Enter certain Reapers, properly habited; they join with the
Nymphs in a graceful Dance; towards the End whereof
Profpero ftarts fuddenly, and Speaks; after which to a
Strange, hollow and confused Noife, they heavily vanish.
Pro. I had forgot that foul Confpiracy
Of the Beaft Caliban, and his Confederates,
Against my Life; the Minute of their Plot
Is almoft come. Well done, avoid; no more.

Fer. This is ftrange; your Father's in fome Paffion
That works him strongly.

Mira. Never 'till this Day

Saw I him touch'd with Anger, fo distemper'd.
Pro. You do look, my Son, in a mov'd sort,
As if you were dismay'd; be chearful, Sir,
Our Revels now are ended: Thefe our A&tors,
As I foretold you, were all Spirits, and
Are melted into Air, into thin Air;
And like the baseless Fabrick of their Vifion,
The Cloud-capt Towers, the gorgeous Palaces,
The folemn Temples, the great Globe it felf,
Yea, all which it inherit, fhall diffolve,
And like this infubftantial Pageant faded,
Leave not a Rack behind; we are fuch Stuff
As Dreams are made on, and our little Life
Is rounded with a Sleep. Sir, I am vext;.
Bear with my Weakness, my old Brain is troubled:
Be not disturb'd with my Infirmity;

If you be pleas'd, retire into my Cell,

And there repofe; a Turn or two I'll walk

To ftill my beating Mind.

Fer. Mira. We with you Peace.

[Exit.

Pro. Come with a Thought; I thank thee, Ariel: Come.

Enter Ariel.

Ari. Thy Thoughts I cleave to; what's thy Pleasure?
Pro. Spirit, we must prepare to meet with Caliban.
Ari. Ay, my Commander, when I prefented Ceres
I thought to have told thee of it, but I fear'd
Left I might anger thee.

Pro. Say again, where didft thou leave thefe Varlets?

Ari. I told you, Sir, they were red hot with drinking;
o full of Valour, that they fmote the Air
For breathing in their Faces; beat the Ground
For kiffing of their Feet; yet always bending
Towards their Project: Then I beat my Tabor,
At which, like unbackt Colts, they prickt their Ears,
Advanc'd their Eye-lids, lifted up their Nofes,
As they smelt Mufick; fo I charm'd their Ears,
That, Calf-like, they my Lowing follow'd through
Tooth'd Briars, fharp Furzes, pricking Gofs and Thorns,
Which enter'd their frail Shins: At laft I left them
I' th' filthy mantled Pool beyond your Cell,

There dancing up to th' Chins, that the foul Lake
O'er-ftunk their Feet.

Pro. This was well done, my Bird;

Thy Shape invifible retain thou ftill;
The Trumpry in my Houfe, go bring it hither,
For ftale to catch thefe Thieves.

Ari. I go, I go.

[Exit.

Pro. A Devil, a born Devil, on whofe Nature Nurture can never ftick; on whom my Pains, Humanly taken, all, all loft, quite loft; And as, with Age, his Body uglier grows, So his Mind cankers; I will plague them all, Even to roaring: Come, hang them on this Line. Enter Ariel loaden with glistering Apparel, &c. Enter Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo, all wet.

Cal. Pray you tread foftly, that the blind Mole may not hear a Foot fall; we now are near his Cell.

Ste. Monster, your Fairy, which you fay is a harmless Fairy, Has done little better than plaid the Jack with us. Trin. Monster, I do fmell all Horfe-pifs, at which

My Nofe is in great Indignation.

Ste. So is mine: Do you hear, Monfter? If I fhould Take a Displeasure against you; look you

Trin. Thou wert but a loft Monster.

Cal. Good my Lord, give me thy Favour ftill:

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

Shall hood-wink this Mifchance; therefore fpeak foftly;
All's husht as Midnight yet.

Trin. Ay, but to lofe our Bottles in the Pool.

VOL. I.

E

Ste.

Ste. He that dies pays all Debts: I defie thee. Mercy on us.

Cal. Art thou afraid?

Ste. No, Monster, not I.

