SCENE I. Before PROSPERO'S cell
[Enter PROSPERO! FERDINAND,
and MIRANDA]
PROSPERO.
If I have too austerely punish'd
you,
Your compensation makes amends:
for
Have given you here a third of
mine own life,
Or that for which I live; who
once again
I tender to thy hand: all thy
vexations
Were but my trials of thy love,
and thou
Hast strangely stood the test:
here, afore Heaven,
I ratify this my rich gift. O
Ferdinand!
Do not smile at me that I boast
her off,
For thou shalt find she will
outstrip all praise,
And make it halt behind her.
FERDINAND.
I do believe it
Against an oracle.
PROSPERO.
Then, as my gift and thine own
acquisition
Worthily purchas'd, take my daughter:
but
If thou dost break her virgin
knot before
All sanctimonious ceremonies
may
With full and holy rite be minister'd,
No sweet aspersion shall the
heavens let fall
To make this contract grow; but
barren hate,
Sour-ey'd disdain, and discord,
shall bestrew
The union of your bed with weeds
so loathly
That you shall hate it both:
therefore take heed,
As Hymen's lamps shall light
you.
FERDINAND.
As I hope
For quiet days, fair issue, and
long life,
With such love as 'tis now, the
murkiest den,
The most opportune place, the
strong'st suggestion
Our worser genius can, shall
never melt
Mine honour into lust, to take
away
The edge of that day's celebration,
When I shall think, or Phoebus'
steeds are founder'd,
Or Night kept chain'd below.
PROSPERO.
Fairly spoke:
Sit, then, and talk with her,
she is thine own.
What, Ariel! my industrious servant,
Ariel!
[Enter ARIEL]
ARIEL.
What would my potent master?
here I am.
PROSPERO.
Thou and thy meaner fellows your
last service
Did worthily perform; and I must
use you
In such another trick. Go bring
the rabble,
O'er whom I give thee power,
here to this place;
Incite them to quick motion;
for I must
Bestow upon the eyes of this
young couple
Some vanity of mine art: it is
my promise,
And they expect it from me.
ARIEL.
Presently?
PROSPERO.
Ay, with a twink.
ARIEL.
Before you can say 'Come' and
'Go,'
And breathe twice; and cry 'so,
so,'
Each one, tripping on his toe,
Will be here with mop and mow.
Do you love me, master? no?
PROSPERO.
Dearly, my delicate Ariel. Do
not approach
Till thou dost hear me call.
ARIEL.
Well, I conceive.
[Exit]
PROSPERO.
Look, thou be true; do not give
dalliance
Too much the rein: the strongest
oaths are straw
To th' fire i' the blood: be
more abstemious,
Or else good night your vow!
FERDINAND.
I warrant you, sir;
The white-cold virgin snow upon
my heart
Abates the ardour of my liver.
PROSPERO.
Well.--
Now come, my Ariel! bring a corollary,
Rather than want a spirit: appear,
and pertly.
No tongue! all eyes! be silent.
[Soft music]
[A Masque. Enter IRIS]
IRIS.
Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy
rich leas
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches,
oats, and peas;
Thy turfy mountains, where live
nibbling sheep,
And flat meads thatch'd with
stover, them to keep;
Thy banks with pioned and twilled
brims,
Which spongy April at thy hest
betrims,
To make cold nymphs chaste crowns;
and thy broom groves,
Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor
loves,
Being lass-lorn: thy pole-clipt
vineyard;
And thy sea-marge, sterile and
rocky-hard,
Where thou thyself dost air:
the Queen o' the sky,
Whose watery arch and messenger
am I,
Bids thee leave these; and with
her sovereign grace,
Here on this grass-plot, in this
very place,
To come and sport; her peacocks
fly amain:
Approach, rich Ceres, her to
entertain.
[Enter CERES]
CERES.
Hail, many-colour'd messenger,
that ne'er
Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;
Who with thy saffron wings upon
my flowers
Diffusest honey drops, refreshing
showers:
And with each end of thy blue
bow dost crown
My bosky acres and my unshrubb'd
down,
Rich scarf to my proud earth;
why hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither to this short-grass'd
green?
IRIS.
A contract of true love to celebrate,
And some donation freely to estate
On the blest lovers.
CERES.
Tell me, heavenly bow,
If Venus or her son, as thou
dost know,
Do now attend the queen? Since
they did plot
The means that dusky Dis my daughter
got,
Her and her blind boy's scandal'd
company
I have forsworn.
