Mira. 'Tis far off;

And rather like a dream, than an assurance
That my remembrance warrants.

Had I not

Four or five women once that tended me?

Pro. Thou hadft, and more, Miranda: but how is it, That this lives in thy mind? what seeft thou elfe

In the dark back-ward and abyfme of time?

If thou remember'ft aught, ere thou cam'st here;
How thou cam'ft here, thou may'st.

Mira. But that I do not.

Pro. 'Tis twelve years fince, Miranda; twelve years fince Thy father was the Duke of Milan, and

A prince of pow'r.

Mira. Sir, are not you my father?

Pro. Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and She faid, thou waft my daughter; and thy father Was Duke of Milan; thou his only heir,

A princefs, no worse issu’d.

Mira. O the heav'ns!

What foul play had we, that we came from thence?
Or bleffed was't, we did?

Pro. Both, both, my girl:

By foul play (as thou fay'ft) were we heav'd thence;
But bleffedly help'd hither.

Mira. O, my heart bleeds

To think o' th' teene that I have turn'd

you to,

Which is from my remembrance. Please you, farther. Pro. My brother, and thy uncle, call'd Anthonio thee, mark me;- (that a brother should

I

pray

Be fo perfidious!) he whom next thyfelf

Of all the world I lov'd, and to him put
The manage of my ftate; (as, at that time,
Through all the fignories it was the firft;
And Profpero the prime Duke, being so reputed
In dignity; and for the liberal arts,

Without a parallel; thofe being all my study:)
The government I caft upon my brother,

And to my ftate grew ftranger; being transported,

And

rapt in fecret ftudies. Thy falfe uncle(Doft thou attend me?)

Mira. Sir, moft heedfully.

A 3

Pro..

Pro. Being once perfected how to grant fuits, How to deny them; whom t' advance, and whom To trash for overtopping; new created

The creatures that were mine; I fay, or chang'd 'em,
Or else new form'd 'em; having both the key
Of officer and office, fet all hearts i' th' ftate'
To'what tune pleas'd his ear; that now he was
The ivy, which had hid my princely trunk,

And fuck'd my verdure out on't.Thou attend's not.
Mira. Good Sir, I do.

Pro. I pray thee, mark me then.

I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated
To clofenefs, and the bettering of my mind,
With that which, but by being fo retired,
O'erpriz'd all popular rate, in my false brother
Awak'd an evil nature; and my trust,

Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falfehood in its contrary as great

As my truft was;

which had, indeed, no limit,
A confidence fans bound. He being thus lorded,
Not only with what my revenue yielded,

But what my power might elfe exact; like one,
Who having, unto truth, by telling oft,

Made fuch a finner of his memory,

To credit his own lie; he did believe

He was indeed the Duke, from substitution,
And executing th' outward face of royalty,

With all prerogative. Hence his ambition growing-
Doft thou hear?

Mira. Your tale, Sir, would cure deafnefs.

Pro. To have no fcreen between this part he play'd, And him he play'd it for, he needs will be Abfolute Milan. Me, poor man!—my library Was dukedom large enough; of temporal royalties He thinks me now incapable: confederates (So dry he was for fway) wi' th' King of Naples, To give him annual tribute, do him homage; Subject his coronet to his crown; and bend The dukedom, yet unbow'd, (alas poor Milan!) To moft ignoble ftooping.

Mira. O the heav'ns!

Pro

Pro. Mark his condition, and th' event; then tell me, If this might be a brother?

Mira. I fhould fin,

To think but nobly of my grand-mother;
Good wombs have bore bad fons.

Pro. Now the condition:

This King of Naples, being an enemy
To me inveterate, hearks my brother's fuit;
Which was, that he, in lieu o' th' premiffes,
Of homage, and I know not how much tribute,
Should prefently extirpate me and mine
Out of the dukedom; and confer fair Milan,
With all the honours, on my brother. Whereon
A treacherous army levy'd, one midnight
Fated to th' purpose, did Anthonio open
The gates of Milan; and, i' th' dead of darkness,
The minifters for the purpose hurry'd thence
Me, and thy crying felf.

Mira. Alack, for pity!

I, not rememb'ring how I cry'd out then,
Will cry it o'er again; it is a hint,

That wrings mine eyes to't.

