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off and on. By this light, thou shalt be my lieutenant, monster, or my 15 standard.

Trin. Your lieutenant, if you list; he’s no standard.

Ste. We’ll not run, Monsieur Monster.

Trin. Nor go neither; but you’ll lie, like dogs, and yet say nothing neither.

20 Ste. Moon-calf, speak once in thy life, if thou beest a good moon-calf.

Cal. How does thy honour? Let me lick thy shoe. I’ll not serve him, he is not valiant.

Trin. Thou liest, most ignorant monster: I am in case III. 2. 25 to justle a constable. Why, thou debauched fish, thou, was there ever man a coward that hath drunk so much sack as I to-day? Wilt thou tell a monstrous lie, being but half a fish and half a monster?

Cal. Lo, how he mocks me! wilt thou let him, my lord?

30 Trin. ‘Lord,’ quoth he! That a monster should be such a natural!

Cal. Lo, lo, again! bite him to death, I prithee.

Ste. Trinculo, keep a good tongue in your head: if you prove a mutineer,—the next tree! The poor monster’s my 35 subject, and he shall not suffer indignity.

Cal. I thank my noble lord. Wilt thou be pleased to hearken once again to the suit I made to thee?

Ste. Marry, will I: kneel and repeat it; I will stand, and so shall Trinculo.

Enter Ariel, invisible.

40 Cal. As I told thee before, I am subject to a tyrant, a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of the island.

Ari. Thou liest.

Cal.

Thou liest, thou jesting monkey, thou:

I would my valiant master would destroy thee!

I do not lie.

45 Ste. Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in’s tale, by this hand, I will supplant some of your teeth.

Trin. Why, I said nothing.

Ste. Mum, then, and no more. Proceed.

Cal. I say, by sorcery he got this isle;

III. 2. 50 From me he got it. If thy greatness will

Revenge it on him,—for I know thou darest,

But this thing dare not,—

Ste. That’s most certain.

Cal. Thou shalt be lord of it, and I’ll serve thee.

55 Ste. How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to the party?

Cal. Yea, yea, my lord: I’ll yield him thee asleep,

Where thou mayst knock a nail into his head.

Ari. Thou liest; thou canst not.

60 Cal. What a pied ninny’s this! Thou scurvy patch!

I do beseech thy Greatness, give him blows,

And take his bottle from him: when that’s gone,

He shall drink nought but brine; for I’ll not show him

Where the quick freshes are.

65 Ste. Trinculo, run into no further danger: interrupt the monster one word further, and, by this hand, I’ll turn my mercy out o’ doors, and make a stock-fish of thee.

Trin. Why, what did I? I did nothing. I’ll go farther off.

70 Ste. Didst thou not say he lied?

Ari. Thou liest.

Ste. Do I so? take thou that. [Beats him.] As you like this, give me the lie another time.

Trin. I did not give the lie. Out o’ your wits, and III. 2. 75 hearing too? A pox o’ your bottle! this can sack and drinking do. A murrain on your monster, and the devil take your fingers!

Cal. Ha, ha, ha!

Ste. Now, forward with your tale.—Prithee, stand farther 80 off.

Cal. Beat him enough: after a little time, I’ll beat him too.

Ste. Stand farther. Come, proceed.

Cal. Why, as I told thee, ’tis a custom with him

I’ th’ afternoon to sleep: there thou mayst brain him,

85 Having first seized his books; or with a log

Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,

Or cut his wezand with thy knife. Remember

First to possess his books; for without them

He’s but a sot, as I am, nor hath not

90 One spirit to command: they all do hate him

As rootedly as I. Burn but his books.

He has brave utensils,—for so he calls them,—

Which, when he has a house, he’ll deck withal.

And that most deeply to consider is

95 The beauty of his daughter; he himself

Calls her a nonpareil: I never saw a woman,

But only Sycorax my dam and she;

But she as far surpasseth Sycorax

As great’st does least.

Ste.

Is it so brave a lass?

III. 2. 100 Cal. Ay, lord; she will become thy bed, I warrant,

And bring thee forth brave brood.

Ste. Monster, I will kill this man: his daughter and I will be king and queen,—save our Graces!—and Trinculo and thyself shall be viceroys. Dost thou like the plot, 105 Trinculo?

Trin. Excellent.

Ste. Give me thy hand: I am sorry I beat thee; but, while thou livest, keep a good tongue in thy head.

Cal. Within this half hour will he be asleep:

Wilt thou destroy him then?

Ste.

110 Ay, on mine honour.

Ari. This will I tell my master.

Cal. Thou makest me merry; I am full of pleasure:

Let us be jocund: will you troll the catch

You taught me but while-ere?

115 Ste. At thy request, monster, I will do reason, any reason. —Come on. Trinculo, let us sing. Sings.

Flout ’em and scout ’em, and scout ’em and flout ’em;

Thought is free.

Cal. That’s not the tune.

Ariel plays the tune on a tabor and pipe.

120 Ste. What is this same?

Trin. This is the tune of our catch, played by the picture of Nobody.