IRIS.
Of her society
Be not afraid. I met her deity
Cutting the clouds towards Paphos
and her son
Dove-drawn with her. Here thought
they to have done
Some wanton charm upon this man
and maid,
Whose vows are, that no bed-rite
shall be paid
Till Hymen's torch be lighted;
but in vain.
Mars's hot minion is return'd
again;
Her waspish-headed son has broke
his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more,
but play with sparrows,
And be a boy right out.
CERES.
Highest Queen of State,
Great Juno comes; I know her
by her gait.
[Enter JUNO.]
JUNO.
How does my bounteous sister?
Go with me
To bless this twain, that they
may prosperous be,
And honour'd in their issue.
SONG
JUNO.
Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance, and increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you.
CERES.
Earth's increase, foison plenty,
Barns and gamers never empty;
Vines with clust'ring bunches
growing;
Plants with goodly burden bowing;
Spring come to you at the farthest,
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun
you;
Ceres' blessing so is on you.
FERDINAND.
This is a most majestic vision,
and
Harmonious charmingly; may I
be bold
To think these spirits?
PROSPERO.
Spirits, which by mine art
I have from their confines call'd
to enact
My present fancies.
FERDINAND.
Let me live here ever:
So rare a wonder'd father and
a wise,
Makes this place Paradise.
[JUNO and CERES whisper, and
send IRIS on employment.]
PROSPERO.
Sweet now, silence!
Juno and Ceres whisper seriously,
There's something else to do:
hush, and be mute,
Or else our spell is marr'd.
IRIS.
You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of
the windring brooks,
With your sedg'd crowns and ever-harmless
looks,
Leave your crisp channels, and
on this green land
Answer your summons: Juno does
command.
Come, temperate nymphs, and help
to celebrate
A contract of true love: be not
too late.
[Enter certain NYMPHS]
You sun-burn'd sicklemen, of
August weary,
Come hither from the furrow,
and be merry:
Make holiday: your rye-straw
hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter
every one
In country footing.
[Enter certain Reapers, properly
habited: they join]
with the Nymphs in a graceful
dance; towards the
end whereof PROSPERO starts suddenly,
and speaks;
after which, to a strange, hollow,
and confused
noise, they heavily vanish.]
PROSPERO.
[Aside] I had forgot that foul
conspiracy
Of the beast Caliban and his
confederates
Against my life: the minute of
their plot
Is almost come. [To the Spirits.]
Well done! avoid; no
more!
FERDINAND.
This is strange: your father's
in some passion
That works him strongly.
MIRANDA.
Never till this day
Saw I him touch'd with anger
so distemper'd.
PROSPERO.
You do look, my son, in a mov'd
sort,
As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful,
sir:
Our revels now are ended. These
our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits
and
Are melted into air, into thin
air:
And, like the baseless fabric
of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the
gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great
globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall
dissolve
And, like this insubstantial
pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are
such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our
little life
Is rounded with a sleep.--Sir,
I am vex'd:
Bear with my weakness; my old
brain is troubled.
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity.
If you be pleas'd, retire into
my cell
And there repose: a turn or two
I'll walk,
To still my beating mind.
FERDINAND, MIRANDA.
We wish your peace.
[Exeunt.]
PROSPERO.
Come, with a thought.--[To them.]
I thank thee:
Ariel, come!
[Enter ARIEL.]
ARIEL.
Thy thoughts I cleave to. What's
thy pleasure?
PROSPERO.
Spirit,
We must prepare to meet with
Caliban.
ARIEL.
Ay, my commander; when I presented
Ceres,
I thought to have told thee of
it: but I fear'd
Lest I might anger thee.
PROSPERO.
Say again, where didst thou leave
these varlets?
ARIEL.
I told you, sir, they were red-hot
with drinking;
So full of valour that they smote
the air
For breathing in their faces;
beat the ground
For kissing of their feet; yet
always bending
Towards their project. Then I
beat my tabor;
At which, like unback'd colts,
they prick'd their ears,
Advanc'd their eyelids, lifted
up their noses
As they smelt music: so I charm'd
their ears,
That calf-like they my lowing
follow'd through
Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes,
pricking goss and thorns,
Which enter'd their frail shins:
at last I left them
I' the filthy-mantled pool beyond
your cell,
There dancing up to the chins,
that the foul lake
O'erstunk their feet.
PROSPERO.
