SCENE I.
Prospero's cell.
Enter Prospero, Ferdinand, and Miranda.
Pro.
If I have too austerely punish'd you,
Your compensation makes amends; for I
Have given you here 1 note
a third of mine own life,9Q0071
-- 83 --
Or that for which I live; whom once again
I tender to thy hand: all thy vexations
Were but my trials of thy love, and thou
Hast 2 notestrangely stood the test: here, afore Heaven,
I ratify this my rich gift: o Ferdinand,
Do not smile at me, that I boast her off,9Q0072
For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise,
And make it halt behind her.
Fer.
I do believe it,
Against an oracle.
Pro.
Then, as my 3 notegift, and thine own acquisition
Worthily purchas'd, take my daughter: But
If thou dost break her virgin knot4 note
, before
All sanctimonious ceremonies9Q0073 may
With full and holy rite be minister'd,
No sweet aspersion5 note shall the Heavens let fall
To make this contract grow; but barren hate,
Sour-ey'd disdain, and discord, shall bestrew
The union of your bed with weeds so loathly,
-- 84 --
That you shall hate it both: therefore take heed,
As Hymen's lamps shall light you.
Fer.
As I hope
For quiet days, fair issue, and long life,
With such love as 'tis now; the murkiest den,
The most opportune place, the strong'st suggestion
Our worser Genius can, shall never melt
Mine honour into lust; to take away
The edge of that day's celebration,
When I shall think, or Phœbus' steeds are founder'd,
Or night kept chain'd below.
Pro.
Fairly spoke:
Sit then, and talk with her, she is thine own.—
What, Ariel; my industrious servant Ariel!—
Enter Ariel.
Ari.
What would my potent master? here I am.
Pro.
Thou and thy meaner fellows, your last service
Did worthily perform; and I must use you
In such another trick: go, bring 6 notethe rabble,
O'er whom I give thee power, here, to this place:
Incite them to quick motion; for I must
Bestow upon the eyes of this young couple
Some vanity of mine art; it is my promise,
And they expect it from me.
Ari.
Presently?
Pro.
Ay, with a twink.
Ari.
Before you can say, 7 note
Come, and go,
And breathe twice; and cry, so, so;
Each one, tripping on his toe,
Will be here with mop and moe:
Do you love me, master? no.
-- 85 --
Pro.
Dearly, my delicate Ariel: Do not approach,
Till thou dost hear me call.
Ari.
Well, I conceive.
[Exit.
Pro.
Look, thou be true; do not give dalliance
Too much the rein; the strongest oaths are straw
To the fire i'the blood: be more abstemious,
Or else, good night, your vow!
Fer.
I warrant you, sir;
The white, cold, virgin-snow upon my heart
Abates the ardour of my liver.9Q0074
Pro.
Well.—
Now come, my Ariel; 8 notebring a corollary,
Rather than want a spirit; appear, and pertly.—
9 noteNo tongue; all eyes; be silent.
[Soft musick.
A Masque. Enter Iris.
Iris.
Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and pease;
Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
And slat meads 1 note
thatch'd with stover, them to keep;
-- 86 --
2 note
Thy banks with pionied and twilled brims,
Which spungy April at thy hest betrims,
To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; 3 note
and thy broom groves,
Whose shadow the dismissed batchelor loves,
-- 87 --
Being lass-lorn4 note
; thy pole-clipt vineyard5 note;
And thy sea-marge, steril, and rocky-hard,
Where thou thyself do'st air; The queen o' the sky,
Whose watery arch, and messenger, am I,
Bids thee leave these; and with her sovereign grace,
Here on this grass-plot, in this very place,
To come and sport: her peacocks fly amain;
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.
Enter Ceres.
Cer.
Hail, many-colour'd messenger, that ne'er
Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;
Who, with thy saffron wings, upon my flowers
Diffusest honey drops, refreshing showers;
And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown
6 note
My bosky acres, and my unshrubb'd down,
Rich scarf to my proud earth; Why hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither, 7 noteto this short-grass'd green?
Iris.
A contract of true love to celebrate;
And some donation freely to estate
On the bless'd lovers.
Cer.
