230

The setting of thine eye and cheek proclaim
A matter from thee, and a birth indeed
Which throes thee much to yield.
Ant.

Thus, sir :
Although this lord of weak remembrance, this,
Who shall be of as little memory
When he is earth’d, hath here almost persuaded, -
For he's a spirit of persuasion, only
Professes to persuade,—the king his son's alive,
'Tis as impossible that he's undrown'd
As he that sleeps here swims.
Seb.

I have no hope
That he's undrown'd.
Ant.

O, out of that 'no hope'
What great hope have you ! no hope that way is
Another way so high a hope that even
Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond,
But doubt discovery there. Will you grant with me
That Ferdinand is drown'd ?

Seb.
Ant.

Then, tell me,
Who's the next heir of Naples ?
Seb.

Claribel.
Ant. She that is queen of Tunis ; she that dwells
Ten leagues beyond man's life; she that from

Naples
Can have no note, unless the sun were post-
The man i' the moon's too slow-till new-born

chins
Be rough and razorable; she that from whom

240

He's gone.

250

a

229. proclaim matter doubting (suspecting) that nofrom thee, announce

We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again,
And by.that destiny to perform an act
Whereof what 's past is prologue, what to come
In yours and my discharge.
Seb.

What stuff is this ! how say you?
'Tis true, my brother's daughter's queen of Tunis;
So is she heir of Naples ; 'twixt which regions
There is some space.
Ant.

A space whose every cubit
Seems to cry out, ‘How shall that Claribel
Measure us back to Naples? Keep in Tunis,
And let Sebastian wake.' Say, this were death
That now hath seized them ; why, they were no

6

260

worse

270

Than now they are. There be that can rule Naples
As well as he that sleeps; lords that can prate
As amply and unnecessarily
As this Gonzalo; I myself could make

I
A chough of as deep chat. O, that you bore
The mind that I do! what a sleep were this
For

your advancement ! Do you understand me?
Seb. Methinks I do.
Ant.

And how does your content
Tender your own good fortune ?
Seb.

I remember
You did supplant your brother Prospero.
Ant.

True :
Ana look how well my garments sit upon me;
Much feater than before : my brother's servants
Were then my fellows; now they are my men.

Seb. But, for your conscience ?
Ant. Ay, sir ; where lies that? if 'twere a kibe,
251. cast, cast up.

'Twould put me to my slipper : but I feel not
This deity in my bosom : twenty consciences,
That stand 'twixt me and Milan, candied be they
And melt ere they molest! Here lies your brother, 280
No better than the earth he lies upon,
If he were that which now he's like, that's dead ;
Whom I, with this obedient steel, three inches of it,
Can lay to bed for ever; whiles you, doing thus,
To the perpetual wink for aye might put
This ancient morsel, this Sir Prudence, who
Should not upbraid our course.

For all the rest,
They 'll take suggestion as a cat laps milk;
They 'll tell the clock to any business that
We say befits the hour.
Seb.

Thy case, dear friend,
Shall be my precedent; as thou got'st Milan,
I'll come by Naples. Draw thy sword : one stroke
Shall free thee from the tribute which thou payest :
And I the king shall love thee.
Ant.

Draw together;
And when I rear my hand, do you the like,
To fall it on Gonzalo.

Seb. O, but one word. [They talk apart.

290

Re-enter ARIEL, invisible.
Ari. My master through his art foresees the

danger
That you, his friend, are in ; and sends me forth-
For else his project dies—to keep them living.

[Sings in Gonzalo's ear. While you here do snoring lie,

300

His time doth take.
If of life you keep a care,
Shake off slumber, and beware :

Awake, awake !
Ant. Then let us both be sudden.
Gon.

Now, good angels
Preserve the king.

[They wake. Alon. Why, how now? ho, awake! Why are

you drawn?

Wherefore this ghastly looking ?
Gon.

What's the matter?
Seb. Whiles we stood here securing your repose, 310
Even now, we heard a hollow burst of bellowing
Like bulls, or rather lions : did 't not wake you?
It struck mine ear most terribly.
Alon.

I heard nothing
Ant. 0, 'twas a din to fright a monster's ear,
To make an earthquake ! sure, it was the roar
Of a whole herd of lions.
Alon,

Heard you this, Gonzalo?
Gon. Upon mine honour, sir, I heard a humming,
And that a strange one too, which did awake me :
I shaked you, sir, and cried : as mine eyes open'd,
I saw their weapons drawn: there was a noise,
That's verily. 'Tis best we stand upon our guard,
Or that we quit this place : let's draw our weapons.
Alon. Lead off this ground; and let's make

further search For my poor son.

Gon. Heavens keep him from these beasts!
For he is, sure, i' the island.

Alon.
Ari. Prospero my lord shall know what I have

done :
So, king, go safely on to seek thy son. [Exeunt.

326

Lead away.

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 firebrand, in the dark
Out of my way, unless he bid 'em ; but
For every trifle are they set upon me;
Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me
And after bite me, then like hedgehogs which
Lie tumbling in my barefoot way and mount
Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I
All wound with adders who with cloven tongues
Do hiss me into madness.

10

Enter TRINCULO.

Lo, now, lo! 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, 20 yond huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor. If it should thunder as it did before, I know not where to hide my head :