Ste. If thou beest a man, show thyself in thy likeness: if thou beest a devil, take’t as thou list.

III. 2. 125 Trin. O, forgive me my sins!

Ste. He that dies pays all debts: I defy thee. Mercy upon us!

Cal. Art thou afeard?

Ste. No, monster, not I.

130 Cal. Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,

Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.

Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments

Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices,

That, if I then had waked after long sleep,

135 Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,

The clouds methought would open, and show riches

Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked,

I cried to dream again.

Ste. This will prove a brave kingdom to me, where I 140 shall have my music for nothing.

Cal. When Prospero is destroyed.

Ste. That shall be by and by: I remember the story.

Trin. The sound is going away; let’s follow it, and after do our work.

145 Ste. Lead, monster; we’ll follow. I would I could see this taborer; he lays it on.

Trin. Wilt come? I’ll follow, Stephano. Exeunt.

III. 3 Scene III. Another part of the island. Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian, Francisco, and others.

Gon. By’r lakin, I can go no further, sir;

My old bones ache: here’s a maze trod, indeed,

Through forth-rights and meanders! By your patience,

I needs must rest me.

Alon.

Old lord, I cannot blame thee,

5 Who am myself attach’d with weariness,

To the dulling of my spirits: sit down, and rest.

Even here I will put off my hope, and keep it

No longer for my flatterer: he is drown’d

Whom thus we stray to find; and the sea mocks

10 Our frustrate search on land. Well, let him go.

Ant. [Aside to Seb.] I am right glad that he’s so out of hope.

Do not, for one repulse, forego the purpose

That you resolved to effect.

Seb. [Aside to Ant.]

The next advantage

Will we take throughly.

Ant. [Aside to Seb.]

Let it be to-night;

15 For, now they are oppress’d with travel, they

Will not, nor cannot, use such vigilance

As when they are fresh.

Seb. [Aside to Ant.]

I say, to-night: no more.

Solemn and strange music.

Alon. What harmony is this?—My good friends, hark!

Gon. Marvellous sweet music!

Enter Prospero above, invisible. Enter several strange Shapes, bringing in a banquet: they dance about it with gentle actions of salutation; and, inviting the King, &c. to eat, they depart.

20 Alon. Give us kind keepers, heavens!—What were these?

Seb. A living drollery. Now I will believe

That there are unicorns; that in Arabia

There is one tree, the phœnix’ throne; one phœnix

At this hour reigning there.

Ant.

I’ll believe both;

III. 3. 25 And what does else want credit, come to me,

And I’ll be sworn ’tis true: travellers ne’er did lie,

Though fools at home condemn ’em.

Gon.

If in Naples

I should report this now, would they believe me?

If I should say, I saw such islanders,—

30 For, certes, these are people of the island,—

Who, though they are of monstrous shape, yet, note,

Their manners are more gentle-kind than of

Our human generation you shall find

Many, nay, almost any.

Pros. [Aside]

Honest lord,

35 Thou hast said well; for some of you there present

Are worse than devils.

Alon.

I cannot too much muse

Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound, expressing—

Although they want the use of tongue—a kind

Of excellent dumb discourse.

Pros. [Aside]

Praise in departing.

Fran. They vanish’d strangely.

Seb.

40 No matter, since

They have left their viands behind; for we have stomachs.—

Will’t please you taste of what is here?

Alon.

Not I.

Gon. Faith, sir, you need not fear. When we were boys,

Who would believe that there were mountaineers

45 Dew-lapp’d like bulls, whose throats had hanging at ’em

Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men

Whose heads stood in their breasts? which now we find

Each putter-out of five for one will bring us

Good warrant of.

Alon.

I will stand to, and feed,

III. 3. 50 Although my last: no matter, since I feel

The best is past. Brother, my lord the duke,

Stand to, and do as we.

Thunder and lightning. Enter Ariel, like a harpy; claps his wings upon the table; and, with a quaint device, the banquet vanishes.

Ari. You are three men of sin, whom Destiny,—

That hath to instrument this lower world

55 And what is in’t,—the never-surfeited sea

Hath caused to belch up you; and on this island,

Where man doth not inhabit,—you ’mongst men

Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad;

And even with such-like valour men hang and drown

Their proper selves. Alon., Seb. &c. draw their swords.

60 You fools! I and my fellows

Are ministers of Fate: the elements,

Of whom your swords are temper’d, may as well

Wound the loud winds, or with bemock’d-at stabs

Kill the still-closing waters, as diminish

65 One dowle that’s in my plume: my fellow-ministers

Are like invulnerable. If you could hurt,

Your swords are now too massy for your strengths,

And will not be uplifted. But remember,—

For that’s my business to you,—that you three

70 From Milan did supplant good Prospero;

Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it,

Him and his innocent child: for which foul deed

The powers, delaying, not forgetting, have

Incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures,

III. 3. 75 Against your peace. Thee of thy son, Alonso,

They have bereft; and do pronounce by me:

Lingering perdition—worse than any death

Can be at once—shall step by

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