SCENE II.
Another part of the island.
Enter Caliban with a burden of wood: A noise of thunder heard.
Cal.
All the infections that the sun sucks up
From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall, and make him
By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me,
And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,
Fright me with urchin shows, pitch me i' the mire,
Nor lead me, like a fire-brand, in the dark
Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but
For every trifle they are set upon me:
Sometime like apes, 9 note
that moe and chatter at me,
-- 56 --
And after, bite me; then like hedge-hogs, which
Lie tumbling in my bare-foot way, and mount
Their pricks at my foot-fall; sometime am I
All 1 notewound with adders, who, with cloven tongues,
Do hiss me into madness:—Lo! now! lo!
Enter Trinculo.
Here comes a spirit of his; and to torment me,
For bringing wood in slowly: I'll fall flat;
Perchance, he will not mind me.
Trin.
Here's neither bush nor shrub, to bear off
any weather at all, and another storm brewing; I hear
it sing i' the wind: yond' same black cloud, yond'
huge one, 2 note
looks like a foul bumbard that would
shed his liquor. If it should thunder, as it did before,
I know not where to hide my head: yond' same
cloud cannot chuse but fall by pailfuls.—What have
we here? a man or a fish? Dead or alive? A fish:
-- 57 --
he smells like a fish; a very ancient and fish-like
smell; a kind of, not of the newest, Poor-John. A
strange fish! Were I in England now, (as once I was)
and had but this fish painted3 note
, not a holiday-fool
there but would give a piece of silver: there would
this monster 4 note
make a man; any strange beast there
makes a man: when they will not give a doit to relieve
a lame beggar, they will lay out ten to see 5 note
a
dead Indian.9Q0060 Legg'd like a man! and his sins like
arms! Warm, o' my troth! I do now let loose my
opinion6 note
, hold it no longer; this is no fish, but an
islander, that has lately suffer'd by a thunder-bolt.
Alas! the storm is come again: my best way is to
creep under 7 note
note
So in Look about you, 1600:
“I'll conjure his gaberdine.” The gaberdine is still worn by
the peasants in Sussex.
Steevens.
his gaberdine; there is no other shelter
-- 58 --
hereabout: Misery acquaints a man with strange
bedfellows: I will here shrowd, till the dregs of the
storm be past.
Enter Stephano singing, a bottle in his hand.
Ste.
I shall no more to sea, to sea,
Here shall I dye a-shore,—
This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's funeral:
Well, here's my comfort.
[Drinks.
The master, the swabber, the boatswain and I,
The gunner and his mate,
Lov'd Mall, Meg, and Marian, and Margery,
But none of us car'd for Kate:
For she had a tongue with a tang,
Would cry to a sailor, Go, hang:
She lov'd not the savour of tar nor of pitch,
Yet a taylor might scratch her where-e'er she did itch:
Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang.
This is a scurvy tune too: But here's my comfort.
[Drinks.
Cal.
Do not torment me: Oh!
Ste.
What's the matter? Have we devils here?
Do you put tricks upon us with savages, and men of
Inde? Ha! I have not 'scap'd drowning, to be afraid
now of your four legs; for it hath been said, As
proper a man as ever went upon four legs, cannot
make him give ground: and it shall be said so again,
while Stephano breathes at nostrils.
Cal.
The spirit torments me: Oh!
Ste.
This is some monster of the isle, with four
legs; who has got, as I take it, an ague: Where the
devil should he learn our language? I will give him
some relief, if it be but for that: If I can recover
him, and keep him tame, and get to Naples with
-- 59 --
him, he's a present for any emperor that ever trod
on neats-leather.
Cal.
Do not torment me, pr'ythee; I'll bring my
wood home faster.
Ste.
He's in his fit now; and does not talk after
the wisest: He shall taste of my bottle: if he never
drunk wine afore, it will go near to remove his fit:
if I can recover him, and keep him tame, I will not
take 8 note
too much for him; he shall pay for him that
hath him, and that soundly.
Cal.
Thou dost me yet but little hurt; thou wilt
anon, 9 note
I know it by thy trembling: Now Prosper
works upon thee.
Ste.
Come on your ways; open your mouth; here
is that which will give language to you, 1 notecat; open
your mouth: this will shake your shaking, I can tell
you, and that soundly: you cannot tell who's your
friend; open your chaps again.
Trin.
I should know that voice: It should be,—
But he is drown'd; and these are devils: O! defend
me!—
Ste.
Four legs, and two voices; a most delicate
monster! His forward voice2 note now is to speak well
of his friend; his backward voice is to utter foul
speeches, and to detract. If all the wine in my bottle
-- 60 --
will recover him, I will help his ague: Come—3 noteAmen!
I will pour some in thy other mouth.
Trin.
Stephano,—
Ste.
