Which since have steaded much: so, of his gentleness,
Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me,
From my own library, with volumes that

I prize above my kingdom.

Mir. 'Would I might

But ever see that man!

Pro. Mark me, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow. Here in this island we arrived; and here

Have I, your school-master, made you more profit
Than other princes can, that have more time

For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful.

[Rises and embraces her. Mir. Heavens thank you for't! And now, I pray

you, sir,

For still 'tis beating in my mind, your reason

For raising this sea-storm?

Pro. Know thus far forth :

[Puts the chairs back.

By accident most strange, bountiful fortune,
Now, my dear lady, hath my enemies

Brought on these seas; and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon

A most auspicious star; whose influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop.-

[Takes up his wand, and charms MIRANDA
to sleep.

Here cease more questions.

Thou art inclin'd to sleep; 'tis a good dullness,
And give it way :-I know thou canst not choose.-
[MIRANDA sleeps on R. in a chair.-PROSPERO
puts on his mantle.

Come away, servant, come; I am ready now:
Approach, my Ariel; come.

Enter ARIEL, down platform, L. S. E.

Ari. (L.) All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I

come,

To answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly,

To swim, to dive into the sea, to ride

On the curl'd clouds; to thy strong bidding, task

Ariel, and all his quality.

Pro. Hast thou, spirit,

Prepar'd to point the tempest that I bade thee?

Ari. (L. c.) To every article.

Pro. What is the time o'the day?

Ari. Past the mid season.

Pro. At least two glasses :-the time 'twixt six and

now,

Must by us both be spent most preciously.

Ari. Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me
pains,

Let me remember thee what thou hast promis'd,
Which is not yet perform'd me.

Pro. How now-moody?

What is't thou canst demand?

Ari. My liberty.

Pro. Before the time be out?-no more.
Ari. I pray thee:

Remember, I have done thee worthy service;
Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, serv'd
Without or grudge or grumblings: thou didst promise
To bate me a full year.

Pro. Dost thou forget

From what a torment I did free thee?

Ari. No.

Pro. Thou dost; and think'st it much, to tread the

ooze

Of the salt deep;

To run upon the sharp wind of the north;

To do me business in the veins o'the earth,
When it is bak'd with frost.

Ari. I do not, sir.

Pro. Thou liest, malignant thing! Hast thou forgot The foul witch Sycorax, who, with age and envy, Was grown into a hoop? hast thou forgot her?

Ari. No, Sir.

Pro. Thou hast. Where was she born? Speak; tell me.

Ari. Sir, in Argier.

Pro. O, was she so? I must,

Once in a month, recount what thou hast been,
Which thou forget'st. This damn'd witch Sycorax,
For mischiefs manifold, and sorceries terrible

To enter human hearing, from Argier,

Thou know'st, was banish'd: for one thing she did,
They would not take her life :-is not this true?
Ari. Ay, sir.

Pro. This blue-ey'd hag was hither brought with

child,

And here was left by the sailors: thou, my slave,
As thou report'st thyself, wast then her servant :
And, for thou wast a spirit too delicate

To act her earthly and abhorr'd commands,
Refusing her grand hests, she did confine thee,
By help of her more potent ministers,
And in her most unmitigable rage,
Into a cloven pine; within which rift
Imprison'd, thou didst painfully remain

A dozen years; within which space she died,

And left thee there; where thou didst vent thy groans
As fast as mill-wheels strike: then was this island,
(Save for the son that she did litter here

A freckled whelp, hag-born) not honour'd with
A human shape.

Ari. Yes; Caliban, her son.

Pro. Dull thing, I say so; he, that Caliban,
Whom now I keep in service. Thou best know'st
What torment I did find thee in; thy groans
Did make wolves howl, and penetrate the breasts
Of ever-angry bears: it was a torment
To lay upon the damn'd, which Sycorax
Could not again undo: it was mine art,

When I arriv'd, and heard thee, that made gape
The pine, and let thee out.

Ari. I thank thee, master.

