Pro.
Now does my project gather to a head:
My charms crack not; my spirits obey; and time

Goes upright with his carriage. How's the day?

Ari.
On the sixth hour; at which time, my lord,
You said our work should cease.

Pro.
I did say so,
When first I rais'd the tempest. Say, my spirit,
How fares the ^note king, and his followers?

Ari.
Confin'd together
In the same fashion as you gave in charge;
Just as you left them; all your prisoners, sir,
In the lime-grove ^note which weather-sends your cell;
They cannot budge, 'till your release: ^note The king,
His brother, and yours, abide all three distracted;
And the remainder mourning over them,
Brim-full of sorrow, and dismay: but chiefly
Him that you term'd, sir, The good old lord, Gonzalo;
His tears run down ^note his beard, like winter ^note drops
From eaves of reeds: ^note your charm so strongly works 'em,
That, if you now beheld them, your affections
Would become tender.

Pro.
Dost thou think so, spirit?

Ari.
Mine would, sir, were I human.

Pro.
And mine shall.
Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling
Of their afflictions? and shall not myself,
One of their kind, that relish all as sharply,
Passion ^note as they, be kindlier mov'd than thou art?
Though with their high wrongs I am strook to the quick,
Yet, with my nobler reason, 'gainst my fury
Do I take part: the rarer action is
In virtue, than in vengeance: they being penitent,14Q0024
The sole drift of my purpose, wrath doth end ^note;
Not a frown further: Go, release them, Ariel;

My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore,
And they shall be themselves.

Ari.
I'll fetch them, sir. [Exit.

Pro.
Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and groves;
And ye, that on the sands with printless foot
Do chase the ebbing Neptune, and do fly him
When he comes back; you demi-puppets, that
By moon-shine do the green sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites; and you, whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms; that rejoice
To hear the solemn curfeu; by whose aid
(Weak masters ^note though ye be) I have bedim'd
The noon-tide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
And 'twixt the green sea and the azur'd vault
Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
Have I given fire, and rifted Jove's stout oak
With his own bolt: the strong-bas'd promontory
Have I made shake; and by the spurs pluck'd up
The pine, and cedar: graves, at my command,
Have wak'd their sleepers; op'd, and let them forth,
By my so potent art: But this rough magick
I here abjure: and, when I have requir'd
Some heavenly musick, (which even now I do)
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book. [solemn Musick. Re-enter Ariel: after him, Alonso, with a frantick Gesture, attended by Gonzalo; Sebastian, and Antonio, in like Manner, attended by Adrian, and Francisco: They all enter the Circle which

Prospero had made, and there stand charm'd; which Prospero observing, speaks.
A solemn air,14Q0025 the ^note best comforter
To an unsettl'd fancy, cure thy brains,
Now useless, boil'd ^note within thy skull! there stand,
For you are spell-stopt.—
Holy Gonzalo, honourable man,
Mine eyes, even sociable to the shew of thine,
Fall fellow drops ^note.—The charm dissolves apace;
And as the morning steals upon the night,
Melting the darkness, so their rising senses
Begin to chase the ignorant fumes that mantle
Their clearer reason.—O good Gonzalo,
My true preserver, and a loyal sir
To him thou follow'st; I will pay thy graces
Home, both in word and deed.—Most cruelly
Didst thou, Alonso, use me and my daughter:
Thy brother was a furtherer in the act;—
Thou art pinch'd for't now, Sebastian.—Flesh and blood,
You, brother mine; that entertain'd ^note ambition,
Expell'd remorse, and nature; who, with Sebastian,
(Whose inward pinches therefore are most strong)
Would here have kill'd your king; I do forgive thee,
Unnatural though thou art.—Their understanding
Begins to swell; and the approaching tide
Will shortly fill the reasonable shore,
That now lies foul ^note and muddy. Not one of them,
That yet looks on me, or would know me:—Ariel,
Fetch me the hat and rapier in my cell;— [Exit Ariel.
I will discase me, and myself present
As I was sometime Milan:—quickly, spirit;

Thou shalt ere long be free. Re-enter Ariel.
Ari. SONG.
Where the bee sucks, there suck I;
in a cowslip's bell I lye,
there I couch: when owls do cry,14Q0026
on the bat's back I do fly
after summer, merrily:
Merrily, merrily, shall I live now,
under the blossom that hangs on the bough. [helps to attire Prospero.

