Gon.
'Beseech you, sir, be merry: you have cause,
So have we all, of joy; for our escape
Is much beyond our loss: then wisely weigh
Our sorrow with our comfort.

Alon.

Peace, Gonzalo.

Ant.

But the rarity of it is, (which is, indeed, almost beyond credit,) our garments, being, as they were, drenched in the sea, are, notwithstanding, as fresh as when we put them on first in Afric, at the marriage of your fair daughter Claribel to the King of Tunis.

Alon.
You cram these words into mine ears, against
The stomach of my sense. 'Would I had never
Marry'd my daughter there! for coming thence,
My Ferdinand is lost.

Gon.
Sir, he may live;
I saw him beat the surges under him,
And ride upon their backs; I do not doubt,
He came alive to land.

Alon.
No, no, he's gone:
And thou and I, Antonio,—thou and I!—
Have caus'd his death.

Ant.
How could we help it, sir?

Alon.
How help it? Then we should have help'd it, then,
When thou betray'dst thy brother Prospero,
And gav'st the infant sovereign of Mantua
Into my power; then lost we Ferdinand,
Then forfeited our navy to this tempest.—

E'en here do I put off all hope: he's drown'd,
Whom thus we stray to find; and the sea mocks
Our frustrate search on land. [Music.
What harmony is this? My good friends, hark!

Gon.
Marvellous sweet music! Enter Ariel and Three other Spirits: while Ariel sings the following Song, a Banquet presents itself, and the other Spirits, having danced about it with gentle Actions of Salutation, and invited the King and his Followers to eat, are led away by Ariel.
SONG—BY ARIEL.
Dry those eyes, which are o'erflowing;
All your storms are overblowing:
While you in this isle are biding,
You shall feast without providing;
Every dainty you can think of,
Every juice which you would drink of,
Shall be yours,—all want shall shun you,
Ceres' blessing so is on you. [Exeunt Ariel and the other Spirits, dancing fantastically.

Alon,
Give us kind keepers, Heav'ns!—What were these?

Ant.
They vanish'd strangely.

Gon.
No matter, since
They've left their viands behind; for we have stomachs.
Will't please you taste of what is here?

Alon.
Not I.

Gon.
Well, sir, I will; for I am hungry:
The devil may fright me, but he shall not starve me.

Alon.
I will stand to, and feed, although my last:
No matter, since I feel the best is past.

[Sounds of discordant Instruments.—Three Spirits, in the Shape of Harpies, descend on the Table, and vanish with it, amidst Flames and Groans.

A Voice from below.
You men of sin, whom destiny hath caus'd
The never-surfeited sea to cast up,
And on this isle, where man doth not inhabit,—
You amongst men being most unfit to live,
Remember Prospero. [Thunder and Lightning.

Alon.
'Tis monstrous! monstrous!
Methought, the billows spoke, and told me of it;
The winds did sing it to me; and the thunder
Pronounc'd the name of Prospero.

Ant.
This isle's enchanted ground; for I have heard
Swift voices flying by my ear, and groans
Of ghosts lamenting.

Alon.
Good Heaven deliver me from this dire place,
And all the after actions of my life
Shall mark my penitence!—Lead from this spot. [It suddenly grows dark.—Thunder and Lightning. —Several Furies rise.
The Furies sing.

1 Fury.
Where does the black fiend Ambition reside,
With the mischievous devil of Pride?

2 Fury.
In the lowest and darkest cavern of hell,
Both Pride and Ambition do dwell.

1 Fury.
Who are the chief leaders of the damn'd host?

2 Fury.
Proud monarchs who tyrannize most.

Four Furies.
In hell, in hell, in flames they shall reign,
And for ever and ever shall suffer the pain.

Chorus of Furies, while others surround Alonzo and his Followers.
In hell, in hell, in flames they shall reign,
And for ever and ever shall suffer the pain. [Thunder and Lightning.—Exeunt, pursued by the Furies.

Previous section