This was well done, my bird.
Thy shape invisible retain thou
still:
The trumpery in my house, go
bring it hither
For stale to catch these thieves.
ARIEL.
I go, I go.
[Exit]
PROSPERO.
A devil, a born devil, on whose
nature
Nurture can never stick; on whom
my pains,
Humanely taken, all, all lost,
quite lost;
And as with age his body uglier
grows,
So his mind cankers. I will plague
them all,
Even to roaring.
[Re-enter ARIEL,
loaden with glistering apparel, &c.]
Come, hang them on this line.
[PROSPERO and ARIEL remain invisible.
Enter
CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO,
all wet]
CALIBAN.
Pray you, tread softly, that
the blind mole may not
Hear a foot fall: we now are
near his cell.
STEPHANO.
Monster, your fairy, which you
say is a harmless
fairy, has done little better
than played the
Jack with us.
TRINCULO.
Monster, I do smell all horse-piss;
at which my
nose is in great indignation.
STEPHANO.
So is mine.--Do you hear, monster?
If I should
take a displeasure against you,
look you,--
TRINCULO.
Thou wert but a lost monster.
CALIBAN.
Good my lord, give me thy favour
still:
Be patient, for the prize I'll
bring thee to
Shall hoodwink this mischance:
therefore speak softly;
All's hush'd as midnight yet.
TRINCULO.
Ay, but to lose our bottles in
the pool!--
STEPHANO.
There is not only disgrace and
dishonour in
that, monster, but an infinite
loss.
TRINCULO.
That's more to me than my wetting:
yet this is
your harmless fairy, monster.
STEPHANO.
I will fetch off my bottle, though
I be o'er
ears for my labour.
CALIBAN.
Prithee, my king, be quiet. Seest
thou here,
This is the mouth o' the cell:
no noise, and enter.
Do that good mischief which may
make this island
Thine own for ever, and I, thy
Caliban,
For aye thy foot-licker.
STEPHANO.
Give me thy hand: I do begin
to have bloody
thoughts.
TRINCULO.
O King Stephano! O peer! O worthy
Stephano!
Look what a wardrobe here is
for thee!
CALIBAN.
Let it alone, thou fool; it is
but trash.
TRINCULO.
O, ho, monster! we know what
belongs to a
frippery.--O King Stephano!
STEPHANO.
Put off that gown, Trinculo;
by this hand, I'll
have that gown.
TRINCULO.
Thy Grace shall have it.
CALIBAN.
The dropsy drown this fool! What
do you mean
To dote thus on such luggage?
Let's along,
And do the murder first. If he
awake,
From toe to crown he'll fill
our skins with pinches;
Make us strange stuff.
STEPHANO.
Be you quiet, monster.--Mistress
line, is not
this my jerkin? Now is the jerkin
under the line: now,
jerkin, you are like to lose
your hair, and prove a bald
jerkin.
TRINCULO.
Do, do: we steal by line and
level, an't like
your Grace.
STEPHANO.
I thank thee for that jest: here's
a garment
for't: wit shall not go unrewarded
while I am king of
this country: 'Steal by line
and level,' is an excellent
pass of pate: there's another
garmet for't.
TRINCULO.
Monster, come, put some lime
upon your fingers,
and away with the rest.
CALIBAN.
I will have none on't. We shall
lose our time,
And all be turn'd to barnacles,
or to apes
With foreheads villainous low.
STEPHANO.
Monster, lay-to your fingers:
help to bear this
away where my hogshead of wine
is, or I'll turn you out
of my kingdom. Go to; carry this.
TRINCULO.
And this.
STEPHANO.
Ay, and this.
[A noise of hunters beard. Enter
divers Spirits, in
shape of hounds, and hunt them
about; PROSPERO and
ARIEL setting them on]
PROSPERO.
Hey, Mountain, hey!
ARIEL.
Silver! there it goes, Silver!
PROSPERO.
Fury, Fury! There, Tyrant, there!
hark, hark!
[CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO
are driven out.]
Go, charge my goblins that they
grind their joints
With dry convulsions; shorten
up their sinews
With aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted
make them
Than pard, or cat o' mountain.
ARIEL.
Hark, they roar.
PROSPERO.
Let them be hunted soundly. At
this hour
Lies at my mercy all mine enemies;
Shortly shall all my labours
end, and thou
Shalt have the air at freedom;for
a little
Follow, and do me service.
[Exeunt]
|