Pro.
Why, that's my dainty Ariel: I shall miss thee;
But yet thou shalt have freedom: So, so, so.
To the king's ship, invisible as thou art:
There shalt thou find the mariners asleep
Under the hatches; the master, and the boatswain,
Being awake, enforce them to this place,
And presently, I pr'ythee.

Ari.
I drink the air before me, and return
Or ere your pulse twice beat. [Exit Ariel.

Gon.
All torment, trouble, wonder, and amazement
Inhabits here; Some heavenly power guide us
Out of this fearful country!

Pro.
Behold, sir king,
The wronged duke of Milan, Prospero:
For more assurance that a living prince
Does now speak to thee, I embrace thy body;
And to thee, and thy company, I bid
A hearty welcome.

Alo.
Whe'r thou be'st he, or no,
Or some enchanted trifle to abuse me,
As late I have been, I not know: thy pulse
Beats, as of flesh and blood; and, since I saw thee,

The affliction of my mind amends, with which,
I fear, a madness held me: this must crave
(An if this be at all) a most strange story.
Thy dukedome I resign; and do entreat,
Thou pardon me my wrongs:—But how should Prospero
Be living, and be here?

Pro.
First, noble friend,
Let me embrace thine age; whose honour cannot
Be measur'd, or confin'd.

Gon.
Whether this be,
Or be not, I'll not swear.

Pro.
You do yet taste
Some subtleties o' the isle, that will not let you
Believe things certain:—Welcome, my friends all:—
&clquo;But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded,&crquo;
&clquo;I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you,&crquo;
&clquo;And justify you traitors; at this time&crquo;
&clquo;I'll tell no tales.&crquo;

&clquo;Seb.
&clquo;The devil speaks in him.&crquo; [to Ant.

&clquo;Pro.
&clquo;No.&crquo;—
For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault ^note; all of them; and require
My dukedom of thee, ^note which, perforce, I know,
Thou must restore.

Alo.
If thou be'st Prospero,
Give us particulars of thy preservation:
How thou hast met us here, who three ^note hours since
Were wreck'd upon this shore; where I have lost
(How sharp the point of this remembrance is!)
My dear son Ferdinand.

Pro.
I am woe for't, sir.

Alo.
Irreparable is the loss; and patience
Says, it is past her cure.

Pro.
I rather think,
You have not sought her help; of whose soft grace,
For the like loss, I have her sovereign aid,
And rest myself content.

Alo.
You the like loss?

Pro.
As great to me, as late, sir: and supportable
To make the dear loss, have I means much weaker
Than you may call to comfort you; for I
Have lost my daughter.

Alo.
Daughter? ^note
O heavens! that they were living both in Naples ^note,
The king and queen there! that they were, I wish
Myself were mudded in that oozy bed
Where my son lies. When did you lose your daughter?

Pro.
In this last tempest. I perceive, these lords
At this encounter do so much admire,
That they devour their reason; and scarce think ^note,
Their eyes do ^note offices of truth, these ^note words ^note14Q0027
Are natural breath: but, howsoe'er you have
Been justl'd from your senses, know for certain
That I am Prospero, and that very duke
Which was thrust forth of Milan; who most strangely
Upon this shore, where you were wreckt, was landed,
To be the lord on't. No more yet of this;
For 'tis a chronicle of day by day,
Not a relation for a breakfast, nor
Befitting this first meeting: Welcome, sir;
This cell's my court: here have I few attendants,
And subjects none abroad: pray you, look in:
My dukedom since you have given me again,

I will requite yon with as good a thing;
At least, bring forth a wonder, to content you
As much, as me my dukedom. Cell opens; and discovers Ferdinand, and Miranda, playing at Chess.