Pro. If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak,
And peg thee in his knotty entrails, till
Thou'st howl'd away twelve winters.
Ari. Pardon, master:

I will be correspondent to command,
And do my spiriting gently.

Pro. Do so; and after two days
I will discharge thee.

Ari. That's my noble master !

What shall I do? say, what? what shall I do?
Pro. Go, with the spirits under thy command,
Let loose the tempest, as I bade thee; then,
Disperse the stranded crew about the isle,
And bring the king's son, Ferdinand, to my cell.—
Be subject to no sight but mine; invisible

To every eye-ball else. [Crosses, and sits down, L.
Ari. (c.) Master, I shall.

SONG.-ARIEL.

O, bid thy faithful Ariel fly
To the furthest India's sky;
Or, to do thy great command,
Traverse o'er more distant land;

I'll climb the mountains, plunge the deep,-
I, like mortals, never sleep.-
I'll do thy task, whate'er it be,
Not with ill will, but merrily.

[Exit,L.

Pro. Awake; dear heart, awake! thou hast slept

well:

Awake!

Mir. The strangeness of your story put

Heaviness in me.

Pro. Shake it off; come on;

[MIRANDA rises.

We'll visit Caliban, my slave, who never

Yields us kind answer.

Mir. 'Tis a villain, sir,

I do not love to look on.
Pro. But, as 'tis,

We cannot miss him: he does make our fire,

Fetch in our wood; and serves in offices

That profit us.— - What ho -[Crosses to R.]—Slave! Caliban !

Thou earth, thou! speak.

Cal. [Without, R.] There's wood enough within, Pro. Come forth, I say; there's other business for thee;

Come forth, thou tortoise! when?

Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself

Upon thy wicked dam, come forth!

Enter CALIBAN, from his den, R.

[Exit MIRANDA, L.

Cal. As wicked dew, as e'er my mother brush'd

With raven's feather from unwholesome fen,

Drop on you both! (R. C.) A south-west blow on you, And blister you all o'er!

Pro. For this, be sure, to-night thou shalt have

cramps,

Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up; urchins
Shall, for that vast of night that they may work,
All exercise on thee; thou shalt be pinch'd

As thick as honey-combs, each pinch more stinging
Than bees that made them.

Cal. I must eat my dinner.

This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,

Which thou tak'st from me. When thou camest first, Thou strok'dst me, and mad'st much of me; would'st give me

B

Water with berries in't; and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,

That burn by day and night; and then I lov'd thee,
And show'd thee all the qualities o'the isle,

The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place, and fertile ;
Cursed be I that did so!-All the charms

Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
For I am all the subjects that you have,

Which first was mine own king, and here you stye me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
The rest of the island.

Ah-ah!

Pro. Most abhorred slave,

Which any print of goodness wilt not take,
Being capable of all ill, I have us'd thee,

Filth as thou art, with human care :-I pity'd thee,
Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour
One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage,
Know thy own meaning, but would'st gabble like
A thing most brutish, I endow'd thy purposes
With words that made them known: but thy vile race,
Though thou didst learn, had that in't which good na-

tures

Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou
Deservedly confin'd into this rock,

Who hadst deserv'd more than a prison.

Cal. You taught me language; and my profit on't Is, I know how to curse: the red plague rid you, For learning me your language!

Pro. Hag-seed, hence!

Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou wert best,

To answer other business. Shrug'st thou, malice?

If thou neglect'st, or dost unwillingly

What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps;
Fill all thy bones with aches; make thee roar,
That beasts shall tremble at thy din.

Cal. No, 'pray thee!

I must obey: his art is of such power,
It would control my dam's god Setebos,
And make a vassal of him.

Pro. So, slave; hence!

[Exeunt-CAL. R. PRO. L. U. E.

SCENE II.-A Front Rock-scene.

Enter MIRANDA, R. meeting DORINDA, L.

Dor. (L. c.) O, sister, sister-what have I beheld! Mir. (R. c.) What is it moves you so?