ARI.

My lord, it shall be done.

[Exit.

PRO. Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself Upon thy wicked dam, come forth!

Enter CALIBAN.

CAL. As wicked dew as e'er my mother brush'd With raven's feather from unwholesome fen,

Drop on you both! a south-west blow on ye,

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 honeycomb, each pinch more stinging
Than bees that made them.

CAL.
This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou tak'st from me.

I must eat my dinner.

When thou camest first,

Thou strok'dst me, and mad'st much of me; wouldst give

me

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 sty me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me

The rest of the island.

PRO.

Thou most lying slave,

Whom stripes may move, not kindness: I have us'd thee, Filth as thou art, with human care; and lodg'd thee

In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate

The honour of my child.

CAL. O ho, O ho!-'would it had been done!
Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else
This isle with Calibans.

PRO.

VOL. IV.

Abhorred slave;

B

Which any print of goodness will not take,
Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,

Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour
One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst 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 natures
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. Shrugg'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!—

[Aside.

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

PRO.

Re-enter ARIEL invisible, playing and singing; FERDINAND

BUR.

following him.

ARIEL'S Song.

Come unto these yellow sands,

And then take hands:

Courtsied when you have, and kiss'd,

The wild waves whist,

Foot it featly here and there;

And, sweet sprites, the burthen bear.

Hark, hark! Bowgh, wowgh.

The watch-dogs bark:

Bowgh, wowgh,

[Disperselly.

ARI.

Hark, hark! I hear

The strain of strutting chanticleer
Cry, cock-a-doodle-doo.

FER. Where should this music be? i' the air, or the

earth?

It sounds no more:-and sure it waits upon

Some god of the island. Sitting on a bank,
Weeping again the king my father's wrack,
This music crept by me upon the waters;
Allaying both their fury, and my passion,
With its sweet air: thence I have follow'd it,
Or it hath drawn me rather:-But 't is gone.
No, it begins again.

ARIEL sings.

Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sca-change
Into something rich and strange.

Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell :

[Burthen, ding-dong.

Hark! now I hear them,—ding-dong, bell.

FER. The ditty does remember my drown'd father:

This is no mortal business, nor no sound

That the earth owes:-I hear it now above me.

PRO. The fringed curtains of thine eye advance,
And say, what thou seest yond'.

MIRA.
What is 't? a spirit?
Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, sir,

It carries a brave form:-But 't is a spirit.

PRO. No, wench; it eats, and sleeps, and hath such

senses

As we have, such: This gallant, which thou seest,

Was in the wrack; and but he 's something stain'd

With grief, that 's beauty's canker, thou mightst call him
A goodly person: he hath lost his fellows,

And strays about to find them.

MIRA.

I might call him

A thing divine; for nothing natural
I ever saw so noble.

PRO.

It goes on; I see,

[Aside.

As my soul prompts it:-Spirit, fine spirit! I'll free thee Within two days for this.

FER.

Most sure, the goddess

On whom these airs attend!-Vouchsafe my prayer
May know if you remain upon this island;
And that you will some good instruction give,
How I may bear me here: My prime request,
Which I do last pronounce, is, O you wonder!
If you be maid or no?

MIRA.

But certainly a maid.

FER.

No wonder, sir;

My language! heavens!—
I am the best of them that speak this speech,
Were I but where 't is spoken.

PRO.
How! the best?
What wert thou, if the king of Naples heard thee?
FER. A single thing, as I am now, that wonders
To hear thee speak of Naples: He does hear me;
And that he does I weep: myself am Naples;
Who with mine eyes, never since at ebb, beheld
The king my father wrack'd.

MIRA.

Alack, for mercy!

FER. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the duke of Milan,
And his brave son, being twain.

PRO.
The duke of Milan,
And his more braver daughter, could control thee,
If now 't were fit to do 't:-At the first sight
They have chang'd eyes:-Delicate Ariel,
I'll set thee free for this!-A word, good sir;

I fear you have done yourself some wrong: a word.
MIRA. Why speaks my father so ungently? This

Is the third man that e'er I saw; the first
That e'er I sigh'd for: pity move my father
To be inclin'd my way!

FER.

O, if a virgin,

And your affection not gone forth, I'll make you

[Aside

The queen of Naples.

PRO.

Soft, sir! one word more.

They are both in either's powers; but this swift business
I must uneasy make, lest too light winning

Make the prize light.-One word more; I charge thee,
That thou attend me: thou dost here usurp

The name thou ow'st not; and hast put thyself
Upon this island, as a spy, to win it

From me, the lord on 't.

FER.

No, as I am a man.

[Aside.

MIRA. There's nothing ill can dwell in such a temple: If the ill spirit have so fair a house,

Good things will strive to dwell with 't.

Follow me.-[To FERD.

PRO.
Speak not you for him; he's a traitor.-Come.
I'll manacle thy neck and feet together:
Sea-water shalt thou drink, thy food shall be
The fresh-brook muscles, wither'd roots, and husks
Wherein the acorn cradled: Follow.

My foot my tutor! Put thy sword up, traitor;

Who mak'st a show, but dar'st not strike, thy conscience

Is so possess'd with guilt: come from thy ward;

For I can here disarm thee with this stick,

And make thy weapon drop.

MIRA.

PRO. Hence; hang not on my garments.

MIRA.

I'll be his surety.

PRO.

Beseech you, father!

Sir, have pity;

Silence! one word more

Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee. What!

An advocate for an impostor! hush!

Thou think'st there are no more such shapes as he,