Ari. I drink the air before me and return

Or e'er your pulse twice beat.

[Exit ARIEL. Gon. All torment, trouble, wonder, and amaze

ment

Inhabits here: Some heavenly power guide us

Out of this fearful country !

Pro.

Behold, sir king,

The wronged duke of Milan, Prospero:

For more assurance that a living prince

Does now speak to thee, I embrace thy body;

And to thee, and thy company, I bid

A hearty welcome.

Alon.

Whe'r thou beest he, or no,

Or some enchanted trifle to abuse me,

As late I have been, I not know: thy pulse

Beats, as of flesh and blood; and, since I saw

thee,

The affliction of my mind amends, with which,

I fear, a madness held me: this must crave

(An if this be at all) a most strange story.

Thy dukedom I resign; and do entreat

Thou pardon me my wrongs; - But how should

Prospero

Be living, and be here?

Pro.

First, noble friend,

Let me embrace thine age; whose honour cannot

Be measur'd, or confin'd.

Gon.

Or be not, I'll not swear.
Pro.

Whether this be,

You do yet taste Some subtilties o'the isle, that will not let you Believe things certain: - Welcome, my friends

all:

But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded,

Aside to SEB. and ANT.

I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you,

And justify you traitors: at this time

I'll tell no tales.

Seb.

Pro.

The devil speaks in him. (Aside.

No:

For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault; all of them: and require
My dukedom of thee, which, perforce, I know,

Thou must restore.

Alon.

If thou beest Prospero,

Give us particulars of thy preservation :
How thou hast met us here, who three hours

since

Were wreck'd upon this shore: where I have lost, How sharp the point of this remembrance is !

My dear son Ferdinand.

Pro.

I am woe for't, sir.

Alon. Irreparable is the loss; and patience

Says, it is past her cure.

Pro.

I rather think,

You have not sought her help; of whose soft grace,

For the like loss, I have her sovereign aid,

And rest myself content.

Alon.

You the like loss?

Pro. As great to me, as late; and, portable s To make the dear loss, have I means much weaker

Than you may call to comfort you; for I

Have lost my daughter.

Alon.

A daughter?

O heavens! that they were living both in Naples,

The king and queen there! that they were, I wish
Myself were mudded in that oozy bed
Where my son lies. When did you lose your

daughter?

Pro. In this last tempest. I perceive, these lords At this encounter do so much admire, That they devour their reason; and scarce think Their eyes do offices of truth, their words Are natural breath: but, howsoe'er you have Been justled from your senses, know for certain, That I am Prospero, and that very duke Which was thrust forth of Milan; who most

strangely

Upon this shore, where you were wreck'd, was

landed,

To be the lord on't. No more yet of this;
For 'tis a chronicle of day by day,
Not a relation for a breakfast, nor
Befitting this first meeting. Welcome, sir;
This cell's my court: here have I few attendants,
And subjects none abroad: pray you, look in.
My dukedom, since you have given me again,
I will requite you with as good a thing;
At least, bring forth a wonder, to content ye,
As much as me my dukedom.

The Entrance of the Cell opens, and discovers FER-
DINAND and MIRANDA playing at Chess.

Mira. Sweet lord, you play me false.
Fer.

I would not for the world.

No, my dearest love,

Mira. Yes, for a score of kingdoms, you should

wrangle,

And I would call it fair play.

Alon.

If this prove

A vision of the island, one dear son

Shall I twice lose.
Seb.

A most high miracle!

Fer. Tho' the seas threaten they are merciful:

I have curs'd them without cause.

Alon.

[FERD. kneels to ALON.

Now all the blessings

Of a glad father compass thee about !

Arise, and say how thou cam'st here.

Mira.

O! wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here ! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,

That has such people in't!

Pro.

'Tis new to thee.

Alon. What is this maid, with whom thou wast

at play ?

Your eld'st acquaintance cannot be three hours:
Is she the goddess that hath sever'd us,
And brought us thus together?

Fer.

Sir, she's mortal;

But, by immortal Providence, she's mine;
I chose her, when I could not ask my father
For his advice; nor thought I had one: she
Is daughter to this famous duke of Milan,
Of whom so often I have heard renown,
But never saw before; of whom I have
Received a second life, and second father
This lady makes him to me.

Alon.

I am her's:

But O, how oddly will it sound, that I
Must ask my child forgiveness !

Pro.

There, sir, stop:

Let us not burden our remembrances

With a heaviness that's gone.

Gon.

I have inly wept, Or should have spoken ere this. Look down, you

gods,

And on this couple drop a blessed crown;

For it is you, that have chalk'd forth the way

Which brought us hither!

Alon.

I say, Amen, Gonzalo!

Gon. Was Milan thrust from Milan, that his

issue

Should become kings of Naples? O, rejoice
Beyond a common joy; and set it down
With gold on lasting pillars: In one voyage
Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis;
And Ferdinand, her brother, found a wife,
Where he himself was lost; Prospero his dukedom,
In a poor isle; and all of us, ourselves,

When no man was his own. 9

Alon:

Give me your hands: [To FER. and MIR.

Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart,

That doth not wish you joy!

Gon.

Be't so! Amen!

Re-enter ARIEL, with the Master and Boatswain

amazedly following.

O look, sir, look, sir; here are more of us!
I prophesied, if a gallows were on land,
This fellow could not drown: - Now, blasphemy,
That swear'st grace o'erboard, not an oath on

shore,

Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news? Boats. The best news is, that we have safely

found

Our king, and company: the next our ship,
Which, but three glasses since, we gave out split, -