Trinculo.
Ste.
Tell not me; when the butt is out, we will
drink water, not a drop before; therefore
bear up, and board 'em, servant-monster(21) note; drink to
me.
Trin.
Servant-monster! the folly of this Island!
they say, there's but five upon this Isle; we are three
of them, if the other two be brain'd like us, the state
totters.
Ste.
Drink, servant-monster, when I bid thee; thy
eyes are almost set in thy head.
Trin.
Where should they be set else? he were a brave
monster indeed, if they were set in his tail.
Ste.
My man-monster hath drown'd his tongue in
sack: for my part, the sea cannot drown me. I swam,
ere I could recover the shore, five and thirty leagues,
off and on; by this light, thou shalt be my lieutenant,
monster, or my standard.
Trin.
Your lieutenant, if you list; he's no standard.
-- 45 --
Ste.
We'll not run, monsieur monster.
Trin.
Nor go neither: but you'll lie like dogs, and
yet say nothing neither.
Ste.
Moon-calf, speak once in thy life, if thou beest
a good moon-calf.
Cal.
How does thy honour? let me lick thy shoe;
I'll not serve him, he is not valiant.
Trin.
Thou liest, most ignorant monster, I am in case
to justle a constable; why, thou debosh'd fish thou,
was there ever man a coward that hath drunk so much
sack as I to-day? wilt thou tell a monstrous lie, being
but half a fish, and half a monster?
Cal.
Lo, how he mocks me: wilt thou let him, my
lord?
Trin.
Lord, quoth he! that a monster should be such
a natural!
Cal.
Lo, lo, again; bite him to death, I pr'ythee.
Ste.
Trinculo, keep a good tongue in your head; if
you prove a mutineer, the next tree—the poor
monster's my subject, and he shall not suffer indignity.
Cal.
I thank my noble lord. Wilt thou be pleas'd to
hearken once again to the suit I made to thee?
Ste.
Marry, will I; kneel and repeat it; I will stand,
and so shall Trinculo.
Enter Ariel invisible.
Cal.
As I told thee before, I am subject to a tyrant,
a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of the
Island.
Ari.
Thou liest.
Cal.
Thou liest, thou jesting monkey, thou;
I would, my valiant master would destroy thee;
I do not lie.
Ste.
Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in's tale,
by this hand, I will supplant some of your teeth.
Trin.
Why, I said nothing.
Ste.
Mum then, and no more; proceed.
Cal.
I say, by sorcery he got this isle;
From me he got it. If thy greatness will
Revenge it on him, (for, I know, thou dar'st,
But this thing dare not.—)
-- 46 --
Ste.
That's most certain.
Cal.
Thou shalt be lord of it, and I'll serve thee.
Ste.
How now shall this be compast? canst thou
bring me to the party?
Cal.
Yea, yea, my lord, I'll yield him thee asleep,
Where thou may'st knock a nail into his head.
Ari.
Thou liest, thou canst not.
Cal.
What a py'd ninny's this? thou scurvy patch!
I do beseech thy greatness, give him blows,
And take his bottle from him; when that's gone,
He shall drink nought but brine, for I'll not shew him
Where the quick freshes are.
Ste.
Trinculo, run into no further danger: interrupt
the monster one word further, and, by this hand, I'll
turn my mercy out of doors, and make a stock-fish of
thee.
Trin.
Why, what did I? I did nothing; I'll go further
off.
Ste.
Didst thou not say, he ly'd?
Ari.
Thou liest.
Ste.
Do I so? take you that.
[Beats him.
As you like this, give me the lie another time.
Trin.
I did not give thee the lie; out o'your wits,
and hearing too? A pox o' your bottle! this can sack
and drinking do. A murrain on your monster, and
the devil take your fingers.
Cal.
Ha, ha, ha.
Ste.
Now, forward with your tale; pr'ythee, stand
further off.
Cal.
Beat him enough; after a little time
I'll beat him too.
Ste.
Stand further. Come, proceed.
Cal.
Why, as I told thee, 'tis a custom with him
I'th' afternoon to sleep; there thou may'st brain him,
Having first seiz'd his books: or with a log
Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,
Or cut his wezand with thy knife. Remember,
First to possess his books; for without them
He's but a sot, as I am; nor hath not
One spirit to command. They all do hate him,
-- 47 --
As rootedly as I. Burn but his books;
He has brave utensils, (for so he calls them,)
Which, when he has an house, he'll deck withal.
And that most deeply to consider, is
The beauty of his Daughter; he himself
Calls her a non-pareil: I ne'er saw woman,
But only Sycorax my dam, and she:
But she as far surpasses Sycorax,
As greatest does the least.
Ste.
Is it so brave a lass?
Cal.
