Mira.

No wonder, sir;
But, certainly a maid.
Fer.

My language ! heavens ! -
I am the best of them that speak this speech,
Were I but where 'tis spoken.
Pro.

How ! the best? What wert thou, if the king of Naples heard thee?

Fer. A single thing, 39 as I am now, that wonders To hear thee speak of Naples : He does hear me ; And, that he does, I weep: myself am Naples ; Who with mine eyes, ne'er since at ebb, beheld The king my father wreck'd. Mira.

Alack, for mercy! Fer. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the duke of

Milan,
And his brave son, being twain.
Pro.

The duke of Milan,
And his more braver daughter, could control thee,
If now 'twere fit to do't. — [Aside.] At the first sight
They have chang'd eyes:- Delicate Ariel,
I'll set thee free for this ! - [To FERD.] A word,

good sir : I fear, you have done yourself some wrong:

a word. Mira. Why speaks my father so ungently? This Is the third man that e'er I saw ; the first That e'er I sigh'd for : Pity move my father To be inclin’d my way! he now asks, if she be a mortal; not a celestial being, but a maiden. Of course her answer is to be taken in the same sense as his question.

39 i. e. a weak, feeble thing. The Poet elsewhere uses single in this sense; as in Macbeth : “ Shakes so my single state of

40

41

H.

man.

H.

40 To control here signifies to confute, to contradict unanswerably. The ancient meaning of control was to check or exhibit a contrary account, fro the old

contre-roller. 41 i. e. done wrong to your character, in claiming to be king of Naples.

Fer.

0! if a virgin, And your

affection not gone forth, I'll make you The queen of Naples. Pro.

Soft, sir : one word more. [Aside.] They are both in either's powers: but this

swift business I must uneasy make, lest too light winning Make the prize light. — [T. FERD.] One word

more : I charge thee,
That thou attend me : thou dost here usurp
The name thou ow'st not; and hast put thyself
Upon this island, as a spy, to win it
From me, the lord on't.
Fer.

No, as I am a man.
Mira. There's nothing ill can dwell in such a

temple :
If the ill spirit have so fair a house,
Good things will strive to dwell with't.
Pro. [To FERD.)

Follow me.
Speak not you for him ; he's a traitor. Come :
I'll manacle thy neck and feet together ;
Sea-water shalt thou drink, thy food shall be
The fresh-brook muscles, wither'd roots, and husks,
Wherein the acorn cradled: Follow.
Fer.

No;
I will resist such entertainment, till
Mine
enemy

has more power.

[He draws, and is charmed from moving. Mira.

O dear father,
Make not too rash a trial of him, for
He's gentle, and not fearful.
Pro.

What! I say :
My foot my tutor ! - Put thy sword up, traitor ;
Who mak’st a show, but dar'st not strike, thy con-

42

Is so possess'd with guilt: come from thy ward ;
For I can here disarm thee with this stick,
And make thy weapon drop.
Mira.

Beseech you, father !
Pro. Hence! hang not on my garments.
Mira.

Sir, have pity : I'll be his surety. Pro.

Silence ! one word more
Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee. What!
An advocate for an impostor ? hush !
Thou think'st there are no more such shapes as he,
Having seen but him and Caliban : Foolish wench!
To the most of men this is a Caliban,
And they to him are angels.
Mira.

My affections
Are then most humble : I have no ambition
To see a goodlier man.
Pro. [To FERD.]

Come on; obey :
Thy nerves are in their infancy again,
And have no vigor in them.
Fer.

So they are :
My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up.
My father's loss, the weakness which I feel,
The wreck of all my friends, or this man's threats,
To whom I am subdued, are but light to me,
Might I but through my prison once a day
Behold this maid : all corners else o' the earth
Let liberty make use of; space enough
Have I in such a prison.
Pro. [Aside.] It works. —[To FERD. and MIRA.

Come on. — Thou hast done well, fine Ariel !— Follow me. [To ARIEL.] Hark, what thou else shalt do me. Mira.

My father's of a better nature, sir,
Than he appears by speech: this is unwonted,
Which now came from him.
Pro.

Thou shalt be as free
As mountain winds : but then exactly do
All points of my command.
Ari.

To the syllable. Pro. Come, follow: Speak not for him. [Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I. Another part of the Island. Enter ALONZO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO,

ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and others. Gon. 'Beseech you, sir, be merry : you have

cause

(So have we all) of joy; for our escape
Is much beyond our loss: Our hint of woe'
Is common: every day, some sailor's wife,
The masters of some merchant,” and the merchant,
Have just our theme of woe; but for the miracle,
I mean our preservation, few in millions
Can speak like us: then wisely, good sir, weigh
Our sorrow with our comfort.
Alon.

Pr’ythee, peace.
Seb. He receives comfort like cold porridge.
Ant. The visitors will not give him o'er so.
Seb. Look; he's winding up the watch of his

Gon. Sir,
Seb. One: Tell.
Gon. When every grief is entertain'd, that's

offer'd,
Comes to the entertainer
Seb.

A dollar. Gon. Dolour comes to him, indeed: you have spoken truer than you purposed.

Seb. You have taken it wiselier than I meant

you should

Gon. Therefore, my lord, –
Ant. Fie, what a spendthrift is he of his tongue !
Alon. I pr’ythee, spare.
Gon. Well, I have done: But yet —
Seb. He will be talking.

Ant. Which of them, he, or Adrian, for a good wager, first begins to crow?

Scb. The old cock.
Ant. The cockrel.
Seb. Done: The wager ?
Ant. A laughter.
Seb. A match.
Adr. Though this island seem to be desert,-
Seb. Ha, ha, ha!
Ant. So, you've paid.
Adr. Uninhabitable, and almost inaccessible,
Seb. Yet
Adr. Yet -
Ant. He could not miss it.

Adr. It must needs be of subtle, tender, and delicate temperance.

Ant. Temperance was a delicate wench.

4 By temperance Adrian means temperature, and Antonio plays upon the word ; doubtless an allusion to the Puritan custom of bestowing the names of the cardinal virtues upon their children.

H.