And presently, I prithee.

Ari. I drink the air before me, and return Or ere your pulse twice beat.

[Exit.

Gon. All torment, trouble, wonder and amazement

Inhabits here: some heavenly power guide us
Out of this fearful country!

Pros.

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.

Whether thou be'st 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.

Prospero

Be living and be here?

Pros.

But how should

First, noble friend,

I 20

Let me embrace thine age, whose honour cannot Be measured or confined.

Gon.

Or be not, I'll not swear.

Whether this be

You do yet taste

Pros. Some subtilties o' the isle, that will not let you Believe things certain. Welcome, my friends all! [Aside to Seb. and Ant.] But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded,

I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you And justify you traitors: at this time

I will tell no tales.

Seb. [Aside.] The devil speaks in him.

No.

Pros. 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 be'st 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.

Pros.
Alon.

I am woe for't, sir. Irreparable is the loss, and patience 140 Says it is past her cure.

Pros.

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!

Pros. As great to me as late; and, supportable 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?

Pros. 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

160

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.

170

Here PROSPERO discovers FERDINAND and MIRANDA playing at chess.

Mir. Sweet lord, you play me false.

Fer.

I would not for the world.

No, my dear'st love,

Mir. Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle,

And I would call it fair play.

If this prove

Alon.
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 cursed them without cause.

Alon.

[Kneels.

Now all the blessings

Of a glad father compass thee about!
Arise, and say how thou camest here.

Mir.

180

O, wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!

Pros.

Alon.

'Tis new to thee.

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?

190

She

Fer. Sir, she is 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. 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. I am hers:

Alon.

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

Pros.

Let us not burthen our remembrance with

A heaviness that's gone.

Gon.

There, sir, stop:

I have inly* wept,

200

Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you gods,

*Inwardly.

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

210

Where he himself was lost, Prospero his dukedom In a poor isle and all of us ourselves

When no man was his own.

Alon. [To Fer. and Mir.] Give me your hands: Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart That doth not wish you joy!

Gon.

Be it so! Amen!

Re-enter ARIEL, with the Master and Boatswain amazedly following.

O, look, sir, look, sir! here is 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

221

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. [Aside to Pros.] Sir, all this service
Have I done since I went.

Pros. [Aside to Ari.] My tricksy* spirit!

*Ready,

Alon. These are not natural events; they

strengthen *Elegantly quaint. From strange to stranger. Say, how came you hither?

Boats. If I did think, sir, I were well awake, I'ld 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, jingling chains, And moe* diversity of sounds, all horrible, *More. We were awaked; straightway, at liberty; Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld Our royal, good and gallant ship, our master Capering to eye her: on a trice, so please you, Even in a dream, were we divided from them And were brought moping hither.

Ari. [Aside to Pros.]
Pros. Aside to Ari.]
Thou shalt be free.

240

Was't well done?
Bravely, my diligence.

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.

Pros.

Sir, my liege,

Do not infest your mind with beating on

The strangeness of this business; at pick'd leisure Which shall be shortly, single I'll resolve you, Which to you shall seem probable, of every

These happen'd accidents; till when, be cheerful And think of each thing well. [Aside to Ari.]

Come hither, spirit:

Set Caliban and his companions free;

251

Untie the spell. [Exit Ariel.] How fares my

gracious sir?

There are yet missing of your company

Some few odd lads that you remember not.

Re-enter ARIEL, driving in CALIBAN, STEPHANO and TRINCULO, in their stolen apparel.

Ste. Every man shift for all the rest, and let no man take care for himself; for all is but fortune. Coragio, bully-monster, coragio! *Courage.

*