SCENE I.-On a Ship at Sea. A tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard. Enter a Ship-master and a Boatswain severally. MASTER. Boatswain ! BOATS. Here, master: what cheer? a MASTER. Good, speak to the mariners fall to't yarely, or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir. [Exit. a Yarely,-] Briskly, nimbly, actively. BOATS. I pray now, keep below. ANT. Where is the master, boson? BOATS. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your cabins: you do storm. GON. Nay, good, be patient. Hence assist the what care BOATS. When the sea is. these roarers for the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not. GON. Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard. 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.— I say. Cheerly, good hearts !-Out of our way, [Exit. GON. I have great comfort from this fellow; methinks he hath no drowning mark 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 [Exeunt. is miserable. upon him; 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. GON. I'll warrant him for 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 again; lay her off! Re-enter Mariners, wet. MAR. All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost! [Exeunt. BOATS. What, must our mouths be cold? GON. The king and prince at 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! He'll be hang'd yet, GON. Though every drop of water swear against it, And gape at wid'st to glut him. [A confused noise within.]-Mercy on us !— We split, we split !-Farewell, my wife and children! Farewell, brother! We split, we split, we split !—(1) [Exit Boatswain. [Exit. [Exit. ANT. Let's all sink with the king. SEB. Let's take leave of him. GON. Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground,-long heath, brown furze, anything. The wills above be done! [Exit. but I would fain die a dry death. But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek," (*) Old text, creature. -mounting to the welkin's cheek,-] Although we have, in "Richard II." Act III. Sc. 2,-" the cloudy cheeks of heaven," and elsewhere, "welkin's face," and "heaven's face," it may well be questioned whether "cheek," in this place, is not a misprint. Mr. Collier's annotator substitutes heat, a change characterised by Mr. Dyce as "equally tasteless and absurd. A more appropriate and expressive word, one, too, sanctioned in some measure by its occurrence in Ariel's description of the same elemental conflict, is probably, crack, or cracks, "the fire, and cracks Of sulphurous roaring, the most mighty Neptune In Miranda's picture of the tempest, the sea is seen to storm and overwhelm the tremendous artillery of heaven; in that of Ariel, A prince of power. Of thee, my dear one! thee, my daughter,-who | Thy father was the duke of Milan, and that there is no soul-] Rowe prints, "that there is no soul lost;" Theobald, "that there is no foyle;" and Johnson, "that there is no No, not so much perdition as an hair b You have often, &c.] Query, "You have oft," &c. Sir, are not you my father? She said thou wast my daughter; and thy father d A princess, no worse issued. I PRO. My brother, and thy uncle, call'd An tonio,-- pray thee, mark me, that a brother should Be so perfidious!—he whom, next thyself, Of all the world I lov'd, and to him put Without a parallel: those being all my study, PRO. Being once perfected how to grant suits, Like a good parent, did beget of him He was indeed the duke; out o' the substitution, Dost thou hear? MIRA. Your tale, sir, would cure deafness. PRO. To have no screen between this part he play'd And him he play'd it for, he needs will be (So dry he was for sway) with the king of Naples, To give him annual tribute, do him homage; MIRA. O the heavens ! PRO. Now the condition. The gates of Milan; and, i' the dead of darkness, Thou wast that did preserve me! Thou didst smile, Infused with a fortitude from heaven, When I have deck'd the sea with drops full salt; MIRA. How came we ashore? PRO. By Providence divine. Some food we had, and some fresh water, that Out of his charity,-who being then appointed Alack, for pity! (*) Old text omits, the. -like one Who having unto fruth, by telling of it, Made such a sinner of his memory, To credit his own lie,-] The folios have, "into truth," which Warburton amended; but this we suspect is not the only correction needed, the passage as it stands, though intelligible,, being very hazily expressed. Mr. Coliter's annotator would read, like one Who having to untruth, by telling of it," &c. (*) Old text, Butt. and this emendation is entitled to more respect than it has received. b In lieu-] In lieu means here, in guerdon, or consideration; not as it usually signifies, instead, or in place. e Fated to the purpose,-] Mr. Collier's annotator reads,"Fated to the practice;" and as "purpose" is repeated two lines below, the substitution is an improvement. d In few,-] To be brief; in a few words. e Deck'd-1 Decked, if not a corruption for degged, an old provincialism, probably meant the same, that is, sprinkled. |