Doth thy other mouth call me? Mercy! mercy!
This is a devil, and no monster: I will leave
him; 4 note
I have no long spoon.
Trin.
Stephano!—if thou beest Stephano, touch
me, and speak to me; for I am Trinculo;—be not
afraid,—thy good friend Trinculo.
Ste.
If thou beest Trinculo, come forth; I'll pull
thee by the lesser legs: if any be Trinculo's legs,
these are they. Thou art very Trinculo, indeed:
How cam'st thou 5 note
to be the siege of this moon-calf?
can he vent Trinculos?
Trin.
I took him to be kill'd with a thunder-stroke:
—But art thou not drown'd Stephano? I hope now,
thou art not drown'd. Is the storm over-blown? I
hid me under the dead moon-calf's gaberdine, for
fear of the storm: And art thou living, Stephano?
O Stephano, two Neapolitans 'scap'd!
Ste.
Pr'ythee, do not turn me about; my stomach
is not constant.
Cal.
These be fine things, an if they be not sprights.
-- 61 --
That's a brave god, and bears celestial liquor:
I will kneel to him.
Ste.
How did'st thou 'scape? How cam'st thou
hither? swear, by this bottle, how thou cam'st hither.
I escap'd upon a butt of sack, which the sailors heav'd
over-board, by this bottle! which I made of the bark
of a tree, with mine own hands, since I was cast
a-shore.
Cal.
I'll swear, upon that bottle, to be thy true
subject; for the liquor is not earthly.
Ste.
Here; swear then, how escap'dst thou?
Trin.
Swom a-shore, man, like a duck; I can swim
like a duck, I'll be sworn.
Ste.
Here, kiss the book: Though thou can'st
swim like a duck, thou art made like a goose.
Trin.
O Stephano, hast any more of this?
Ste.
The whole butt, man; my cellar is in a rock
by the sea-side, where my wine is hid. How now,
moon-calf? how does thine ague?
Cal.
Hast thou not dropp'd from heaven6 note?
Ste.
Out o' the moon, I do assure thee: I was the
man in the moon, when time was.
Cal.
I have seen thee in her, and I do adore thee:
my mistress shew'd me thee, and thy dog, and thy
bush.
Ste.
Come, swear to that; kiss the book: I will
furnish it anon with new contents: swear.
Trin.
By this good light this is a very shallow monster:
—7 noteI afraid of him?—a very weak monster:—
The man i' the moon?—a most poor credulous monster:
—Well drawn, monster, in good sooth.
-- 62 --
Cal.
I'll shew thee every fertile inch o' the isle;
And I will 8 notekiss thy foot: I pr'ythee, be my god.
Trin.
By this light, a most perfidious and drunken
monster; when his god's asleep, he'll rob his bottle.
Cal.
I'll kiss thy foot: I'll swear myself thy subject.
Ste.
Come on then; down, and swear.
Trin.
I shall laugh myself to death at this puppy-headed
monster: A most scurvy monster! I could
find in my heart to beat him,—
Ste.
Come, kiss.
Trin.
—But that the poor monster's in drink:
An abominable monster!
Cal.
I'll shew thee the best springs; I'll pluck thee berries;
I'll fish for thee, and get thee wood enough.
A plague upon the tyrant that I serve!
I'll bear him no more sticks, but follow thee,
Thou wond'rous man.
Trin.
A most ridiculous monster; to make a wonder
of a poor drunkard.
Cal.
I pr'ythee, let me bring thee where crabs grow;
And I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts;
Shew thee a jay's nest, and instruct thee how
To snare the nimble marmozet; I'll bring thee
To clust'ring filberds, and sometimes I'll get thee
Young 9 note
scamels from the rock: Wilt thou go with me?
-- 63 --
Ste.
I pr'ythee now, lead the way, without any
more talking.—Trinculo, the king and all our company
being drown'd, we will inherit here.—Here;
bear my bottle! Fellow Trinculo, we'll fill him by
and by again.
Cal. [Sings drunkenly.]
Farewell master; farewell, farewell.
Trin.
A howling monster; a drunken monster.
-- 64 --
Cal.
No more dams I'll make for fish;
Nor fetch in firing
At requiring,
Nor scrape 1 notetrencher, nor wash dish;9Q0061
Ban' Ban', Ca—Caliban,
Has a new master—Get a new Man.
Freedom, hey-day! hey-day, freedom! freedom,
hey-day, freedom!
Ste.
O brave monster! lead the way.
[Exeunt.
Samuel Johnson [1778], The plays of William Shakspeare. In ten volumes. With the corrections and illustrations of various commentators; to which are added notes by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens. The second edition, Revised and Augmented (Printed for C. Bathurst [and] W. Strahan [etc.], London) [word count] [S10901].
