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

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TRINCULO.
O, forgive me my sins!

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

CALIBAN.
Art thou afeard?

STEPHANO.
No, monster, not I.

CALIBAN.
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 sometimes voices,
That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep,
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 wak'd,
I cried to dream again.

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

CALIBAN.
When Prospero is destroyed.

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

TRINCULO.
The sound is going away: let's follow it, and
after do our work.

STEPHANO.
Lead, monster: we'll follow. - I would I could see
this taborer! he lays it on. Wilt come?

TRINCULO.
I'll follow, Stephano.

[Exeunt]


SCENE III. Another part of the island

[Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO, ADRIAN, FRANCISCO,
and OTHERS.]

GONZALO.
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.

ALONSO.
Old lord, I cannot blame thee,
Who am myself attach'd with weariness
To th' 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
Our frustrate search on land. Well, let him go.

ANTONIO.
[Aside to SEBASTIAN] I am right glad that he's
so out of hope.
Do not, for one repulse, forgo the purpose
That you resolv'd to effect.

SEBASTIAN.
[Aside to ANTONIO] The next advantage
Will we take throughly.

ANTONIO.
[Aside to SEBASTIAN] Let it be to-night;
For, now they are oppress'd with travel, they
Will not, nor cannot, use such vigilance
As when they are fresh.

SEBASTIAN.
[Aside to ANTONIO] I say, to-night: no more.

[Solemn and strange music: and 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.]

ALONSO.
What harmony is this? my good friends, hark!

GONZALO.
Marvellous sweet music!

ALONSO.
Give us kind keepers, heavens! What were these?

SEBASTIAN.
A living drollery. Now I will believe
That there are unicorns; that in Arabia
There is one tree, the phoenix' throne; one phoenix
At this hour reigning there.

ANTONIO.
I'll believe both;
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 them.

GONZALO.
If in Naples
I should report this now, would they believe me?
If I should say, I saw such islanders, -
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.

PROSPERO.
[Aside] Honest lord,
Thou hast said well; for some of you there present
Are worse than devils.

ALONSO.
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.

PROSPERO.
[Aside] Praise in departing.

FRANCISCO.
They vanish'd strangely.

SEBASTIAN.
No matter, since
They have left their viands behind; for we have stomachs. -
Will't please you taste of what is here?

ALONSO.
Not I.

GONZALO.
Faith, sir, you need not fear. When we were boys,
Who would believe that there were mountaineers
Dewlapp'd like bulls, whose throats had hanging at them
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.

ALONSO.
I will stand to, and feed,
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]

ARIEL.
You are three men of sin, whom Destiny,
That hath to instrument this lower world
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:

[Seeing ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, &c., draw their swords]

And even with such-like valour men hang and drown
Their proper selves. 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
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
From Milan did supplant good Prospero;
Expos'd unto the sea, which hath requit it,
Him, and his innocent child: for which foul deed
The powers, delaying, not forgetting, have
Incens'd the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures,
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 step attend
You and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from -
Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls
Upon your heads, - is nothing but heart-sorrow,
And a clear life ensuing.

[He vanishes in thunder: then, to soft music, enter
the Shapes again, and dance, with mocks and mows,
and carry out the table]

PROSPERO.
[Aside] Bravely the figure of this harpy hast thou
Perform'd, my Ariel; a grace it had, devouring;
Of my instruction hast thou nothing bated
In what thou hadst to say: so, with good life
And observation strange, my meaner ministers
Their several kinds have done. My high charms work,
And these mine enemies are all knit up
In their distractions; they now are in my power;
And in these fits I leave them, while I visit
Young Ferdinand, - whom they suppose is drown'd, -
And his and mine lov'd darling.

[Exit above]

GONZALO.
I' the name of something holy, sir, why stand you
In this strange stare?

ALONSO.
O, it is monstrous! monstrous!
Methought the billows spoke, and told me of it;
The winds did sing it to me; and the thunder,
That deep and dreadful organ-pipe, pronounc'd
The name of Prosper: it did bass my trespass.
Therefore my son i' th' ooze is bedded; and
I'll seek him deeper than e'er plummet sounded,
And with him there lie mudded.

[Exit]

SEBASTIAN.
But one fiend at a time,
I'll fight their legions o'er.

ANTONIO.
I'll be thy second.

[Exeunt SEBASTIAN and ANTONIO]

GONZALO.
All three of them are desperate: their great guilt,
Like poison given to work a great time after,
Now 'gins to bite the spirits. I do beseech you
That are of suppler joints, follow them swiftly
And hinder them from what this ecstasy
May now provoke them to.

ADRIAN.
Follow, I pray you.

[Exeunt]


ACT 4

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