Tell me, heavenly bow,
If Venus, or her son, as thou do'st know,
Do now attend the queen? since they did plot
The means, that dusky Dis my daughter got,
-- 88 --
Her and her blind boy's scandal'd company
I have forsworn.
Iris.
Of her society
Be not afraid: I met her deity
Cutting the clouds towards Paphos; and her son
Dove-drawn with her: here thought they to have done
Some wanton charm upon this man and maid,
Whose vows are, that no bed-rite shall be paid
Till Hymen's torch be lighted: but in vain;
Mars's hot minion is return'd again;
Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more, but play with sparrows,
And be a boy right out.
Cer.
8 note
High queen of state,9Q0075
Great Juno comes; I know her by her gait.
Enter Juno.
Jun.
How does my bounteous sister? Go with me,
To bless this twain, that they may prosperous be,
And honour'd in their issue.
Jun.
Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance, and increasing,
-- 89 --
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you.
Cer.
9 noteEarth's increase, and foison plenty1 note
;
Barns, and garners, never empty;
Vines, with clust'ring bunches growing;
Plants, with goodly burden bowing;
Spring come to you, at the farthest,
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity, and want, shall shun you;
Ceres' blessing so is on you.
Fer.
This a most majestic vision, and
2 note
Harmonious charmingly9Q0076: May I be bold
To think these spirits?
Pro.
Spirits, which by mine art
I have from their confines call'd to enact
My present fancies.
Fer.
Let me live here ever;
So rare a wonder'd father, and a wife,
Make this place paradise.
Pro.
Sweet now, silence:
Juno, and Ceres, whisper seriously;
-- 90 --
There's something else to do: hush, and be mute,
Or else our spell is marr'd.
[Juno and Ceres whisper, and send Iris on employment.]
Iris.
You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the 3 notewandring brooks,
With your sedg'd crowns, and ever harmless looks,
4 note
Leave your crisp channels, and on this green land
Answer your summons; Juno does command:
Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
A contract of true love; be not too late.
Enter certain nymphs.
You sun-burn'd sicklemen, of August weary,
Come hither from the furrow, and be merry;
Make holy-day: your rye-straw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing.
Enter certain reapers, properly habited: they join with
the nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the end
whereof Prospero starts suddenly, and speaks; after
which, to a strange, hollow, and confused noise, they
vanish heavily.
Pro. [Aside.]
I had forgot that foul conspiracy
Of the beast Caliban, and his confederates,
Against my life; the minute of their plot
Is almost come.—[To the spirits.] Well done;—avoid;—no more.
-- 91 --
Fer.
This is strange: your father's in some passion
That works him strongly,
Mira.
Never till this day,
Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.
Pro.
You do look, my son, in a mov'd sort,
As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir:
Our revels now are ended: these our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabrick of this vision5 note
,
The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all, which it inherit, shall dissolve;
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
6 note
Leave not a rack behind9Q0078: We are such stuff
-- 92 --
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.—7 note
Sir, I am vex'd;
Bear with my weakness; my old brain is troubled:
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:
If thou be pleas'd, retire into my cell,
And there repose; a turn or two I'll walk,
To still my beating mind.
Fer. Mira.
We wish your peace.
[Exeunt Fer. and Mira.
-- 93 --
Pro.
Come with a thought:—I thank thee:—
Ariel, come.
Prospero comes forward from the cell; enter Ariel to him.
Ari.
Thy thoughts I cleave to8 note
: What's thy pleasure?
Pro.
Spirit,
We must prepare, 9 note
to meet with Caliban.
Ari.
Ay, my commander: when I presented Ceres,
I thought to have told thee of it; but I fear'd,
Lest I might anger thee.
Pro.
Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets?
Ari.
I told you, sir, they were red hot with drinking;
So full of valour, that they smote the air
For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
For kissing of their feet; yet always bending
Towards their project: Then I beat my tabor,
At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd their ears,
1 note
Advanc'd their eye-lids, lifted up their noses,
-- 94 --
As they smelt musick; so I charm'd their ears,
That, calf-like, they my lowing follow'd, through
Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes, 2 note
pricking goss, and thorns,
Which enter'd their frail shins: at last I left them
I' the filthy mantled pool beyond your cell,
There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake
O'er-stunk their feet.
