The Tempest by William Shakespeare (the reading list book TXT) 📕

both be sudden.

GONZALO.
Now, good angels
Preserve the King!

[They wake]

ALONSO.
Why, how now! Ho, awake! Why are you drawn?
Wherefore this ghastly looking?

GONZALO.
What's the matter?

SEBASTIAN.
Whiles we stood here securing your repose,
Even now, we heard a hollow burst of bellowing
Like bulls, or rather lions; did't not wake you?
It struck mine ear most terribly.

ALONSO.
I heard nothing.

ANTONIO.
O! 'twas a din to fright a monster's ear,
To make an earthquake: sure it was the roar
Of a whole herd of lions.

ALONSO.
Heard you this, Gonzalo?

GONZALO.
Upon mine honour, sir, I heard a humming,
And that a strange one too, which did awake me.
I shak'd you, sir, and cried; as mine eyes open'd,
I saw their weapons drawn: - there was a noise,
That's verily. 'Tis best we stand upon our guard,
Or that we quit this place: let's draw our weapons.

ALONSO.
Lead off this ground: and let's make further search
For my poor son.

GONZALO.
Heavens keep him from these beasts!
For he is, sure, i' th' island.

ALONSO.
Lead away.

[Exit with the others.]

ARIEL.
Prospero my lord shall know what I have done:
So, King, go safely on to seek thy son.

[Exit]


SCENE II. Another part of the island

[Enter CALIBAN, with a burden of wood. A noise of thunder
heard]

CALIBAN.
All the infections that the sun sucks up
From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall, and make him
By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me,
And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,
Fright me with urchin-shows, pitch me i' the mire,
Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark
Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but
For every trifle are they set upon me:
Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me,
And after bite me; then like hedge-hogs which
Lie tumbling in my bare-foot way, and mount
Their pricks at my foot-fall; sometime am I
All wound with adders, who with cloven tongues
Do hiss me into madness. -

[Enter TRINCULO]

Lo, now, lo!
Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me
For bringing wood in slowly. I'll fall flat;
Perchance he will not mind me.

TRINCULO.
Here's neither bush nor shrub to bear off any
weather at all, and another storm brewing; I hear it
sing i' th' wind; yond same black cloud, yond huge one,
looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor. If
it should thunder as it did before, I know not where to
hide my head: yond same cloud cannot choose but fall by
pailfuls. - What have we here? a man or a fish? dead or
alive? A fish: he smells like a fish: a very ancient and
fish-like smell; a kind of not of the newest Poor-John. A
strange fish! Were I in England now, - as once I was, and
had but this fish painted, not a holiday fool there but
would give a piece of silver: there would this monster
make a man; any strange beast there makes a man. When
they will not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, they
will lay out ten to see a dead Indian. Legg'd like a
man, and his fins like arms! Warm, o' my troth! I do now
let loose my opinion: hold it no longer; this is no
fish, but an islander, that hath lately suffered by
thunderbolt. [Thunder] Alas, the storm is come again! My
best way is to creep under his gaberdine; there is no
other shelter hereabout: misery acquaints a man with
strange bed-fellows. I will here shroud till the dregs
of the storm be past.

[Enter STEPHANO singing; a bottle in his hand]

STEPHANO.
I shall no more to sea, to sea,
Here shall I die a-shore: -

This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's funeral:
Well, here's my comfort.

[Drinks]

The master, the swabber, the boatswain, and I,
The gunner, and his mate,
Lov'd Mall, Meg, and Marian, and Margery,
But none of us car'd for Kate:
For she had a tongue with a tang,
Would cry to a sailor 'Go hang!'
She lov'd not the savour of tar nor of pitch,
Yet a tailor might scratch her wher-e'er she did itch.
Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang.

This is a scurvy tune too: but here's my comfort.

[Drinks]

CALIBAN.
Do not torment me: O!

STEPHANO.
What's the matter? Have we devils here? Do you
put tricks upon us with savages and men of Ind? Ha! I
have not 'scaped drowning, to be afeard now of your four
legs; for it hath been said, As proper a man as ever
went on four legs cannot make him give ground: and it
shall be said so again, while Stephano breathes at 's
nostrils.

CALIBAN.
The spirit torments me: O!

STEPHANO.
This is some monster of the isle with four legs,
who hath got, as I take it, an ague. Where the devil
should he learn our language? I will give him some
relief, if it be but for that; if I can recover him and
keep him tame and get to Naples with him, he's a
present for any emperor that ever trod on neat's-leather.

CALIBAN.
Do not torment me, prithee; I'll bring my wood
home faster.

STEPHANO.
He's in his fit now and does not talk after the
wisest. He shall taste of my bottle: if he have never
drunk wine afore, it will go near to remove his fit. If
I can recover him, and keep him tame, I will not take
too much for him: he shall pay for him that hath him,
and that soundly.

CALIBAN.
Thou dost me yet but little hurt; thou wilt anon,
I know it by thy trembling: now Prosper works upon thee.

STEPHANO.
Come on your ways: open your mouth; here is
that which will give language to you, cat. Open your
mouth: this will shake your shaking, I can tell you, and
that soundly [gives CALIBAN a drink]: you cannot tell who's your
friend: open your chaps again.

