It should the good ship so have swallow'd and
The fraughting souls within her.

I have done nothing but in care of thee,
Of thee, my dear one, thee, my daughter, who
Art ignorant of what thou art, nought knowing
Of whence I am, nor that I am more better
Than Prospero, master of a full poor cell,
And thy no greater father.

Mir.

More to know

'Tis time

Did never meddle with my thoughts.

Pros.

I should inform thee farther. Lend thy hand,
And pluck my magic garment from me.-So:

20

26

[Lays down his mantle. Lie there, my art. Wipe thou thine eyes; have comfort. The direful spectacle of the wreck, which touch'd The very virtue of compassion in thee, I have with such provision in mine art So safely order'd, that there is no soul,

13 fraughting] Ff. fraighted Pope. fraighting Theobald. freighting

Steevens.

14-16 heart...I have] heart-Mir. O, woe the day! Pros. There's no harm done! Mir. No harm? Pros. I have Elze conj.

15 Mir. O, woe the day! Pros. No harm.] Mir. O woe the day! no harm? Johnson conj.

18 nought] naught F1.

19 I am more better] I am more or better

Rowe (ed. 2).

20 full poor] full-poor Theobald.
24 [Lays...mantle.] Pope. Lay it downe.
Collier MS.

28 provision] F. compassion F2F3F4
prevision Collier, ed. 2 (Hunter
conj.).

29 order'd] Rowe. ordered Ff.

that...soul,] soul, that there is no, or that there is no-soul, Holt conj. soul] soul lost Rowe. foyle Theobald. soil Johnson conj. ill Kenrick conj.

No, not so much perdition as an hair

Betid to any creature in the vessel

30

Which thou heard'st cry, which thou saw'st sink. Sit down; For thou must now know farther.

You have often

Mir.
Begun to tell me what I am; but stopp'd,
And left me to a bootless inquisition,

Concluding 'Stay: not yet.'

Pros.

The hour's now come;

The very minute bids thee ope thine ear;

Obey, and be attentive. Canst thou remember
A time before we came unto this cell?

I do not think thou canst, for then thou wast not
Out three years old.

Mir.

Certainly, sir, I can.

Pros. By what? by any other house or person? Of any thing the image tell me, that

Hath kept with thy remembrance.

35

40

'Tis far off,

45

Mir.
And rather like a dream than an assurance
That my remembrance warrants. Had I not
Four or five women once that tended me?

Pros. Thou hadst, and more, Miranda. But how is it
That this lives in thy mind? What seest thou else
In the dark backward and abysm of time?

If thou remember'st aught ere thou camest here,
How thou camest here thou

Mir.

loss Capell. soul hurt Long MS.
soul Collier. foul Wright conj.
(withdrawn). evil Bailey conj.

30 hair] hair's Capell conj.
31 Betid] F. Betide FF3F4-
35 a] F. the FF3F4-

37 [Sit downe. Collier MS.

mayst.

But that I do not.

38 thou] om. Pope.

50

41 Out] Full Pope (after Dryden).
Quite Collier MS. But Anon, conj.
MS.

44 with] in Pope (after Dryden).
50 dark backward] Hyphened in F,F.

Pros. Twelve year since, Miranda, twelve year since, Thy father was the Duke of Milan, and

A prince of power.

Mir.

Sir, are not you my father?

Pros. Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and She said thou wast my daughter; and thy father Was Duke of Milan; and his only heir

A princess, no worse issued.

Mir.

O the heavens !

What foul play had we, that we came from thence?
Or blessed was't we did?

Pros.

Both, both, my girl:

By foul play, as thou say'st, were we heaved thence;
But blessedly holp hither.

Mir.

O, my heart bleeds

To think o' the teen that I have turn'd you to,

55

60.

Which is from my remembrance! Please you, farther. 65 Pros. My brother, and thy uncle, call'd Antonio,—

I pray thee, mark me,—that a brother should

Be so perfidious!-he whom, next thyself,
Of all the world I loved, and to him put
The manage of my state; as at that time
Through all the signories it was the first,
And Prospero the prime duke, being so reputed
In dignity, and for the liberal arts

Without a parallel; those being all my study,
The government I cast upon my brother,

53 Twelve year...year] 'Tis twelve years

...years Pope.

58,59 and his only heir A princess,]

Pope. and his onelie heire, And Princesse; Ff. thou his only heir A princess, Hanmer. thou his only heir And princess, Steevens. and thou his only heir A princess, Johnson conj.

63 holp] help'd Pope.

70

75

O, my heart] My heart Pope. 70 as at that time] FF2 as at that time. F3F4 as, at that time, John

son.

71 Through] Though F. Though of Hunter conj.

74 those] these So quoted by Hunter.

And to my state grew stranger, being transported
And rapt in secret studies. Thy false uncle-
Dost thou attend me?

Mir.

Sir, most heedfully.

Pros. Being once perfected how to grant suits, How to deny them, who to advance, and who

To trash for over-topping, new created

The creatures that were mine, I say, or changed 'em,
Or else new form'd 'em; having both the key
Of officer and office, set all hearts i' the state

To what tune pleased his ear; that now he was
The ivy which had hid my princely trunk,
And suck'd my verdure out on't. Thou attend'st not.
Mir. O, good sir, I do.

Pros.

I pray thee, mark me.
I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated
To closeness and the bettering of my mind.
With that which, but by being so retired,
O'er-prized all popular rate, in my false brother
Awaked an evil nature; and my trust,
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falsehood in its contrary, as great

As my trust was; which had indeed no limit,
A confidence sans bound.

76 stranger] a stranger Keightley conj. 77 studies. Thy] Rowe. studies, thy Ff. 78 me] om. F3F4

80 who...who] F1. whom...whom F2F3F4-
81 To trash] To plash Hanmer. To

crush Long MS. To thrash Marsh.
Too rash D. Wilson conj.

82, 83 'em...'em] them...them Capell.
84

the state] ith state F1. e'th state F2 o'th state F3F4. om. Pope. 87 my] the Hudson (Harvard ed.). 88 0, good sir...mark me.] Good sir...

He being
He being thus lorded,

mark me then. Pope. O yes, good · sir...mark me. Capell.

Mir. O,...do. Pros. I...me] I...me. Mir. O...do. Steevens (1793). 89 dedicated] dedicate Steevens, 1793 (Ritson conj.).

91 80] F. om. FFF4.

92 O'er-prized] O'er-peized Nicholson
conj.

95 falsehood...as] falsehood, in its con-
trary, as Nicholson conj.
97 lorded] Loaded Collier MS.

Not only with what my revenue yielded,

But what my power might else exact, like one
Who having into truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory,

To credit his own lie, he did believe

He was indeed the duke; out o' the substitution,
And executing the outward face of royalty,

With all prerogative:-hence his ambition growing,—
Dost thou hear?

Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.

Pros. To have no screen between this part he play'd And him he play'd it for, he needs will be Absolute Milan. Me, poor man, my library