Upon this shore, where you were wreck'd, was landed,
To be the lord on 't. No more yet of this;
For 't is 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 you with as good a thing;
At least, bring forth a wonder to content ye,
As much as me my dukedom.

The entrance of the Cell opens, and discovers FERDINAND and MIRANDA

playing at chess.

MIRA. Sweet lord, you play me false.

FER.

I would not for the world.

No, my dear'st love,

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

ALON.

If this prove

A vision of the island, one dear son

Shall I twice lose.

FER. Though the seas threaten, they are merciful:

I have curs'd them without cause.

[Kneels to ALONSO.

Now all the blessings

O, wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,

That has such people in 't!

PRO.

'Tis new to thee.

ALON. 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.

ALON.

I am hers: But O, how oddly will it sound that I Must ask my child forgiveness!

PRO.

There, sir, stop;

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.

ALON.

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!

ALON. [To FERDINAND and MIRANDA.] Give me your hands:. Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart

That doth not wish you joy!

GON.

Be't so! Amen!

Re-enter ARIEL, with the Master and Boatswain amazedly following.

O look, sir, look, sir! here are more of us!

I prophesied if a gallows were on land,

This fellow could not drown.-Now, blasphemy,
That swear'st grace o'erboard, not an oath on shore?
Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news?
BOATS. 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 rigg'd, as when
We first put out to sea.

ARI. [Aside to PRO.] Sir, all this service
Have I done since I went.

PRO. [Aside to ARIEL.] My tricksy spirit!

ALON. These are not natural events; they strengthen,
From strange to stranger.-Say, how came you hither?
BOATS. If I did think, sir, I were well awake,

I'd strive to tell you. We were dead of sleep,
And-how, we know not-all clapp'd 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, freshly beheld
Our royal, good, and gallant ship; our master
Capering to eye her: on a trice, so please you,

*

(*) Old text, our.

Even in a dream, were we divided from them,

And were brought moping hither.

ARI. [Aside to PRO.]

Was 't well done?

PRO. [Aside to ARIEL.] Bravely, my diligence. Thou shalt be

free.

ALON. This is 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 pick'd leisure,
Which shall be shortly, single I'll resolve you-
Which to you shall seem probable-of every

These happen'd accidents: till when, be cheerful,

And think of each thing well.-[Aside to ARIEL.] Come hither,

spirit;

Set Caliban and his companions free:

Untie the spell. [Exit ARIEL.] 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 stolen 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!

TRIN. 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.

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 knave, His mother was a witch, and one so strong

That could control the moon,a make flows and ebbs,

His mother was a witch, and one so strong

That could control the moon,-]

So in Act II. Sc. 1, Gonzalo says, "You would lift the moon out of her sphere, if she would continue in it five weeks without changing." Thus, too, in Beaumont and Fletcher's play of "The Prophetess," Act. II. Sc. 3,

the pale moon

Pluck'd in her silver horns, trembling for fear

That my strong spells should force her from her sphere."

Douce quotes a marginal note in Adlington's translation of Apuleius, 1596, 4to. which

And deal in her command, without a her power.
These three have robb'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.

ALON. Is not this Stephano, my drunken butler?

SEB. He is drunk now: where had he wine?

ALON. And Trinculo is reeling ripe: where should they

Find this grand liquor that hath gilded 'em?—

How cam'st thou in this pickle?

TRIN. 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.

ALON. This is a strange 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.

[Pointing to CALIBAN.

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!

ALON. Hence, and bestow your luggage where you found it.
SEB. Or stole it, rather.

[Exeunt CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO.

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 nuptial

Of these our dear-belov'd solemnized;

says, "Witches in old time were supposed to be of such power that they could pul downe the moone by their inchantement." The classical reader will remember,

"Cantus et è curru lunam deducere tentat;

Of Tibullus; and Virgil's

66

Et faceret, si non ære repulsa sonent."

Carmina vel calo possunt deducere lunam :" &c.

And deal in her command, without her power.] That is, beyond her power. See note (*), p. 518, Vol. I.

And thence retire me to my Milan, where
Every third thought shall be my grave.
ALON.

To hear the story of your life, which must
Take the ear strangely.

PRO.

I'll deliver all;

I long

And promise you calm seas, auspicious gales,

And sail so expeditious, that shall catch

Your royal fleet far off.-[Aside to ARIEL.] My Ariel,—chick,—
That is thy charge; then to the elements!

Be free, and fare thou well!-Please you, draw near.

[Exeunt.

EPILOGUE.

Spoken by PROSPERO.

Now my charms are all o'erthrown,
And what strength I have 's mine own,-
Which is most faint: now, 't is 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.

[Exit.