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Enter PROSPERO, FERDINAND,
and MIRANDA.
PROSPERO
1 If I have too austerely punish'd you,
2 Your compensation makes amends, for I
3 Have given you here a third of mine own life,
4 Or that for which I live; who once again
5 I tender to thy hand: all thy vexations
6 Were but my trials of thy love and thou
7 Hast strangely stood the test here, afore Heaven,
8 I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand,
9 Do not smile at me that I boast her off,
10 For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise
11 And make it halt behind her.
FERDINAND
11 I do believe it
12 Against an oracle.
PROSPERO
13 Then, as my gift and thine own acquisition
14 Worthily purchased take my daughter: but
15 If thou dost break her virgin-knot before
16 All sanctimonious ceremonies may
17 With full and holy rite be minister'd,
18 No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall
19 To make this contract grow: but barren hate,
20 Sour-eyed disdain and discord shall bestrew
21 The union of your bed with weeds so loathly
22 That you shall hate it both: therefore take heed,
23 As Hymen's lamps shall light you.
FERDINAND
23 As I hope
24 For quiet days, fair issue and long life,
25 With such love as 'tis now, the murkiest den,
26 The most opportune place, the strong'st suggestion.
27 Our worser genius can, shall never melt
28 Mine honour into lust, to take away
29 The edge of that day's celebration
30 When I shall think: or Phoebus' steeds are founder'd,
31 Or Night kept chain'd below.
PROSPERO
31 Fairly spoke.
32 Sit then and talk with her; she is thine own.
33 What, Ariel! my industrious servant, Ariel!
ARIEL
34 What would my potent master? here I am.
PROSPERO
35 Thou and thy meaner fellows your last service
36 Did worthily perform; and I must use you
37 In such another trick. Go bring the rabble,
38 O'er whom I give thee power, here to this place:
39 Incite them to quick motion; for I must
40 Bestow upon the eyes of this young couple
41 Some vanity of mine art: it is my promise,
42 And they expect it from me.
ARIEL
44 Before you can say 'come' and 'go,'
45 And breathe twice and cry 'so, so,'
46 Each one, tripping on his toe,
47 Will be here with mop and mow.
48 Do you love me, master? no?
PROSPERO
49 Dearly my delicate Ariel. Do not approach
50 Till thou dost hear me call.
PROSPERO
51 Look thou be true; do not give dalliance
52 Too much the rein: the strongest oaths are straw
53 To the fire i' the blood: be more abstemious,
54 Or else, good night your vow!
FERDINAND
54 I warrant you sir;
55 The white cold virgin snow upon my heart
56 Abates the ardour of my liver.
PROSPERO
56 Well.
57 Now come, my Ariel! bring a corollary,
58 Rather than want a spirit: appear and pertly!
59 No tongue! all eyes! be silent.
** Enter IRIS.
IRIS
60 Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas
61 Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats and pease;
62 Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
63 And flat meads thatch'd with stover, them to keep;
64 Thy banks with pioned and twilled brims,
65 Which spongy April at thy hest betrims,
66 To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy broom -groves,
67 Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves,
68 Being lass-lorn: thy pole-clipt vineyard;
69 And thy sea-marge, sterile and rocky-hard,
70 Where thou thyself dost air;—the queen o' the sky,
71 Whose watery arch and messenger am I,
72 Bids thee leave these, and with her sovereign grace,
73 Here on this grass-plot, in this very place,
74 To come and sport: her peacocks fly amain:
Juno descends [slowly in her car].
75 Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.
** Enter CERES.
CERES
76 Hail, many-colour'd messenger, that ne'er
77 Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;
78 Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers
79 Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers,
80 And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown
81 My bosky acres and my unshrubb'd down,
82 Rich scarf to my proud earth; why hath thy queen
83 Summon'd me hither, to this short-grass'd green?
IRIS
84 A contract of true love to celebrate;
85 And some donation freely to estate
86 On the blest lovers.
CERES
86 Tell me, heavenly bow,
87 If Venus or her son, as thou dost know,
88 Do now attend the queen? Since they did plot
89 The means that dusky Dis my daughter got,
90 Her and her blind boy's scandal'd company
91 I have forsworn.
IRIS
91 Of her society
92 Be not afraid: I met her deity
93 Cutting the clouds towards Paphos and her son
94 Dove-drawn with her. Here thought they to have done
95 Some wanton charm upon this man and maid,
96 Whose vows are, that no bed-right shall be paid
97 Till Hymen's torch be lighted: but vain;
98 Mars's hot minion is returned again;
99 Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,
100 Swears he will shoot no more but play with sparrows
101 And be a boy right out.
CERES
101 High'st queen of state,
102 Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.