Ay, lord; she will become thy bed, I warrant,
And bring thee forth brave brood.
Ste.
Monster, I will kill this man: his daughter and
I will be King and Queen, save our Graces: and Trinculo
and thy self shall be Vice-Roys. Dost thou like
the plot, Trinculo?
Trin.
Excellent.
Ste.
Give me thy hand; I am sorry, I beat thee: but,
while thou liv'st, keep a good tongue in thy head.
Cal.
Within this half hour will he be asleep;
Wilt thou destroy him then?
Ste.
Ay, on my honour.
Ari.
This will I tell my master.
Cal.
Thou mak'st me merry; I am full of pleasure;
Let us be jocund. Will you troul the catch,
You taught me but while-ere?
Ste.
At thy request, monster, I will do reason, any
reason: come on, Trinculo, let us sing.
[Sings.
Flout 'em, and skout 'em; and skout 'em, and flout em; thought is free.
Cal.
That's not the tune.
[Ariel plays the Tune on a Tabor and Pipe.
Ste.
What is this same?
Trin.
This is the tune of our catch, plaid by the picture
of no-body.
Ste.
If thou be'st a man, shew thy self in thy likeness;
if thou be'st a devil, take't as thou list.
Trin.
O, forgive me my sins!
Ste.
He that dies, pays all debts: I defie thee. Mercy
upon us!
-- 48 --
Cal.
Art thou afraid?
Ste.
No, monster, not I.
Cal.
Be not afraid; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twanging instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometimes 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 shew 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 musick for nothing.
Cal.
When Prospero is destroy'd.
Ste.
That shall 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
see this taborer. He lays it on.
Trin.
Wilt come? I'll follow Stephano.
[Exeunt.
Scene 3
SCENE changes to another Part of the Island.
Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Anthonio, Gonzalo, Adrian, Francisco, &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 must rest me.
Alon.
Old lord, I cannot blame thee,
Who am my self attach'd with weariness,
To th' dulling of my spirits: sit down and rest.
Ev'n 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 t'effect.
-- 49 --
Seb.
The next advantage
Will we take throughly.
Ant.
Let it be to night;
For, now they are oppress'd with travel, they
Will not, nor cannot, use such vigilance,
As when they're fresh.
Seb.
I say, to night: no more.
Solemn and strange musick; and Prospero on the top, invisible.
Enter several strange shapes, bringing in a banquet;
and dance about it 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 musick!
Alon.
Give us kind keepers, heaven; what were these?
Seb.
A living drollery. Now I will believe,
That there are unicorns; that, in Arabia
There is one tree, the phœnix' throne; one phœnix
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 'em.
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 tho' 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.
Honest lord,
Thou hast said well; for some of you there present
Are worse than devils.
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.
Praise, in departing.—
Fran.
They vanish'd strangely.
-- 50 --
Seb.
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.
Faith, Sir, you need not fear. When we were boys,
Who would believe, that there were mountaineers,
Dew-lapt like bulls, whose throats had hanging at 'em
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(22) note
Good warrant of.
-- 51 --
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 queint 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(23) note
Where man doth not inhabit, you 'mongst men
Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad;
And ev'n with such like valour 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 bemockt-at stabs
Kill the still-closing waters, as diminish
One down that's in my plume: my fellow-ministers
Are like invulnerable. If you could hurt,
Your swords are now too massie for your strengths,
And will not be up-lifted. But remember,
(For that's my business to you) that you three
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, Alonso,
They have bereft; and do pronounce by me,
Ling'ring perdition, worse than any death
-- 52 --
Can be at once, shall step by step attend
You and your ways; whose wrath 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 musick, Enter the
shapes again, and dance with mopps and mowes, and carrying out the table.
Pro.
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 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 lov'd darling.
[Exit Prospero from above.
Gon.
I' th' name of something holy, Sir, why stand you
In this strange stare?
Alon.
O, it is monstrous! monstrous!
Methoughts, 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 base my trespass.
Therefore, my son i' th' ooze is bedded; and
I'll seek him deeper than e'er plummet sounded,
And with him there lye mudded.
[Exit.
Seb.
But one fiend at a time,
I'll fight their legions o'er.
Ant.
I'll be thy second.
[Exeunt.
Gon.
All three of them are desperate; their great guilt,
Like poison giv'n 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 ecstasie
May now provoke them too.
Adri.
Follow, I pray you.
[Exeunt.
-- 53 --
Lewis Theobald [1733], The works of Shakespeare: in seven volumes. Collated with the Oldest Copies, and Corrected; With notes, Explanatory and Critical; By Mr. Theobald (Printed for A. Bettesworth and C. Hitch [and] J. Tonson [etc.], London) [word count] [S11201].
