Begins to swell; and the approaching tide Will shortly fill the reasonable shores, That now lie foul and muddy. Not one of them As I was sometime Milan : Thou shalt ere long be free. -Quickly, spirit ; ARIEL re-enters, singing, and helps to attire PROS PERO. Ari. Where the bee sucks, there suck 1 ; In a cowslip's bell I lie : There I couch when owls do cry. On the bat's back I do fly, After summer, merrily : Merrily, merrily, shall I live now, Under the blossom that hangs on the bough. Pro. Why, that's my dainty Ariel: I shall miss thee; But yet thou shalt have freedom: So, so, so. To the king's ship, invisible as thou art : Under the hatches; the master, and the boatswain, And presently, I pr'ythee. Ari. I drink the air before me, and return Or e'er your pulse twice beat. [Exit. Gon. All torment, trouble, wonder, and amazement 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 intreat 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. Whether this be, Or be not, I'll not swear, Pro. 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. The devil speaks in him. Pro. No: For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother Thy rankest fault; all of them; and require Alon. If thou beest Prospero, Give us particulars of thy preservation : [Aside. How thou hast met us here, who three hours since9 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, And rest myself content. Alon. You the like loss? Pro. As great to me, as late; and, portable [9] The unity of time is most rigidly observed in this piece. The fable scarcely takes up a greater number of hours than are employed in the representation; and from the very particular care which our author takes to point out this circumstance in so many other passages, as well as here, it seems as if it were not accidental,but purposely designed to shew the admirers of Ben Jonson's art, and the cavillers of the time, that he too could write a play within all the strictest laws of regularity, when he chose to load himself with the critick's fetters. STEEV. Than you may call to comfort you; for I Alon. A daughter? O heavens! that they were living both in Naples, Where my son lies. When did you lose your daughter? That they devour their reason; and scarce think Are natural breath: but, howsoe'er you have Been justled from your senses, know for certain, Which was thrust forth of Milan; who most strangely Not a relation for a breakfast, nor Befitting this first meeting. Welcome, sir; At least, bring forth a wonder, to content ye, The entrance of the Cell opens and discovers FERDI- Mira. Sweet lord, you play me false. Fer. No, my dearest love, I would not for the world. 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. Though the seas threaten, they are merciful: I have curs'd them without cause. Alon. Now all the blessings [FERD. kneels to ALON. Of a glad father compass thee about! Arise, and say how thou cam'st here. Mira. O 13 wonder ! VOL. I. How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, Pro. 'Tis new to thee. Alon. What is this maid, with whom thou wast at play? Your eld'st acquaintance cannot be three hours: Fer. Sir, she's mortal; But, by immortal Providence, she's mine; Alon. I am her's: But O, how oddly will it sound, that I Pro. There, sir, stop; Let us not burden our remembrance With a heaviness that's gone. Gon. I have inly wept, Or should have spoke 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 Alon. Give me your hands: Prospero his dukedom, [To FER. and MIR. Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart, 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,— Is tight, and yare, and bravely rigg'd, as when We first put out to sea. Ari. Sir, all this service Have I done since I went. Pro. My tricksy spirit! Aside. Alon. These are not natural events; they strengthen, From strange to stranger :-Say, how came you hither? Boats. If I did think, sir, I were well awake, I'd strive to tell you. We were dead of sleep, And (how, we know not,) all clapp'd under hatches, Where, but even now, with strange and several noises Of roaring, shrieking, howling, gingling chains, And more diversity of sounds, all horrible, We were awak'd; straitway, at liberty: Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld Our royal, good, and gallant ship; our master Cap'ring to eye her: On a trice, so please you, Even in a dream, were we divided from them, And were brought moping hither. Ari. Was't well done? Pro. Bravely, my diligence. be free. Thou shalt Aside. Alon. This is as strange a maze as e'er men trod ; And there is in this business more than nature Was ever conduct of: some oracle Must rectify our knowledge. Pro. Sir, my liege, Do not infest your mind with beating on The strangeness of this business; at pick'd leisure, [Aside. |