising senses
Begin to chase the ignorant fumes that mantle
Their clearer reason.-O my good Gonzalo,
My true preserver, and a loyal sir

To him thou follow'st; I will pay thy graces
Home, both in word and deed.-Most cruelly

(1) Thatch. (2) Pity, or tenderness of heart.

Thy dukedom I resign; and do entreat
Thou pardon me my wrongs:-But how should
Prospero

Be living, and be here?

Pro.

Let me embrace thine age; Be measur'd, or contin'd. Gon.

Or be not, I'll not swear.

First, noble friend, whose honour cannot

Whether this be,

Pro. You do yet taste Some subtleties o' the isle, that will not let you Believe things certain :-Welcome, my friends

all:

But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded, (Aside to Seb, and Ant I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you, (3) Whether.

Seb. Pro.

Arise, and say how thou cam'st here. Mira.

The devil speaks in him. For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive Thy rankest fault; all of them; and require My dukedom of thee, which, perforce, I know, Thou must restore. Alon. If thou beest Prospero, Give us particulars of thy preservation; How thou hast met us here, who three hours since Were wreck'd upon this shore; where I have lost, How sharp the point of this remembrance is! My dear son Ferdinand.

O heavens! that they were living both in Naples,
The king and queen there! that they were, I wish
Myself were mudded in that oozy bed
Where my son lies. When did you lose your
daughter?

Pro. In this last tempest. I perceive, these lords
At this encounter do so much admire,
That they devour their reason; and scarce think
Their eyes do offices of truth, their words
Are natural breath; but, howsoe'r you have
Been justled from your senses, know for certain,
That I am Prospero, and that very duke
Which was thrust forth of Milan; who
strangely

most

Upon this shore, where you were wreck'd, was landed,

To be the lord on't. No more yet of this;
For 'tis a chronicle of day by day,
Not a relation for a breakfast, nor
Befitting this first meeting. Welcome, sir;
This cell's my court: here have I few attendants,
And subjects none abroad: pray you, look in.
My dukedom since you have given me again,
I will requite you with as good a thing;
At least, bring forth a wonder, to content ye,
As much as me my dukedom.

The entrance of the cell opens, and discovers Ferdi-
nand and Miranda playing at chess.
Mira. Sweet lord, you play me false.
Fer.

I would not for the world.

No, my dearest love,

Pro.

'Tis new to thee.

Sir, she's mortal; But, by immortal Providence, she's mine; I chose her, when I could not ask my father For his advice; nor thought I had one: she Is daughter to this famous duke of Milan, Of whom so often I have heard renown, But never saw before; of whom I have Receiv'd a second life, and second father This lady makes him to me.

Alon.

I am her's:

But O, how oddly will it sound, that I Must ask my child forgiveness!

Pro.

There, sir, stop:

Let us not burden our remembrances With a heaviness that's gone.

Gon.

I have inly wept, Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you gods,

And on this couple drop a blessed crown;
For it is you, that have chalk'd forth the way
Which brought us hither!

Alon.

I say, Amen, Gonzalo! Gon. Was Milan thrust from Milan, that his issue Should become king of Naples? O, rejoice Beyond a common joy; and set it down With gold on lasting pillars: In one voyage Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis; And Ferdinand, her brother, found a wife, Where he himself was lost; Prospero his dukedom, In a poor isle; and all of us, ourselves, When no man was his own. Alon.

Give me your hands: [To Fer. and Mira.

Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart, That doth not wish you joy!

Gon.

Be't so! Amen!

Re-enter Ariel, with the Master and Boatswain amazedly following.

O look, sir, look, sir; here are more of us!
I prophesied, if a gallows were on land,
This fellow could not drown:-Now, blasphemy,
That swear'st grace o'erboard, not an oath on shore?
Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news?

Boats. The best news is, that we have safely found
Our king and company: the next, our ship,-.
Which, but three glasses since, we gave out split,-
Is tight and yare, and bravely rigg'd as when
We first put out to sea.

Ari.
Sir, all this service
Have I done since I went.

Pro.

[Aside. My tricksy spirit! S Alon. These are not natural events; they strengthen,

From strange to stranger.-Say, how came you hither?

Boats. If I did think, sir, I were well awake, I'd strive to tell you. We were dead of sleep, And (how, we know not) all clapp'd under hatches, Where, but even now, with strange and several

noises

(3) In his senses. (4) Ready. (5, Clever adroit.