Pro. Hear a little further,

And then I'll bring thee to the prefent bufinefs,
Which now's upon's; without the which this ftory

Were most impertinent.

Mira. Why did they not

That hour deftroy us?

Pro. Well demanded, wench;

My tale provokes that queftion. Dear, they durit not (So dear the love my people bore me) fet

A mark fo bloody on the business; but
With colours fairer painted their foul ends.
In few, they hurry'd us aboard a bark;

Bore us fome leagues to fea; where they prepar'd
A rotten carcafe of a boat, not rigg'd,
Nor tackle, fail, nor maft; the very rats
Instinctively had quit it: there they hoist us,
To cry to th' fea, that roar'd to us; to figh
To th' winds, whofe pity, fighing back again,
Did us but loving wrong.

Mira. Alack! what trouble

Was

Was I then to you!

Pro. O a cherubim

Thou waft, that did preserve me.

Thou didst fmile,

Infufed with a fortitude from heav'n,

(When I have mock'd the sea with drops full-falt; Under my burthen groan'd;) which rais'd in me An undergoing ftomach, to bear up

Against what fhould enfue.

Mira. How came we a-fhore?

Pro. By providence divine.

Some food we had, and fome fresh water, that
A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,

Out of his charity (being then appointed
Master of this defign) did give us, with
Rich garments, linens, ftuffs, and neceffaries,
Which fince have fteeded much.

So of his gentleness,

Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me
From my own library, with volumes that
I prize above my dukedom,

Mira. Would I might

But ever fee that man!

Pro. Now, I arife:

Sit ftill, and hear the last of our fea-forrow.
Here in this island we arriv'd, and here

Have I, thy fchoolmafter, made thee more profit
Than other princes can, that have more time
For vainer hours, and tutors not fo careful.

Mira. Heav'ns thank you for't! And now, I pray you Sir,

(For ftill 'tis beating in my mind) your reason For railing this fea-storm?

Pro. Know thus far forth,

By accident moft strange, bountiful Fortune
(Now my dear lady) hath mine enemies
Brought to this fhore: and, by my prescience
I find, my zenith doth depend upon
A moft aufpicious ftar; whofe influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes

Will ever after droop.- Here ceafe more queftions;
Thou art inclin'd to fleep. 'Tis a good dulnefs,
And give it way; I know, thou canst not chufe-

Miranda fleeps.

Come

Come away, fervant, come; I'm ready now:
Approach, my Ariel. Come.

SCENE III. Enter Ariel.

Ari. All hail, great mafter! grave Sir, hail! I come To answer thy beft pleasure: be't to fly;

To fwim; to dive into the fire; to ride

On the curl'd clouds: to thy ftrong bidding task
Ariel, and all his qualities.

Pro. Haft thou, fpirit,

Perform'd to point the tempeft that I bade thee?
Ari. To every article.

I boarded the King's fhip: now on the beak,
Now in the wafte, the deck, in every cabin,
I flam'd amazement. Sometimes I'd divide,
And burn in many places; on the top-mast,
The yards, and bolt-fprit, would I flame diftinctly;
Then meet and join. Jove's lightnings, the precurfers
Of dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary

And fight out-running were not; the fire and cracks
Of fulphurous roaring the moft mighty Neptune
Seem'd to befiege, and make his bold waves tremble;
Yea, his dread trident shake.

Pro. My brave, brave spirit!

Who was fo firm, fo conftant, that this eoil
Would not infect his reason?

Ari. Not a foul

But felt a fever of the mind, and play'd

Some tricks of defperation: all, but mariners,
Plung'd in the foaming brine, and quit the vessel,
Then all a-fire with me: the King's fon Ferdinand
With hair up-staring (then like reeds, not hair)
Was the firft man that leap'd, cry'd, " Hell is empty;
"And all the devils are here."

Pro. Why, that's my spirit!

But was not this nigh fhore?

Ari. Close by, my

mafter.

Pro. But are they, Ariel, fafe?

Ari. Not a hair perish'd:

On their fuftaining garments not a blemish,

But frefher than before. And as thou bad'ft me,
In troops I have difpers'd them 'bout the isle:

The