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Boats. Work you, then.

Ant. Hang, cur, hang! you insolent noise-maker, we are less afraid to be drowned than thou art.

Gon. I'll warrant him from drowning; though the ship were no stronger than a nut-shell. Boats. Lay her a-hold, a-hold; set her two courses; off to sea again, lay her off.

Enter Mariners, wet.

Mar. All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost! [Exeunt.

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The direful spectacle of the wreck, which touch'd
The very virtue of compassion in thee,
I have with such provision in mine art
So safely order'd, that there is no soul
No, not so much perdition as an hair,
Betid to any creature in the vessel
Which thou heard'st cry, which thou saw'st sink.
Sit down;

Boats. What, must our mouths be cold?
Gon. The king and prince at prayers! let us assist For thou must now know further.

them.

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[Exit. [Exit. Gon. Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground! long heath, brown furze, any thing: The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death.

[Exit.

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And rather like a dream than an assurance

That

Four or five women once, that tended me?
Had I not
my remembrance warrants:
Pro. Thou had'st, and more, Miranda: But how
is it,

That this lives in thy mind? What seest thou else
In the dark backward and abysm of time?

SCENE II. The Island: before the Cell of If thou remember'st aught, ere thou cam'st here,

Prospero.

Enter PROSPERO and MIRANDA.

How thou cam'st here, thou may'st.
Mira.

Pro. Twelve years since,

But that I do not.

Mira. If by your art, my dearest father, you Miranda, twelve years since, thy father was
have

Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them:
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffer'd
With those that I saw suffer! a brave vessel,
Who had no doubt some noble creatures in her,
Dash'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock
Against my very heart! Poor souls! they perish'd.
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth, or e'er
It should the good ship so have swallowed, and
The freighting souls within her.

Pro.

Be collected; No more amazement: tell your piteous heart, There's no harm done.

Mira.
Pro.

O, woe the day!

No harm.

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Pro. My brother, and thy uncle, call'd Anto

nio,

I 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

The manage of my state; as, at that time,
Through all the signiories it was the first,
And Prospero the prime duke; being so reputed
In dignity, and, for the liberal arts,
Without a parallel: those being all my study,

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Pro. I thus neglecting wordly ends, all dedi- Bore us some leagues to sea; where they prepar'd

cate

To closeness, and the bettering of my mind
With that, which, but by being so retir'd,
O'er-priz'd all popular rate, in my false brother
Awak'd an evil nature and my trust,
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falsehood, in its contrary as great
As my trust was; which had, indeed, no limit,
A confidence sans bound. He being thus lorded,
Not only with what my revenue yielded,
But what my power might else exact,
Who, having unto truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory,
To credit his own lie, he did believe
He was the duke; out of the substitution,
And executing the outward face of royalty,
With all prerogative: — Hence his ambition
Growing, Dost hear?

- like one

Mira. Your tale, sir, would cure deafness. Pro. To have no skreen between this part he play'd

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Pro. By Providence divine.
Some food we had, and some fresh water, that
A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,

Out of his charity (who being then appointed
Master of this design), did give us; with
Rich garments, linens, stuffs, and necessaries,
Which since have steaded much; so, of his gen-
tleness,

Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me,
From my own library, with volumes that
I prize above my dukedom.

Mira.

But ever see that man! Pro.

'Would I might

Now I arise:

Pro. Mark his condition, and the event; then Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow.

tell me, If this might be a brother.

I should sin

Mir. To think but nobly of my grandmother. Now the condition.

Pro.

This king of Naples, being an enemy
To me inveterate, hearkens my brother's suit;
Which was, that he in lieu o' the premises,
Of homage, and I know not how much tribute,
Should presently extirpate me and mine
Out of the dukedom; and confer fair Milan,
With all the honours, on my brother: Whereon,
A treacherous army levied, one midnight
Fated to the purpose, did Antonio open
The gates of Milan; and i' the dead of darkness,
The ministers for the purpose hurried thence
Me, and thy crying self.

6 Cut away.

Here in this island we arriv'd; and here
Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit
Than other princes can, that have more time
For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful.

Mira. Heavens thank you for't! And now I pray you, sir,

(For still 'tis beating in my mind,) your reason
For raising this sea-storm?