Pro.
This was well done, my bird:
Thy shape invisible retain thou still:
The trumpery in my house, go, bring it hither,
3 note
For stale to catch these thieves.
Ari.
I go, I go.
[Exit.
Pro.
A devil, a born devil, on whose nature
-- 95 --
Nurture can never stick4 note; on whom my pains,
Humanely taken, all, all lost, quite lost;
And as, with age, his body uglier grows,
So his mind cankers:9Q0079 I will plague them all,
Even to roaring:—Come, hang them on this line.
[Prospero remains invisible.
Enter Ariel loaden with glistering apparel, &c. Enter
Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo, all wet.
Cal.
Pray you, tread softly, that the blind mole may not
Hear a foot fall: we now are near his cell.
Ste.
Monster, your fairy, which, you say, is a
harmless fairy, has done little better than play'd the
5 noteJack with us.
Trin.
Monster, I do smell all horse-piss; at which
my nose is in great indignation.
Ste.
So is mine. Do you hear, monster? If I
should take a displeasure against you; look you—
Trin.
Thou wert but a lost monster.
Cal.
Good my lord, give me thy favour still:
Be patient, for the prize I'll bring thee to
Shall hood-wink this mischance: therefore, speak softly;
All's hush'd as midnight yet.
Trin.
Ay, but to lose our bottles in the pool,—
Ste.
There is not only disgrace and dishonour in
that, monster, but an infinite loss.
Trin.
That's more to me than my wetting: Yet
this is your harmless fairy, monster.
Ste.
I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er
ears for my labour.
Cal.
Pr'ythee, my king, be quiet: See'st thou here,
This is the mouth o' the cell; no noise, and enter:
-- 96 --
Do that good mischief, which may make this island
Thine own for ever, and I, thy Caliban,
For aye thy foot-licker.
Ste.
Give me thy hand: I do begin to have bloody thoughts.
6 note
Trin.
O king Stephano! o peer! o worthy Stephano!
Look, what a wardrobe here is for thee!
Cal.
Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash.
Trin.
Oh, ho, monster; 7 note
we know what belongs
to a frippery:—o, king Stephano!
Ste.
Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this hand,
I'll have that gown.
Trin.
Thy grace shall have it.
Cal.
The dropsy drown this fool! what do you mean,
To doat thus on such luggage? 8 note
Let's along,
-- 97 --
And do the murder first: if he awake,
From toe to crown he'll fill our skin with pinches;
Make us strange stuff.
Ste.
Be you quiet, monster.—Mistress line, is not
this my jerkin? Now is the jerkin 9 note
under the line:
Now, jerkin, you are like to lose your hair, and
prove a bald jerkin.
Trin.
Do, do; We steal by line and level, and't
like your grace.
Ste.
I thank thee for that jest; here's a garment
for't: wit shall not go unrewarded, while I am king
of this country: Steal by line and level, is an excellent
pass of pate; there's another garment for't.
Trin.
Monster, come, 1 noteput some lime upon your
fingers, and away with the rest.
Cal.
I will have none on't: we shall lose our time,
And all be turn'd 2 note
to barnacles, or to apes
With foreheads villainous low.
-- 98 --
Ste.
Monster, lay to your fingers; help to bear
this away, where my hogshead of wine is, or I'll
turn you out of my kingdom: go to, carry this.
Trin.
And this.
Ste.
Ay, and this.
3 noteA noise of hunters heard. Enter divers spirits in shape
of hounds, hunting them about; Prospero and Ariel
setting them on.
Pro.
Hey, Mountain, hey!
Ari.
Silver! there it goes, Silver!
Pro.
Fury, Fury! there, Tyrant, there! hark, hark!—
[To Ariel.]
Go, charge my goblins that they grind their joints
With dry convulsions; shorten up their sinews
-- 99 --
With aged cramps; and more pinch-spotted make them,
Than pard, or cat o'mountain.
Ari.
Hark, they roar.
Pro.
Let them be hunted soundly: At this hour
Lie at my mercy all mine enemies:
Shortly shall all my labours end, and thou
Shalt have the air at freedom: for a little,
Follow, and do me service.
[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].