Mir.
Sweet lord, you play me false.

Fer.
No, my dear'st love,
I would not for the world.

Mir.
Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle,
And I would call it fair play.

Alo.
If this prove
A vision of the island, one dear son
Shall I twice lose.

Seb.
A most high miracle!

Fer.
Though the seas threaten, they are merciful;
I have curs'd them without cause. [running to Alonso, and kneeling.

Alo.
Now all the blessings
Of a glad father compass thee about!
Arise, and say how thou cam'st here.

Mir.
O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind ^note is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!

Pro.
'Tis new to thee.

Alo.
What is this maid, with whom thou wast at play?
Your eld'st acquaintance cannot be three hours;
Is she the goddess that hath sever'd us,
And brought us thus together?

Fer.
Sir, she is mortal;
But, by immortal providence, she's mine:
I chose her, when I could not ask my father

For his advice; nor thought I had one: she
Is daughter to this famous duke of Milan,
Of whom so often I have heard renown,
But never saw before; of whom I have
Receiv'd a second life, and second father
This lady makes him to me.

Alo.
I am her's:
But, o, how oddly will it sound, that I
Must ask my child forgiveness?

Pro.
There, sir, stop;
Let us not burthen our remembrance ^note with
A heaviness that's gone.

Gon.
I have inly wept,
Or should have spoke ere this: Look down, you gods,
And on this couple drop a blessed crown;
For it is you, that have chalk'd forth the way
Which brought us hither!

Alo.
I say, amen, Gonzalo.

Gon.
Was Milan thrust from Milan, that his issue
Should become kings of Naples? O, rejoice
Beyond a common joy; and set it down
With gold, on lasting pillars: In one voyage
Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis;
And Ferdinand, her brother, found a wife,
Where he himself was lost; Prospero his dukedom,
In a poor isle; and all of us ourselves,
When no man was his own.

Alo.
Give me your hands: [to Fer. and Mir.
Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart,
That doth not wish you joy!

Gon.
Be it so! amen! Re-enter Ariel; with the Master, and Boatswain, ^note

amazedly following.
O look, sir, look, sir, here is more ^note of us:
I prophesy'd, if a gallows were on land,
This fellow could not drown:—Now, blasphemy,
That swear'st grace o'er-board, not an oath on shore?
Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news?

Boa.
The best news is, that we have safely found
Our king, and company: the next, our ship,—
Which, but three glasses since, we gave out split,—
Is tight, and yare, and bravely rig'd, as when
We first put out to sea.

&clquo;Ari.
&clquo;Sir, all this service&crquo;
&clquo;Have I done since I went.&crquo;

Pro.
&clquo;My tricksey spirit!&crquo;

Alo.
These are not natural events; they strengthen,
From strange to stranger:—Say, how came you hither?

Boa.
If I did think, sir, I were well awake,
I'd strive to tell you. We were dead asleep ^note,
And (how, we know not) all clapt under hatches:
Where, but even now, with strange and several noises,
Of roaring, shrieking, howling, jingling chains,
And more diversity of sounds, all horrible,
We were awak'd; straightway, at liberty:
Where we, in all her trim ^note, freshly beheld
Our royal, good, and gallant ship; our master
Cap'ring to eye her: On a trice, so please you,
Even in a dream, were we divided from them,
And were brought moping hither.

&clquo;Ari.
&clquo;Was't well done?&crquo;

&clquo;Pro.
&clquo;Bravely, my diligence: thou shalt be free.&crquo;

Alo.
This is ^note as strange a maze as e'er men trod;
And there is in this business more than nature

Was ever conduct of: some oracle
Must rectify our knowledge.