Cal. Be not afraid; the Ifle is full of Noifes,

Sounds, and fweet Airs, that give Delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling Inftruments
Will hum about mine Ears; and fometimes Voices,
That if I then had wak'd after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again; and then in dreaming,
The Clouds methought would open, and fhew Riches
Ready to drop upon me, that when I wak'd

I cry'd to dream again.

Ste. This will prove a brave Kingdom to me,
Where I shall have my Mufick for nothing.
Cal. When Profpero is destroy'd.

Ste. That fhall be by and by:

I remember the Story.

Trin. The Sound is going away;

Let's follow it, and after do our Work.

Ste. Lead, Monster;

We'll follow. I would I could fee this Taborer:

He lays it on.

Trin. Wilt come?

I'll follow Stephano.

SCENE

III.

[Exeunt.

Enter Alonfo, Sebastian, Anthonio, Gonzalo, Adrian,

Francifco, &c.

Gon. By'r lakin, I can go no further, Sir, My old Bones ake: Here's a Maze trod indeed Through Forth-rights and Meanders: By your Patience, I needs muft reft me.

Alon. Old Lord, I cannot blame thee,

Who am my felf attach'd with Weariness
To th' dulling of my Spirits; fit down and reft:
Even here I will put off my Hope, and keep it
No longer for my Flatterer: He is drown'd,
Whom thus we ftray to find, and the Sea mocks
Our fruftrate Search on Land. Well, let him go.

Ant

Ant. I am right glad that he's fo out of Hope.
Do not, for one Repulfe, forego the Purpose
That you refolv'd t'effect.

Seb. The next Advantage will we take throughly.
Ant. Let it be to Night;

For, now they are opprefs'd with Travel, they
Will not, nor cannot ufe fuch Vigilance

As when they are fresh.

Solemn and ftrange Mufick, and Profpero on the Top invisible. Enter feveral ftrange Shapes, bringing in a Banquet; and dance about it with gentle Actions of Salutations, and inviting the King, &c. to eat, they depart.

Seb. I fay to Night: No more.

Alon. What Harmony is this? My good Friends, hark! Gon. Marvellous fweet Mufick!

Alon. Give us kind Keepers, Heav'ns; what are 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 elfe want Credit, come to me,

And I'll be fworn 'tis true.

Travellers ne'er did lie,

Though Fools at home condemn 'em.

Gon. If in Naples

I should report this now, would they believe me?
If I should fay I faw fuch Islanders:

(For certes these are People of the Ifland)

Who tho' they are of monftrous Shape, yet note
Their Manners are more gentle kind, than of
Our human Generation you fhall find

Many, nay, almost any.

Pro. Honeft Lord,

Thou haft faid well; for fome of you there prefent
Are worse than Devils.

Alon. I cannot too much mufe,

Such Shapes, fuch Gefture, and fuch Sound, expreffing, Although they want the ufe of Tongue, a kind

Of excellent dumb Difcourfe.

Pro. Praise in departing.

Fr.

Fra. They vanish'd ftrangely.

Seb. No matter, fince

They have left their Viands behind; for we have Stomachs. Wilt 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-lapt like Bulls, whofe Throats had hanging at 'em Wallets of Flesh? or that there were fuch Men

Whofe Heads ftood in their Breafts? which now we find Each Putter out of five for one will bring us

Good warrant of.

Alon. I will ftand to, and feed,

Although my laft; no matter, fince I feel

The beft is paft. 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 queint Device the Ban quet vanishes,

Ari. You are three Men of Sin, whom Destiny,
That hath to Inftruments this lower World,
And what is in't, the never-furfeited Sea
Hath caus'd to belch you up; and on this Island,
Where Man doth not inhabit, you 'mongft Men
Being most unfit to live: I have made you mad;
And even with fuch like Valour Men hang and drown
Their proper felves: You Fools, I and my Fellows
Are Minifters of Fate; the Elements

Of whom your Swords are temper'd, may as well
Wound the loud Winds, or with bemockt-at Stabs
Kill the ftill clofing Waters, as diminish

One Dowle that's in my Plume: My Fellow-minifters
Are like invulnerable. If you could hurt,

three

Your Swords are now too maffie for your Strength,
And will not be up-lifted. But remember,
For that's my Bufinefs to you, that you
From Millan did fupplant good Profpero;
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