a Boatswain note.
Mast.
Boatswain!
Boats.
Here, master: what cheer?
Mast.
Good, note speak to the mariners: fall to't, yarely, or
we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir.
[Exit.
Enter Mariners.
Boats.
Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts!
yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the master's
whistle. Blow, till thou burst thy wind note, if room enough!
Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Ferdinand, Gonzalo, and others.
note
Alon.
Good boatswain, have care. Where's the master?
Play the men.
Boats.
I pray now, keep below.
Ant.
Where is the master, boatswain note?
-- 4 --
Boats.
Do you not hear him? You mar our labour:
keep your cabins: you do assist the storm.
Gon.
Nay, good, be patient.
Boats.
When the sea is. Hence! What cares note these
roarers for the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble
us not.
Gon.
Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard. note
Boats.
None that I more love than myself. You are a
Counsellor; if you can command these elements to silence,
and work the peace of the present, we will not hand a rope
more; use your authority: if you cannot, give thanks you
have lived so long, and make yourself ready in your cabin
for the mischance of the hour, if it so hap. Cheerly, good
hearts! Out of our way, I say.
[Exit.
Gon.
I have great comfort from this fellow: methinks
he hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is
perfect gallows. Stand fast, good Fate, to his hanging:
make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth
little advantage. If he be not born to be hanged, our case
is miserable.
[Exeunt note.
Re-enter Boatswain.
Boats.
Down with the topmast! yare! lower, lower!
Bring her to try note with main-course. [A cry within.] A
plague upon this howling! they are louder than the weather
or our office. note
Re-enter Sebastian, Antonio, and Gonzalo.
Yet again! what do you here? Shall we give o'er, and
drown? Have you a mind to sink? note
Seb.
A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous,
incharitable dog!
Boats.
Work you, then.
Ant.
Hang, cur! hang, you whoreson, insolent noise-maker.
We are less afraid to be drowned than thou art.
-- 5 --
Gon.
I'll warrant him for note drowning; though the ship
were no stronger than a nutshell, and as leaky as an unstanched
wench.
Boats.
Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her two courses off
to sea note again; lay her off.
note
Enter note Mariners wet.
Mariners.
All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost!
Boats.
What, must our mouths be cold?
Gon.
The king and prince at note prayers! let's assist them,
For our case is as theirs.
Seb.
I'm out of patience.
Ant.
We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards:
This wide-chapp'd rascal,—would thou mightst lie drowning
The washing of ten tides!
Gon.
He'll be hang'd yet, note
Though every drop of water swear against it,
And gape at widest to glut note him.
note
[A confused noise within: “Mercy on us!”—
“We split, we split!”—“Farewell my wife and children!”—
“Farewell, brother! note”—“We split, we split, we split!”]
Ant.
Let's all sink with the note king.
Seb.
note
Let's take leave of him.
[Exeunt Ant. and Seb.
Gon.
Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for
an acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze note note, any
thing. The wills above be done! but I would fain die a
dry death.
[Exeunt note.
-- 6 --
William Aldis Wright [1863–1866], The works of William Shakespeare edited by William George Clark... and John Glover [and William Aldis Wright] (Macmillan and Co., London) [word count] [S10701].
