And justify you traitors: at this time
I will tell no tales.

Seb.

Pros.

[Aside] 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 be'st Prospero,

Give us particulars of thy preservation;

No.

130

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.

Pros.

I am woe for 't, sir. Alon. Irreparable is the loss, and patience

Says it is past her cure.

Pros.

I rather think

You have not sought her help, of whose soft grace
For the like loss I have her sovereign aid

And rest myself content.

Alon.

You the like loss!

Pros. As great to me as late; and, supportable To make the dear loss, have I means much weaker Than you may call to comfort you, for I

Have lost my daughter.

Alon.

A daughter?

140

O heavens, that they were living both in Naples,
The king and queen there! that they were, I wish 150

Myself were mudded in that

oozy

bed

Where my son lies. When did you lose your daughter?

Pros. 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'er 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 most

strangely

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

To be the lord on 't. No more yet of this;
For 't is 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.

Here PROSPERO discovers FERDINAND and MIRANDA
playing at chess

Mir. Sweet lord, you play me false.

Fer.

I would not for the world.

No, my dear'st love,

Mir. Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should

wrangle,

And I would call it fair play.

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170

Fer. Though the seas threaten, they are merci

ful;

I have cursed them without cause.

Alon.

[Kneels.

Now all the blessings

Of a glad father compass thee about!
Arise, and say how thou camest here.
Mir.

O, wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in 't!

Pros.

Alon.

"T is new to thee.

What is this maid with whom thou wast at play?

Your eld'st acquaintance cannot be three hours:

Is she the goddess that hath sever'd us,

And brought us thus together?

Fer.

Sir, she is mortal;

She

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.
Is daughter to this famous Duke of Milan,
Of whom so often I have heard renown,
But never saw before; of whom I have
Received a second life; and second father
This lady makes him to me.

Alon.
I am hers:
But, O, how oddly will it sound that I
Must ask my child forgiveness!

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190

Pros.

There, sir, stop:

Let us not burthen our remembrance 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 kings 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. [To Fer. and Mir.] Give me your hands: Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart

That doth not wish you joy!

Gon.

Be it so! Amen!

Re-enter ARIEL, with the Master and Boatswain amazedly

following

O, look, sir, look, sir! here is more of us:

I prophesied, if a gallows were on land,

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210

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? 220

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. [Aside to Pros.] Sir, all this service
Have I done since I went.

Pros.

[Aside to Ari.] My tricksy spirit!

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'ld 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
Of roaring, shrieking, howling, jingling chains,
And moe diversity of sounds, all horrible,
We were awaked; straightway, at liberty;
Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld
Our royal, good and gallant ship, our master
Capering to eye her; on a trice, so please you,
Even in a dream, were we divided from them
And were brought moping hither.

Ari. [Aside to Pros.] Was 't well done?
Pros. [Aside to Ari.] Bravely, my diligence.
Thou shalt be free.

Alon. This is as strange a maze as e'er men trod;
And there is in this business more than nature
Was ever conduct of: some oracle

Must rectify our knowledge.

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