JUNO
103 How does my bounteous sister? Go with me
104 To bless this twain, that they may prosperous be
105 And honour'd in their issue.
JUNO
106 Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
107 Long continuance, and increasing,
108 Hourly joys be still upon you!
109 Juno sings her blessings upon you.
CERES
110 Earth's increase, foison plenty,
111 Barns and garners never empty,
112 Vines and clustering bunches growing,
113 Plants with goodly burthen bowing;
114 Spring come to you at the farthest
115 In the very end of harvest!
116 Scarcity and want shall shun you;
117 Ceres' blessing so is on you.
FERDINAND
118 This is a most majestic vision, and
119 Harmoniously charmingly. May I be bold
120 To think these spirits?
PROSPERO
120 Spirits, which by mine art
121 I have from their confines call'd to enact
122 My present fancies.
FERDINAND
122 Let me live here ever;
123 So rare a wonder'd father and a wife
124 Makes this place Paradise.
Juno and Ceres whisper, and send Iris on
employment.
PROSPERO
124 Sweet, now, silence!
125 Juno and Ceres whisper seriously;
126 There's something else to do: hush, and be mute,
127 Or else our spell is marr'd.
IRIS
128 You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the windring brooks,
129 With your sedged crowns and ever-harmless looks,
130 Leave your crisp channels and on this green land
131 Answer your summons; Juno does command:
132 Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
133 A contract of true love; be not too late.
134 You sunburnt sicklemen, of August weary,
135 Come hither from the furrow and be merry:
136 Make holiday; your rye-straw hats put on
137 And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
138 In country footing.
Enter certain REAPERS, properly habited:
they join with the Nymphs in a graceful
dance, towards the end whereof Pospero
starts suddenly, and speaks; after which,
to a strange, hollow, and confused noise,
*** they heavily vanish.
139 I had forgot that foul conspiracy
140 Of the beast Caliban and his confederates
141 Against my life: the minute of their plot
142 Is almost come.
142 Well done! avoid; no more!
FERDINAND
143 This is strange: your father's in some passion
144 That works him strongly.
MIRANDA
144 Never till this day
145 Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.
PROSPERO
146 You do look, my son, in a mov'd sort,
147 As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir.
148 Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
149 As I foretold you, were all spirits and
150 Are melted into air, into thin air:
151 And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
152 The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
153 The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
154 Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve
155 And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
156 Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
157 As dreams are made on, and our little life
158 Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex'd;
159 Bear with my weakness; my, brain is troubled:
160 Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:
161 If you be pleased, retire into my cell
162 And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk,
163 To still my beating mind.
FERDINAND
MIRANDA
163 We wish your peace.
164 Come with a thought.
164 I thank thee.
Exeunt [Ferdinand and Miranda.]
164 Ariel: come.
ARIEL
165 Thy thoughts I cleave to. What's thy pleasure?
PROSPERO
165 Spirit,
166 We must prepare to meet with Caliban.
ARIEL
167 Ay, my commander: when I presented Ceres,
168 I thought to have told thee of it, but I fear'd
169 Lest I might anger thee.
PROSPERO
170 Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets?
ARIEL
171 I told you, sir, they were red-hot with drinking;
172 So full of valor that they smote the air
173 For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
174 For kissing of their feet; yet always bending
175 Towards their project. Then I beat my tabour;
176 At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd their ears,
177 Advanc'd their eyelids, lifted up their noses
178 As they smelt music: so I charm'd their ears
179 That calf-like they my lowing follow'd through
180 Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes, pricking goss and thorns,
181 Which entered their frail shins: at last I left them
182 I' the filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell,
183 There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake
184 O'erstunk their feet.
PROSPERO
184 This was well done, my bird.
185 Thy shape invisible retain thou still:
186 The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither,
187 For stale to catch these thieves.
PROSPERO
188 A devil, a born devil, on whose nature
189 Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains,
190 Humanely taken, all, all lost, quite lost;
191 And as with age his body uglier grows,
192 So his mind cankers. I will plague them all,
193 Even to roaring.
Enter ARIEL, loaden with glistering apparel, etc.
