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Fer. O heaven, O earth, bear witness to this sound, And crown what I profess with kind event,

If I speak true; if hollowly, invert

What best is boded me, to mischief! I,
Beyond all limit of what else i' the world,

Do love, prize, honor you.

Mira.

I am a fool,

To weep at what I am glad of.

Fair encounter

Pro.
Of two most rare affections! Heavens rain grace
On that which breeds between them!

Fer.

Wherefore weep you?

Mira. At mine unworthiness, that dare not offer
What I desire to give; and much less take,
What I shall die to want: But this is trifling;
And all the more it seeks to hide itself,

The bigger bulk it shows. Hence, bashful cunning!
And prompt me, plain and holy innocence!

I am your wife, if you will marry me;
If not, I'll die your maid: to be your fellow
You may deny me; but I'll be your servant,
Whether you will or no.

Fer.

And I thus humble ever.
Mira.

My mistress, dearest,

My husband then?

Fer. Ay, with a heart as willing

As bondage e'er of freedom: here's my hand.

Mira. And mine, with my heart in't: And now farewell, Till half an hour hence.

Fer.

A thousand! thousand!

Pro. So glad of this as they, I cannot be, Who are surpris'd with all; but my rejoicing At nothing can be more. I'll to my book; For yet ere supper time, must I perform Much business appertaining.

[Exeunt FER. and MIR.

[Exil.

Caliban and Ariel, under the direction of Prospero, take charge of the other characters saved from the wreck. Caliban, to whom is confided the care of the Sailors, draws them into a conspiracy to destroy Prospero. The King and his Company are brought by Ariel to another part of the Island.

Enter ALONZO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO, ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and others.

Gon. By'r la'kin, I can go no further, sir;

My old bones ache: here's a maze trod, indeed,

Through forth-rights and meanders! by your patience,

I needs must rest me.

Alon.

Old lord, I cannot blame thee,

Who am myself attach'd with weariness,
To the dulling of my spirits: sit down, and rest,
Even here I will put off my hope, and keep it
No longer for my flatterer: he is drown'd,
Whom thus we stray to find; and the sea mocks
Our frustrate search on land: Well, let him go.
Ant. I am right glad that he's so out of hope.

Do not, for one repulse, forego the purpose
That you resolv'd to effect.

Seb.

Will we take thoroughly.

Ant.

[Aside to SEBASTIAN

The next advantage

Let it be to-night;

For, now they are oppress'd with travel, they
Will not, nor cannot, use such vigilance,

As when they are fresh.

Seb.

I say, to-night: no more.

Solemn and strange music; and PROSPERO above, invisible. Enter several strange Shapes, bringing in a banquet; they dance about is with gentle actions of salutation; and inviting the King, &c. to eat they depart.

Alon. What harmony is this? my good friends, hark!

Gon. Marvellous sweet music!

Alon. Give us kind keepers, heavens!

What were these?

Seb. A living drollery: Now I will believe

That there are unicorns; that, in Arabia

There is one tree, the phoenix' throne; one phoenix

At this hour reigning there.

Ant.

I'll believe both;

And what does else want credit, come to me,
And I'll be sworn 'tis true; Travellers ne'er did lie,
Though fools at home condemn them.

Gon.

If in Naples

I should report this now, would they believe me?
If I should say, I saw such islanders,

(For, certes, these are people of the island,)

Who, though they are of monstrous shape, yet, note,
Their manners are more gentle-kind, than of

Our human generation you shall find

Many, nay, almost any.

Pro. Aside.]

Honest lord

Thou hast said well; for some of you there present,

Are worse than demons.

Alon.

I cannot too much muse,

Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound, expressing (Although they want the use of tongue) a kind

Of excellent dumb discourse.

Pro. [Aside.]

Praise in departing.

Fran. They vanish'd strangely.

Seb.

No matter, since

They have left their viands behind; for we have stomachs.-
Will't please you taste of what is here?

Alon. Not I.

Gon. Faith, sir, you need not fear: When we were boys,
Who would believe that there were mountaineers,
Dew-lapp'd like bulls, whose throats had hanging at them
Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men,

Whose heads stood in their breasts? which now we find,
Each putter-out on five for one, will bring us

Good warrant of.

Alon.

I will stand to, and feed, Although my last: no matter, since I feel,

The best is past:-Brother, my lord the duke,

Stand to, and do as we.

Thunder and lightning.

Enter ARIEL like a harpy; claps his

wings upon the table, and with a quaint device, the banquet vanishes.

Ari. You are three men of sin, whom destiny

(That hath to instrument this lower world,
And what is in't,) the never-surfeited sea
Hath caused to belch up; and on this island
Where man doth not inhabit; you 'mongst men
Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad;

[Seeing ALON. SEB. &c. draw their swords.
And even with such like valor, men hang and drown
Their proper selves. You fools! I and my fellows
Are ministers of fate; the elements,

Of whom your swords are temper'd, may as well
Wound the loud winds, or with bemock'd-at stabs
Kill the still-closing waters, as diminish

you

three

One dowle that's in my plume; my fellow ministers
Are like invulnerable: if you could hurt,
Your swords are now too massy for your strengths,
And will not be uplifted: But, remember,
(For that's my business to you,) that
From Milan did supplant good Prospero;
Expos'd unto the sea, which hath requit it,
Him, and his innocent child: for which foul deed
The powers, delaying, not forgetting, have
Incens'd the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures,
Against your peace: Thee, of thy son, Alonzo,
They have bereft; and do pronounce by me,
Ling'ring perdition (worse than any death
Can be at once) shall step by step attend

You, and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from
(Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls
Upon your heads,) is nothing, but heart's sorrow,
And a clear life ensuing.

He vanishes in thunder: then, to soft music, enter the Shapes again, and dance with mops and mowes, and carry out the table.

Pro. [Aside.] Bravely the figure of this harpy hast thou
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 loved 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.

Ant. I'll be thy second.

[Exit.

But one fiend at a time,

[Exeunt SEB. and ANT.

Gon. All three of them are desperate; their great guilt,

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 ecstasy
May now provoke them to.

Adr. Follow, I pray you.

ACT IV.

SCENE I.-Before Prospero's Cell.

Enter PROSPERO, 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,

[Exeunt

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 not
Till sanctimonious ceremonies may

With full and holy rite be minister'd:
Then Hymen's lamps shall light you.
Fer.

For quiet days, fair issue, and long life,

As I hope

With such love as 'tis now; the strong'st suggestion
Our worser Genius can, shall never taint

Mine honor.

Pro.

Fairly spoke:

Sit then, and talk with her, she is thine own.-
What, Ariel: my industrious servant Ariel!

Enter ARIEL.

Ari. What would my potent master? here I am.
Pro. Thou and thy meaner fellows your last service

Did worthily perform; and I must use you

In such another trick: go, bring the rabble,

O'er whom I give thee power, here, to this place:
Incite them to quick motion; for I must
Bestow upon the eyes of this young couple
Some vanity of mine art; it is my promise,
And they expect it from me.

Ari.

Pro. Aye, with a twink.

Presently?

Ari. Before you can say, Come, and go,

And breathe twice; and cry, so, so;

Each one, tripping on his toe,

Will be here with mop and mowe:

Do

you love me, master? no?

Pro. Dearly, my delicate Ariel: Do not approach,

Till thou dost hear me call.

Ari.

Pro. Look, thou be true.

Fer.

Pro. Well.

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[Soft music

Now come, my Ariel: bring a corollary,

Rather than want a spirit: appear, and pertly.—

No tongue; all eyes: be silent.

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Iris. Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and pease;

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