Against my life: the minute of their plot

Is almost come.

no more!

[To the Spirits] Well done! avoid;

Fer. This is strange: your father's in some pas

sion

That works him strongly.

Сваловичі

Mir.
Never till this day ad
Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.
Pros. You do look, my son, in a moved 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 on, 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 pleased, retire into my cell

And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk,

To still my beating mind.

Fer.

Mir.

We wish your peace. [Exeunt.

Pros. Come with a thought. I thank thee,

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Ariel: come.

Enter ARIEL

Ari. Thy thoughts I cleave to. What 's thy

Pros.

pleasure?

We must prepare to meet with Caliban.

Spirit,

Ari. Ay, my commander: when I presented
Ceres,

I thought to have told thee of it, but I fear'd
Lest I might anger thee.

Pros. Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets?

Ari. I told you, sir, they were red-hot with
drinking;

So full of valour that they smote the air
For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
For kissing of their feet; yet always bending
Towards their project. Then I beat my tabor,
At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd their

ears,

Advanced their eyelids, lifted up their noses
As they smelt music: so I charm'd their ears
That calf-like they my lowing follow'd through
Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes, pricking goss and
thorns,

Which enter'd their frail shins: at last I left them
I' the filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell,
There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake
O'erstunk their feet.

Pros.

This was well done, my bird.

Thy shape invisible retain thou still:

The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither,
For stale to catch these thieves.

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180

Ari.

I go, I go. [Exit.

Pros. A devil, a born devil, on whose nature
Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains,
Humanely taken, all, all lost, quite lost;
And as with age his body uglier grows,

So his mind cankers. I will plague them all,
Even to roaring.

Re-enter ARIEL, loaden with glistering apparel, &c.
Come, hang them on this line.

PROSPERO and ARIEL remain, invisible. Enter CALIBAN,
STEPHANO, and TRINCULO, all wet

Cal. Pray you, tread softly, that the blind mole may not

Hear a foot fall: we now are near his cell.

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Ste. Monster, your fairy, which you say is a harmless fairy, has done little better than played the Jack with us. Do you hear, monster? If I 200 should take a displeasure against you, look you,— Trin. Thou wert but a lost monster.

Cal. Good my lord, give me thy favour still.

Be patient, for the prize I 'll bring thee to

Shall hoodwink this mischance: therefore speak softly.

All 's hush'd as midnight yet.

Trin. Ay, but to lose our bottles in the pool,

Ste. There is not only disgrace and dishonour in that, monster, but an infinite loss.

Trin. That's more to me than my wetting: yet

this is your harmless fairy, monster.

Ste. I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er ears for my labour.

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Cal. Prithee, my king, be quiet. See'st thou here, This is the mouth o' the cell: no noise, and enter. Do that good mischief which may make this island Thine own for ever, and I, thy Caliban,

For aye thy foot-licker.

Ste. Give me thy hand. I do begin to have 220 bloody thoughts.

Trin. O king Stephano! O peer! O worthy Stephano! look what a wardrobe here is for thee! Cal. Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash.

Trin. O, ho, monster! we know what belongs to a frippery. O king Stephano!

Ste. Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this hand, I'll have that gown.

Trin. Thy grace shall have it.

Cal. The dropsy drown this fool! what do you

mean

To dote thus on such luggage? Let's alone
And do the murder first: if he awake,
From toe to crown he 'll fill our skins with pinches,
Make us strange stuff.

Ste. Be you quiet, monster. Mistress line, is not this my jerkin? Now is the jerkin under the line now, jerkin, you are like to lose your hair and prove a bald jerkin.

Trin. Do, do: we steal by line and level, an 't like your grace.

Ste. I thank thee for that jest; here's a garment for 't: wit shall not go unrewarded while I am king of this country. "Steal by line and level' is an excellent pass of pate; there's another garment for 't,

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240

Trin. Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and away with the rest.

Cal. I will have none on 't: we shall lose our time,

And all be turn'd to barnacles, or to apes

With foreheads villanous low.

Ste. Monster, lay-to your fingers help to bear this away where my hogshead of wine is, or turn you out of my kingdom: go to, carry this.

Trin. And this.

Ste. Ay, and this.

A noise of hunters heard. Enter divers Spirits, in shape of dogs and hounds, and hunt them about, PROSPERO and ARIEL setting them on

Pros. Hey, Mountain, hey!

Ari. Silver! there it goes, Silver !

Pros. Fury, Fury! there, Tyrant, there! hark!

hark! [Cal., Ste., and Trin. are driven out. Go charge my goblins that they grind their joints With dry convulsions, shorten up their sinews With aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted make

them

Than pard or cat o' mountain.

Ari.

Hark, they roar!

Pros. Let them be hunted soundly. At this

hour

Lie at my mercy all mine enemies :

Shortly shall all my labours end, and thou
Shalt have the air at freedom: for a little
Follow, and do me service.

[Exeunt.

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260