TRINCULO.
I should know that voice: it should be - but he is
drowned; and these are devils. O! defend me.

STEPHANO.
Four legs and two voices; a most delicate monster!
His forward voice now is to speak well of his
friend; his backward voice is to utter foul speeches, and
to detract. If all the wine in my bottle will recover
him, I will help his ague. Come. Amen! I will pour some
in thy other mouth.

TRINCULO.
Stephano!

STEPHANO.
Doth thy other mouth call me? Mercy! mercy!
This is a devil, and no monster: I will leave him: I
have no long spoon.

TRINCULO.
Stephano! - If thou beest Stephano, touch me, and
speak to me; for I am Trinculo: - be not afeared - thy good
friend Trinculo.

STEPHANO.
If thou beest Trinculo, come forth. I'll pull
thee by the lesser legs: if any be Trinculo's legs, these
are they. Thou art very Trinculo indeed! How cam'st thou
to be the siege of this moon-calf? Can he vent Trinculos?

TRINCULO.
I took him to be kill'd with a thunderstroke.
But art thou not drown'd, Stephano? I hope now thou are
not drown'd. Is the storm overblown? I hid me under the
dead moon-calf's gaberdine for fear of the storm. And
art thou living, Stephano? O Stephano, two Neapolitans
'scaped!

STEPHANO.
Prithee, do not turn me about: my stomach is not constant.

CALIBAN.
[Aside] These be fine things, an if they be not sprites.
That's a brave god, and bears celestial liquor;
I will kneel to him.

STEPHANO.
How didst thou 'scape? How cam'st thou hither? swear
by this bottle how thou cam'st hither - I escaped upon
a butt of sack, which the sailors heaved overboard, by
this bottle! which I made of the bark of a tree, with
mine own hands, since I was cast ashore.

CALIBAN.
I'll swear upon that bottle to be thy true
subject, for the liquor is not earthly.

STEPHANO.
Here: swear then how thou escapedst.

TRINCULO.
Swum ashore, man, like a duck: I can swim like
a duck, I'll be sworn.

STEPHANO.
[Passing the bottle] Here, kiss the book [gives
TRINCULO a drink]. Though thou canst swim like a
duck, thou art made like a goose.

TRINCULO.
O Stephano! hast any more of this?

STEPHANO.
The whole butt, man: my cellar is in a rock by
the seaside, where my wine is hid. How now, moon-calf!
How does thine ague?

CALIBAN.
Hast thou not dropped from heaven?

STEPHANO.
Out o' the moon, I do assure thee: I was the Man
in the Moon, when time was.

CALIBAN.
I have seen thee in her, and I do adore thee, my
mistress showed me thee, and thy dog and thy bush.

STEPHANO.
Come, swear to that; kiss the book; I will
furnish it anon with new contents; swear.

TRINCULO.
By this good light, this is a very shallow
monster. - I afeard of him! - A very weak monster.
- The Man i' the Moon! A most poor credulous
monster! - Well drawn, monster, in good sooth!

CALIBAN.
I'll show thee every fertile inch o' the island;
And I will kiss thy foot. I prithee, be my god.

TRINCULO.
By this light, a most perfidious and drunken
monster: when his god's asleep, he'll rob his bottle.

CALIBAN.
I'll kiss thy foot: I'll swear myself thy subject.

STEPHANO.
Come on, then; down, and swear.

TRINCULO.
I shall laugh myself to death at this puppy-headed
monster. A most scurvy monster! I could find in
my heart to beat him, -

STEPHANO.
Come, kiss.

TRINCULO.
But that the poor monster's in drink: an
abominable monster!

CALIBAN.
I'll show thee the best springs; I'll pluck thee
berries;
I'll fish for thee, and get thee wood enough.
A plague upon the tyrant that I serve!
I'll bear him no more sticks, but follow thee,
Thou wondrous man.

TRINCULO.
A most ridiculous monster, to make a wonder of
a poor drunkard!

CALIBAN.
I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow;
And I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts;
Show thee a jay's nest, and instruct thee how
To snare the nimble marmozet; I'll bring thee
To clust'ring filberts, and sometimes I'll get thee
Young scamels from the rock. Wilt thou go with me?

STEPHANO.
I prithee now, lead the way without any more
talking - Trinculo, the king and all our company else
being drowned, we will inherit here. - Here, bear my
bottle. - Fellow Trinculo, we'll fill him by and by
again.

CALIBAN.
Farewell, master; farewell, farewell! [Sings drunkenly]

TRINCULO.
A howling monster, a drunken monster.

CALIBAN.
No more dams I'll make for fish;
Nor fetch in firing
At requiring,
Nor scrape trenchering, nor wash dish;
'Ban 'Ban, Ca - Caliban,
Has a new master - Get a new man.
Freedom, high-day! high-day, freedom! freedom,
high-day, freedom!

STEPHANO.
O brave monster! lead the way.

[Exeunt]


ACT 3

SCENE I. Before PROSPERO'S cell

[Enter FERDINAND, bearing a log.]

FERDINAND.
There be some sports are painful, and their labour
Delight in them sets off: some kinds of baseness
Are nobly undergone, and most poor matters
Point to rich ends. This my mean task
Would be as heavy to me