193 Come, hang them on this line.
[Prospero and Ariel remain invisible.] Enter
CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO, all wet.
CALIBAN
194 Pray you, tread softly, that the blind mole may not
195 Hear a foot fall: we now are near his cell.
STEPHANO
196 Monster, your fairy, which you say is
197 a harmless fairy, has done little better than
198 played the Jack with us.
TRINCULO
199 Monster, I do smell all horse-piss; at
200 which my nose is in great indignation.
STEPHANO
201 So is mine. Do you hear, monster? If I should take
202 a displeasure against you, look you,—
TRINCULO
203 Thou wert but a lost monster.
CALIBAN
204 Good my lord, give me thy favour still.
205 Be patient, for the prize I'll bring thee to
206 Shall hoodwink this mischance: therefore speak softly.
207 All's hush'd as midnight yet.
TRINCULO
208 Ay, but to lose our bottles in the pool,—
STEPHANO
209 There is not only disgrace and dishonour in that,
210 monster, but an infinite loss.
TRINCULO
211 That's more to me than my wetting: yet this is your
212 harmless fairy, monster.
STEPHANO
213 I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er ears
214 for my labor.
CALIBAN
215 Prithee, my king, be quiet. Seest thou here,
216 This is the mouth o' the cell: no noise, and enter.
217 Do that good mischief which may make this island
218 Thine own for ever, and I, thy Caliban,
219 For aye thy foot-licker.
STEPHANO
220 Give me thy hand. I do begin to have bloody
221 thoughts.
TRINCULO
222 O king Stephano! O peer! O worthy Stephano! look
223 what a wardrobe here is for thee!
CALIBAN
224 Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash.
TRINCULO
225 O, ho, monster! we know what belongs to a frippery.
226 O king Stephano!
STEPHANO
227 Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this hand, I'll have
228 that gown.
TRINCULO
229 Thy grace shall have it.
CALIBAN
230 The dropsy drown this fool I what do you mean
231 To dote thus on such luggage? Let's alone
232 And do the murder first: if he awake,
233 From toe to crown he'll fill our skins with pinches,
234 Make us strange stuff.
STEPHANO
235 Be you quiet, monster. Mistress line, is not
236 this my jerkin? Now is the jerkin under the line: now,
237 jerkin, you are like to lose your hair and prove a bald
238 jerkin.
TRINCULO
239 Do, do: we steal by line and level, an't like
240 your grace.
STEPHANO
241 I thank thee for that jest; here's a garment for't:
242 wit shall not go unrewarded while I am king of this
243 country. 'Steal by line and level' is an excellent
244 pass of pate; there's another garment for't.
TRINCULO
245 Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and
246 away with the rest.
CALIBAN
247 I will have none on't: we shall lose our time,
248 And all be turn'd to barnacles, or to apes
249 With foreheads villanous low.
STEPHANO
250 Monster, lay-to your fingers: help to bear this
251 away where my hogshead of wine is, or I'll turn you
252 out of my kingdom: go to, carry this.
A noise of hunters heard. Enter divers
SPIRITS, in shape of dogs and hounds,
hunting them about; Prospero and Ariel
setting them on.
PROSPERO
255 Hey, Mountain, hey!
ARIEL
256 Silver I there it goes, Silver!
PROSPERO
257 Fury, Fury! there, Tyrant, there! hark! hark!
[Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo, are driven out.]
258 Go charge my goblins that they grind their joints
259 With dry convulsions, shorten up their sinews
260 With aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted make them
261 Than pard or cat o' mountain.
PROSPERO
262 Let them be hunted soundly. At this hour
263 Lie at my mercy all mine enemies:
264 Shortly shall all my labors end, and thou
265 Shalt have the air at freedom: for a little
266 Follow, and do me service.
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