Beats, as of flesh and blood; and, fince 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 refign; and do intreat,

Thou pardon me my wrongs :-But how should Profpero 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 fwear.

Pro. You do yet taste

Some fubtilties o' the ifle, that will not let you
Believe things certain :-Welcome, my friends all :-
But you, my brace of lords, were I fo minded,

[Afide 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, moft wicked fir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive

Thy rankeft fault; all of them; and require'
My dukedom of thee, which, perforce, I know,
Thou must restore.

Alon. If thou be'ft Profpero,

Give us particulars of thy prefervation :

How thou haft met us here, who three hours fince
Were wreck'd upon this fhore; where I have loft,

[Afide.

this must crave &c.]-if this be real, it must require a most extraordinary folution.

Thy dukedom I refign ;]-My claim of fovereignty over it.

How

How sharp the point of this remembrance is!
My dear fon Ferdinand.

Pro. I am woe for't, fir.

Alon. Irreparable is the lofs; and patience
Says, it is past her cure.

Pro. I rather think,

You have not fought her help; of whofe foft grace,
For the like lofs, I have her fovereign aid,

And rest myself content.

Alon. You the like lofs?

Pro. As great to me, "as late; and, fupportable
To make the dear lofs, have I means much weaker
Than you may call to comfort you; for I
Have loft my daughter.

O heavens! that they were living both in Naples,
The king and queen there! that they were, I wish,
Myfelf were mudded in that oozy bed,

Where my fon lies. When did you lofe your daughter?
Pro. In this last tempeft. I perceive, these lords

At this encounter do fo much admire,

That they devour their reason; and scarce think,
Their eyes do offices of truth, their words

P

Are natural breath: but, howfoe'er you have
Been juftled from your fenfes, know for certain,
That I am Profpero, and that very duke

Which was thrust forth of Milan; who most strangely
Upon this fhore, 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

zoe]-forry.

as late ;]-and which happened as lately as yours.

A daughter?

their reason.

0

they devour]-their amazement hath swallowed their]-thefe, which I now utter.

Befitting this first meeting. Welcome, fir;
This cell's my court: here have I few attendants,
And fubjects none abroad: pray you, look in;
My dukedom fince 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 difcovers Ferdinand and
Miranda playing at chefs.

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 vifion of the island, one dear fon

Shall I twice lofe.

Seb. A most high miracle!

Fer. Though the feas threaten, they are merciful:

I have curs'd them without cause.

Alon. Now all the bleffings

Of a glad father compass thee about!

Arife, and say how thou cam'ft here.

Mira. O! wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!

[Ferd, kneels.

How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has fuch people in't!

Pro. 'Tis new to thee.

Alon. What is this maid, with whom thou waft at play? Your eld❜ft acquaintance cannot be three hours:

9 for a score of kingdoms, you should wrangle, &c.]-if every flake was a kingdom, I would allow you to do it, and, after a little wrangle, admit your play was fair.-and fhould I wrangle-charge you with playing falie--You would call it fair-play.

Is fhe the goddess that hath fever'd us,
And brought us thus together?

Fer. Sir, fhe's mortal;

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

Alon. I am hers:

But, oh, how oddly will it found, that I
Must ask my child forgiveness!

Pro. There, fir, stop;

Let us not burden our remembrance with

An 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 bleffed crown;

For it is you, that have chalk'd forth the way
Which brought us hither!

Alon. I fay, Amen, Gonzalo !

Gon. Was Milan thruft from Milan, that his iffue
Should become kings of Naples? O, rejoice
Beyond a common joy; and fet 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 loft; Profpero his dukedom,
In a poor isle; and all of us, ourselves,

When no man was his own.

Alon. Give me your hands:

Let grief and forrow still embrace his heart,

That doth not wish you joy!

Gon. Be't fo, Amen!

Re-enter Ariel, with the Mafter and Boatswain amazedly following.

O look, fir, look, fir, here are more of us!
I prophefy'd, if a gallows were on land,

This fellow could not drown:-Now, blafphemy,
That fwear'ft grace o'erboard, not an oath on fhore?
Haft thou no mouth by land? What is the news?
Boats. The best news is, that we have fafely found
Our king, and company: the next, our fhip,-
Which but three glaffes fince, 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 fince I went.

Pro. My 'trickfy spirit!

Alon. These are not natural events; they strengthen, From strange to ftranger :-Say, how came you hither? Boats. If I did think, fir, I were well awake,

I'd ftrive to tell you. We were dead asleep,

And (how, we know not) all clapp'd under hatches,
Where, but even now, with strange and several noises
Of roaring, fhrieking, howling, gingling chains,
And more diversity of founds, all horrible,
We were awak'd; ftraightway, at liberty:
Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld
Our royal, good, and gallant fhip; our mafter
Cap'ring to eye her: On a trice, so please you,

yare,]-fit for immediate use.

t

tricky]-adroit, clever.