Seb. 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. Alon. What harmony is this? my good friends, hark! Gon. Marvellous sweet music! Alon. Give us kind keepers, heavens! What were these? Seb. A living drollery.1 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. Ant. 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. Gon. If in Naples I should report this now, would they believe me? (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. Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound, ex pressing (Although they want the use of tongue) a kind Of excellent dumb discourse. 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, Dew-lapp'd like bulls, whose throats had hanging at them Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men, Whose heads stood in their breasts? 2 which now we find, Each putter out of one for five will bring us Alon. I will stand to, and feed, Although my last: no matter, since I feel 1 Wonder. 2 The Blemmyi have no heads, but mouth and eyes in their breasts.'-Plin. Hist. Nat. book vi. chap. 8. The best is past. Brother, my lord the duke, 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 And what is in 't) 1 the never-surfeited sea Hath caused to belch up; and on this island, Where man doth not inhabit; you 'mongst men Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad; [seeing Alon. Seb. &c. draw their swords. And even with such like valor, 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 ; Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it, That makes use of this world, and every thing in it, as its instruments to bring about its ends. 2 Feather. Him and his innocent child; for which foul deed, (Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls 2 He vanishes in thunder: then, to soft music, enter the shapes again, and dance with mops and mowes, and carry out the table. Pro. [aside.] Bravely the figure of this harpy hast thou Perform'd, my Ariel; a grace it had, devouring: And these, mine enemies, are all knit up In their distractions: they now are in my power; And in these fits I leave them, whilst I visit 1 Pure, blameless. 2 Making mouths, or wry faces. 3 With exact representation of their several characters: so we say, 'acted to the life.' SHAK. I. E Young Ferdinand, whom they suppose is drown'd; And his and my loved darling. [Exit Prospero from above. Gon. I' the name of something holy, sir, why stand you In this strange stare? Alon. 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, pronounced The name of Prosper; it did bass 1 my trespass. Therefore my son i' the ooze is bedded; and I'll seek him deeper than e'er plummet sounded, And with him there lie mudded Seb. I'll fight their legions o'er. Ant. [Exit. But one fiend at a time, I'll be thy second. [Exeunt Seb. and Ant. Gon. All three of them are desperate; their great guilt, Like poison given to work a great time after, Adr. 2 Follow, I pray you. 1 Told it me in a rough bass sound. 2 Alienation of mind. [Exeunt. |