Pro.
Sir, my liege,
Do not infest your mind with beating on
The strangeness of this business; at pickt leisure ^note,
Which shall be shortly, single I'll resolve you14Q0028
(Which to you shall seem probable) of every
These happen'd accidents: 'till when, be chearful;
And think of each thing well.—&clquo;Come hither, spirit;&crquo;
&clquo;Set Caliban, and his companions, free;&crquo;
&clquo;Unty the spell.&crquo; [Exit Ari.] How fares my gracious sir?
There are yet missing of your company
Some few odd lads, that you remember not. Re-enter Ariel, driving in Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo, in their stoln Apparel.

Ste.

Every man shift for all the rest, and let no man take care for himself; for all is but fortune:—Coragio, bully monster, Coragio! ^note

Tri.

If these be true spies which I wear in my head, here's a goodly sight.

Cal.
O Setebos, these be brave spirits, indeed!
How fine my master is! I am afraid,
He will chastise me.

Seb.
Ha, ha; What things are these, my lord Antonio?
Will money buy them?

Ant.
Very like; one of them
Is a plain fish, and, no doubt, marketable.

Pro.
Mark but the badges of these men, my lords,
Then say, if they be true:—This mis-shapen ^note knave,—
His mother was a witch; and one so strong
That could controul the moon, make flows and ebbs,
And deal in her command without her power:

These three have rob'd me; and this demi-devil
(For he's a bastard one) had plotted with them
To take my life: two of these fellows you
Must know, and own; this thing of darkness I
Acknowledge mine.

Cal.
I shall be pinch'd to death.

Alo.
Is not this Stephano, my drunken butler?

Seb.
He is drunk now; Where had he wine?

Alo.
And Trinculo is reeling ripe; Where should they
Find this grand 'lixir ^note that hath gilded them?14Q0029—
How cam'st thou in this pickle?

Tri.

I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last, that, I fear me, will never out of my bones: I shall not fear fly-blowing.

Seb.

Why, how now, Stephano?

Ste.
O, touch me not; I am not Stephano, but a cramp.

Pro.

You'd be king o'the isle, sirrah?

Ste.
I should have been a sore one then.

Alo.
This is as strange ^note a thing as e'er I look'd on.

Pro.
He is as disproportion'd in his manners,
As in his shape:—Go, sirrah, to my cell;
Take with you your companions; as you look
To have my pardon, trim it handsomely.

Cal.
Ay, that I will; and I'll be wise hereafter,
And seek for grace: What a thrice-double ass
Was I, to take this † drunkard for a god;
And worship this † dull fool?

Pro.
Go to, away.

Alo.
Hence, and bestow your luggage where you found it.

Seb.
Or stole it, rather. [Exeunt Cal. Ste. and Tri.

Pro.
Sir, I invite your highness, and your train,

To my poor cell: where you shall take your rest
For this one night; which (part of it) I'll waste
With such discourse, as, I not doubt, shall make it
Go quick away: the story of my life;
And the particular accidents, gone by
Since I came to this isle: And, in the morn,
I'll bring you to your ship; and so to Naples;
Where I have hope to see the nuptials ^note
Of these our dear-beloved solemniz'd:
And thence retire me to my Milan; where
Every third thought shall be my grave.

Alo.
I long
To hear the story of your life; which must
Take the ear strangely ^note.

Pro.
I'll deliver all;
And promise you calm seas, auspitious gales,
And sail so expeditious, that shall catch
Your royal fleet far off:—&clquo;My Ariel; chick,&crquo;
&clquo;That is thy charge: Then, to the elements;&crquo;
&clquo;Be free; and fare thou well.&crquo;—Please you, draw near. advancing,

  Now my charms are all o'er-thrown,
And what strength I have's mine own;
Which is most faint: now, 'tis true,
I must be here confin'd by you,
Or sent to Naples: Let me not,
Since I have my dukedom got,
And pardon'd the deceiver, dwell
In this bare island, by your spell;
But release me from my bands

With the help of your good hands:
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was to please: Now I want
Spirits to enforce, art to enchant,
And my ending is despair;
Unless I be reliev'd by prayer;
Which pierces so, that it assaults
Mercy itself, and frees all faults.
  As you from crimes would pardon'd be,
Let your indulgence set me free. [Exeunt.

The two GENTLEMEN of