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This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,

Which thou tak'st from me. When thou camest first, Thou strok'dst me, and mad'st much of me; wouldst give me Water with berries in't; and teach me how

To name the bigger light, and how the less,

That burn by day and night: and then I loved thee, And showed thee all the qualities o' the isle,

The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place, and fertile;
Cursed be I that did so!-All the charms

Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
For I am all the subjects that you have,

Which first was mine own king: and here you sty me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
The rest of the island.

Pro.

1 Thou most lying slave,
Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have used thee,
Filth as thou art, with human care; and lodged thee
In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate
The honor of my child.

Cal. O ho, O ho!-'would it had been done!
Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else
This isle with Calibans.

Pro.

Abhorred slave,

Which any print of goodness will not take,
Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,

Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour
One thing or other; when thou didst not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like

A thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes

With words that made them known: But thy vile race, Though thou didst learn, had that in't which good natures Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou Deservedly confined into this rock,

Who hadst deserved more than a prison.

Cal. You taught me language; and my profit on't
Is, I know how to curse: The red plague rid you,
For learning me your language!

Pro.
Hag-seed, hence!
Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou wert best,
To answer other business. Shrug'st thou, malice?
If thou neglect'st, or dost unwillingly

What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps:
Fill all thy bones with aches: make thee roar
That beasts shall tremble at thy din!

Cal. No, 'pray thee!

I must obey his art is of such power,

[Aside.

It would control my dam's god, Setebos,
And make a vassal of him.

Pro.

So, slave, hence!

[Exit CALIBAN.

Re-enter ARIEL invisible, playing and singing.
FERDINAND following him.

ARIEL'S SONG.

Come unto these yellow sands,

And then take hands:

Curt'sied when you have, and kissed,

(The wild waves whist,)

Foot it featly, here and there,

And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.

Hark, hark!

Bur. Bowgh, wowgh.

The watch-dogs bark:

Bur. Bowgh, wowgh.

Hark, hark! I hear

The strain of strutting chanticlere

Cry, Cock-a-doodle-doo.

[Dispersedly.

[Dispersedly.

Fer. Where should this music be? i' the air, or the earth? It sounds no more;-and sure, it waits upon Some god of the island. Sitting on a bank, Weeping again the king my father's wreck, This music crept by me upon the waters; Allaying both their fury, and my passion, With its sweet air: thence I have followed it, Or it hath drawn me rather:-But 'tis gone. No, it begins again.

ARIEL sings.

Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:

[Burden, ding-dong.

Hark! now I hear them,-ding-dong, bell.

Fer. The ditty does remember my drowned father.

This is no mortal business, nor no sound

That the earth owes :-I hear it now above me.

Pro. The fringed curtains of thine eye advance, And say, what thou seest yond'.

Mira. What is't? a spirit? Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, sir,

It carries a brave form:-But 'tis a spirit.

Pro. No, wench; it eats and sleeps, and hath such senses As we have, such: This gallant, which thou seest, Was in the wreck; and but he's something stained.

With grief, that's beauty's canker, thou might'st call him A goodly person: he hath lost his fellows,

And strays about to find them.

Mira.

I might call him

A thing divine; for nothing natural
I ever saw so noble.

Pro.

It goes on, I

see,

[Aside. As my soul prompts it:-Spirit, fine Spirit! I'll free thee Within two days for this.

Fer.
Most sure, the goddess
On whom these airs attend!-Vouchsafe, my prayer
May know, if you remain upon this island;
And that you will some good instruction give,
How I may bear me here: My prime request,
Which I do last pronounce, is, O you wonder!
If you be maid, or no?

Mira.

But certainly a maid.

Fer.

No wonder, sir;

My language! heavens!

I am the best of them that speak this speech,
Were I but where 'tis spoken.

Pro.
How the best?
What wert thou, if the king of Naples heard thee?
Fer. A single thing, as I am now, that wonders
To hear thee speak of Naples; he docs hear me;
And, that he does, I weep: myself am Naples;
Who with mine eyes, ne'er since at ebb, beheld
The king my father wrecked.

Alack, for mercy!

Mira.
Fer. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the duke of Milan,
And his brave son, being twain.

Pro.
The duke of Milan,
And his more braver daughter, could control thee,
If now 'twere fit to do't:-At the first sight
They have changed eyes;-Delicate Ariel,
I'll set thee free for this!-A word, good sir;

[Aside.

I fear, you have done yourself some wrong: a word.
Mira. Why speaks my father so ungently? This

Is the third man that e'er I saw; the first
That e'er I sighed for: pity move my father
To be inclined my way!

Fer.

O, if a virgin,

And your affection not gone forth, I'll make you
The queen of Naples.

Pro. Soft, sir; one word more.They are both in either's powers: but this swift business. I must uneasy make, lest too light winning

[Aside.

Make the prize light.-One word more; I charge thee,
That thou attend me: thou dost here usurp

The name thou ow'st not; and hast put thyself
Upon this island, as a spy, to win it

From me, the lord on't.

Fer.

No, as I am a man.

Mira. There's nothing ill can dwell in such a temple; If the ill spirit have so fair an house,

Good things will strive to dwell with't.

Pro.
Follow me.-[To FERD.
Speak not you for him; he's a traitor.-Come.
I'll manacle thy neck and feet together;

Sea-water shalt thou drink, thy food shall be
The fresh-brook muscles, withered roots, and husks
Wherein the acorn cradled: Follow.

[blocks in formation]

My foot my tutor!-Put thy sword up, traitor;

Who mak'st a show, but dar'st not strike, thy conscience Is so possessed with guilt: come from thy ward;

For I can here disarm thee with this stick,

And make thy weapon drop.

Mira.

Pro. Hence; hang not on my garments.

Mira.

I'll be his surety.

Beseech you, father!

Sir, have pity;

Silence: one word more

Pro.
Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee. What!
An advocate for an impostor? hush!

Thou think'st there are no more such shapes as he,
Having seen but him and Caliban: Foolish wench!
VOL. I.-3

To the most of men this is a Caliban,
And they to him are angels.

Mira.
My affections
Are then most humble; I have no ambition.

To see a goodlier man.
Pro.
Thy nerves are in their infancy again;

Come on; obey:

[To FERD.

So they are:

And have no vigor in them.

Fer.

My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up.
My father's loss, the weakness which I feel,
The wreck of all my friends, or this man's threats,
To whom I am subdued, are but light to me,
Might I but through my prison once a day
Behold this maid: all corners else o' the earth
Let liberty make use of; space enough
Have I in such a prison.

It works:-Come on.

Pro.
Thou hast done well, fine Ariel!-Follow me.—

Hark, what thou else shalt do me.
Mira.

[To FERD. and MIRA.

[To ARIEL.

Be of comfort;

My father's of a better nature, sir,
Than he appears by speech; this is unwonted,
Which now came from him.

Pro.

Thou shalt be as free

As mountain winds: but then exactly do
All points of my command.

Ari.

To the syllable.

[Exeunt.

Pro. Come, follow: speak not for him.

ACT II.

SCENE I. Another Part of the Island.

Enter ALONZO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO, ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and others.

Gon. 'Beseech you, sir, be merry: you have cause (So have we all) of joy; for our escape

Is much beyond our loss: our hint of wo

Is common; every day, some sailor's wife,

The masters of some merchant, and the merchant,
Have just our theme of wo: but for the miracle,
I mean our preservation, few in millions

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