And prefently, I pr'ythee.

Ari. I drink the air before me, and return

Or e'er your pulse twice beat.

[Exit

Gon. All torment, trouble, wonder and amazement

Inhabits here; some heav'nly power guide us

Out of this fearful country.

Pro. Lo, Sir King,

The wronged Duke of Milan, Profpero:
For more affurance 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. Be'ft thou he or no,

Or fome inchanted trifle, to abuse me

As late I have been, I not know; thy pulse
Beats as of flesh and blood, and fince I faw thee
Th' affliction of my mind amends, with which
I fear a madness held me; this must crave
(And if this be at all) a moft ftrange ftory:
Thy Dukedom I refign, and do intreat

Thou pardon me my wrongs; but how fhould Profpera
Be living, and be here?

Pro. First, noble friend,

Let me embrace thine age, whose honour cannot
Be meafur'd or confin'd.

Gon. Whether this be,
Or be not, I'll not fwear,
Pre. You do yet tafte

Some fubtilties o' th' Ifle, that will not let you
Believe things certain: welcome, my friends all.
But you, my brace of lords, were I fo minded,
I here could pluck his Highness' frown upon you,
And juftifie you traitors; at this time

I'll tell no tales.

Seb, The devil fpeaks in him.

Pro. No!

For you, moft wicked Sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankeft faults; all of them; and require
My Dukedom of thee, which perforce I know

Thom

Thou must restore.

Alon. If thou beeft Profpero,

Give us particulars of thy prefervation,

How thou haft met us here, who three hours fince
Were wrackt upon this fhore; where I have loft
(How fharp the point of this remembrance is!)
My dear fon Ferdinand.

Pro. I'm wo for't, Sir.

Alon. Irreparable is the lofs, and patience Says, it is paft her cure.

Pro. I rather think

You have not fought her help, of whofe foft grace, For the like lofs, I have her fov'reign aid,

And reft my felf content.

Alon. You the like lofs?

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

Have loft my daughter.

Alon. A daughter?

O heav'ns! that they were living both in Naples,
XX The King and Queen there; that they were, I wish
My felf were mudded in that Oozy bed

Where my fon lyes. When did you lofe your daughter?
Pro. In this laft tempeft. I perceive thefe lords
At this encounter do fo much admire,

That they devour their reason, and scarce think
Their eyes do offices of truth, their words
Are natural breath: but howfoe'er you have
Been juftled from your fenfes, know for certain
That I am Prosp'ero, and that very Duke

Which was thrust forth of Milan, who moft ftrangely
Upon this fhore where you were wrackt, 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 firft meeting. Welcome, Sir;
This cell's my court; here have I few attendants,
And fubjects none abroad; pray you look in;
My Dukedom fince you've 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 Profpero difcovers Ferdinand and Miranda
playing at chefs.

Mira. Sweet lord, you play me falfe.
Fer. No, my dear love,

I would not for the world.

Mira. Yes,for a fcore of kingdoms you fhould wrangle, And I would call it fair play.

Alon. If this prove

A vifion of the Ifland, one dear fon

Shall I twice lofe.

Seb. A moft high miracle!

Fer. Though the feas threaten, they are merciful: I've curs'd them without caufe.

Alon. Now all the bleffings

Of a glad father compafs thee about;
Arife, and fay how thou cam'ft here.

Mira. O wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here?

How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,

That has fuch people in't.

Pro. 'Tis new to thee.

world,

Alon. What is this maid, with whom thou waft at play!
Your eld'ft acquaintance cannot be three hours:
Is he the goddefs that hath fever'd us,.

And brought us thus together?

Fer. Sir, fhe's mortal;

But by immortal providence fhe's mine;
I chofe her when I could not ask my father
For his advice: nor thought I had one: fhe
Is daughter to this famous Duke of Milan,
Of whom fo often I have heard renown,
But never faw before; of whom I have
Receiv'd a fecond life, and fecond father

This lady makes him to me.

Alon. I am hers;

But oh how odly will it found, that I
Muft ask my child forgiveness?

Pro. There, Sir, ftop;

Let us not burthen our remembrance with

An heavinefs that's gone.

Gon. I've inly wept,

Or fhould have spoke ere this. Look down, you Gods,
And on this couple drop a bleffed crown:

For it is you that have chalk'd forth the way
Which brought us hither.

Alon. I fay Amen, Gonzalo.

Gon. Was Milan thruft from Milan, that his iffue Should become Kings of Naples! O rejoice Beyond a common joy, and fet it down In gold on lafting pillars! in one voyage Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis; And Ferdinand her brother found a wife, Where he himself was loft; Profpero his Dukedom In a poor Ifle; and all of us, our felves, When no man was his own.

Alon. Give me your hands:

Let grief and forrow ftill embrace his heart,
That doth not wish you joy.

Gon. Be't fo, Amen.

SCENE V.

Enter Ariel, with the Mafter and Boatswain amazedly following.

O look Sir, look Sir, here are more of us!
I prophefy'd, if a gallows were on land

This fellow could not drown. Now, blafphemy,
That fwear'ft grace o'er-board, not an oath on fhore?
Haft thou no mouth by land? what is the news?
Boats. The best news is, that we have fafely found
Our King and company; the next, our fhip
Which but three glaffes fince we gave out split,

Is tight and yare, and bravely rigg'd, as when
We first put out to fea.

Ari. Sir, all this fervice
Have I done fince I went.
Pro. My tricksey spirit!

Alon. These are not natural events; they ftrengthen From ftrange to ftranger. Say, how came you hither! Boatf. If I did think, Sir, I were well awake, I'd ftrive to tell you. We were dead a-fleep, And, how we know not, all clapt under hatches, Where but ev'n now with ftrange and fev'ral noifes Of roaring, fhrieking, howling, gingling chains, And more diverfity of founds, all horrible, We were awak'd; ftraightway at liberty: Where we, in all our trim, freshly beheld Our royal, good and gallant ship; our mafter Capring to eye her; on a trice, so please you, Ev'n in a dream, were we divided from them, And were brought moping hither.

Ari. Was't well done?

Pro. Bravely, my diligence, thou shalt be free. Alon. This is as ftrange a maze as e'er men trod, And there is in this bufinefs more than nature Was ever conduct of; fome oracle

Muft rectifie our knowledge.

Pro. Sir, my Liege,

Do not infeft your mind with beating on
The ftrangeness of this bufinefs; at pickt leffure
(Which fhall be fhortly) fingle I'll refolve you,
Which to you fhall feem probable, of every
Thefe happen'd accidents; 'till when be chearful,
And think of each thing well. Come hither, fpirit,
Set Caliban and his companions free:

Untie the fpell. How fares my gracious Sir?
There are yet miffing of your company
Some few odd lads, that you remember not.

SCENE