Pro.
Know thus far forth.
By accident most strange, bountiful fortune,
Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies
Brought to this shore: and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon

A most auspicious star; whose influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop. Here cease more ques
tions;

7 Stubborn resolution.

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Safely in harbour

Is the king's ship; in the deep nook, where once
Thou call'dst me up at midnight to fetch dew
From the still-vex'd Bermoothes, there she's hid:
The mariners all under hatches stow'd;
Whom, with a charm join'd to their suffer'd labour,
I have left asleep: and for the rest o' the fleet,
Which I dispers'd, they all have met again;
And are upon the Mediterranean flote,
Bound sadly home for Naples ;

Supposing that they saw the king's ship wreck'd,
And his great person perish.
Pro.

The minutest article. 1 Bermudas.

Ariel, thy charge

9 Bustle, tumult. 2 Wave.

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Pro. Thou dost; and think'st It much, to tread the ooze of the salt deep; To run upon the sharp wind of the north; To do me business in the veins o' the earth, When it is bak'd with frost.

Ari.

I do not, sir.

Pro. Thou liest, malignant thing! Hast thou

forgot

The foul witch Sycorax, who, with age and envy,
Was grown into a hoop? hast thou forgot her?
Ari. No, sir.
Pro.

Thou hast where was she born? speak; tell me. Ari. Sir, in Argier.3

Pro.

O, was she so? I must, Once in a month, recount what thou hast been, Which thou forget'st. This vile witch, Sycorax, For mischiefs manifold, and sorceries terrible To enter human hearing, from Argier, Thou know'st, was banish'd; for one thing she did, They would not take her life: Is not this true? Ari. Ay, sir.

Pro. This blue-ey'd hag was hither brought with

child,

And here was left by the sailors: Thou, my slave,
As thou report'st thyself, wast then her servant :
And, for thou wast a spirit too delicate

To act her earthly and abhorr'd commands,
Refusing her grand hests 4, she did confine thee,
By help of her more potent ministers,
And in her most unmitigable rage,
Into a cloven pine; within which rift
Imprison'd, thou did'st painfully remain

A dozen years; within which space she died,
And left thee there; where thou didst vent thy

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When I arriv'd, and heard thee, that made gape
The pine, and let thee out.
Ari.

I thank thee, master.
Pro. If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak,
And peg thee in his knotty entrails, till
Thou hast howl'd away twelve winters.
Ari.

Pardon, master:

I will be correspondent to command,
And do my spriting gently.

Pro.

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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.

Thou most lying slave, Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have us'd thee,

Do so; and after two days Filth as thou art, with human care; and lodg'd thee
In mine own cell, till thou did'st seek to violate
The honour of my child. Abhorred slave;
Which any print of goodness will not take,
Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,

I will discharge thee.
Ari.
That's my noble master!
What shall I do? say what? what shall I do?
Pro. Go make thyself like to a nymph o' the sea;
Be subject to no sight but mine; invisible
To every eye-ball else. Go take this shape,
And hither come in't: hence, with diligence.

[Exit ARIEL. Awake, dear heart, awake! thou hast slept well; Awake!

Mira. The strangeness of your story put
Heaviness in me.

Pro.
Shake it off: Come on,
We'll visit Caliban, my slave, who never
Yields us kind answer.

Mira.

I do not love to look on.
Pro.

'Tis a villain, sir,

But, as 'tis,

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:

Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour
One thing or other when thou didst not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but would'st gabble like
A thing most brutish, I endow'd 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 confin'd into this rock,

Who hadst deserv'd more than a prison.

6

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.

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thee,

The name thou ow'st not; and hast put thyself
That thou attend me: thou dost here usurp
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. —
Speak not you for him; he's a traitor.
I'll manacle thy neck and feet together:
Sea-water shalt thou drink, thy food shall be
The fresh-brook muscles, wither'd roots, and husks
Wherein the acorn cradled: Follow.

Fer.

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[TO FERD. Come.

No;

[He draws.

O dear father,

What, I say,

Make not too rash a trial of him, for He's gentle, and not fearful.

Pro.

My foot my tutor !
Put thy sword up, traitor;
Who mak'st a show, but dar'st not strike, thy con-
science

Is so possess'd with guilt: come from thy ward 2;
For I can here disarm thee with this stick,
And make thy weapon drop.

Mira.

Beseech you father!

Pro. Hence; hang not on my garments.
Mira.
Sir, have pity;

I'll be his surety.

Pro.

Silence: one word more

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

Mira.

My affections Are then most humble; I have no ambition To see a goodlier man.

Pro. Come on; obey: [To FERD. Thy nerves are in their infancy again, And have no vigour in them.

Fer.

So they are: My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up. My father's loss, the weakness which The wreck of all my friends, or this man's threats, feel, 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.

1 Frightful.

2 Guard.

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