This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou tak'st from me. 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 loved thee,
And showed 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.
1 Thou most lying slave,
Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have used thee,
Filth as thou art, with human care; and lodged thee
In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate
The honor 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.
Abhorred slave,
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 endowed 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 confined into this rock,
Who hadst deserved 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. Shrug'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!-
I must obey: his art is of such power, [Aside.
It would control my dam's god, Setebos,
And make a vassal of him.
Pro.
Re-enter ARIEL invisible, playing and singing.
FERDINAND following him.
ARIEL'S SONG.
Come unto these yellow sands,
And then take hands:
Curt'sied when you have, and kissed,
(The wild waves whist,)
Foot it featly, here and there,
And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.
Hark, hark!
Bur. Bowgh, wowgh.
The watch-dogs bark:
Bur. Bowgh, wowgh.
Hark, hark! I hear
The strain of strutting chanticlere
Cry, Cock-a-doodle-doo.
[Dispersedly.
[Dispersedly.
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 wreck, This music crept by me upon the waters; Allaying both their fury, and my passion, With its sweet air: thence I have followed it, Or it hath drawn me rather:-But 'tis 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 sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
[Burden, ding-dong. Hark! now I hear them,-ding-dong, bell.
Fer. The ditty does remember my drowned 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 'tis 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 wreck; and but he's something stained
With grief, that's beauty's canker, thou might'st 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, 0 you wonder!
If you be maid, or no?
Mira.
No wonder, sir;
But certainly a maid.
Fer.
My language! heavens ! -
I am the best of them that speak this speech,
Were I but where 'tis 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, ne'er since at ebb, beheld
The king my father wrecked.
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 'twere fit to do't :-At the first sight (Aside. They have changed 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 sighed for: pity move my father
To be inclined my way!
Fer.
O, if a virgin,
And your affection not gone forth, I'll make you
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 [Aside.
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
l'pon this island, as a spy, to win it
From me, the lord on't.
Fer.
No, as I am a man. Mira. There's nothing ill can dwell in such a temple ; If the ill spirit have so fair an house, Good things will strive to dwell with’t. Pro.
Follow me.-[TO FERD.
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, withered roots, and husks
Wherein the acorn cradled: Follow.
Fer.
I will resist such entertainment, till
Mine enemy has more power.
[He draws. Jira.
O dear father,
Make not too rash a trial of him, for
He's gentle, and not fearful.
Pro.
What, I say,
My foot my tutor!-Put thy sword up, traitor;
Who mak’st a show, but dar'st not strike, thy conscience
Is so possessed with guilt: come from thy ward;
For I can here disarm thee with this stick,
And make thy weapon drop.
Mira.
Beseech you, father!
Pro. Hence; hang not on my garments.
Mira.
Sir, have pity;
I'll be his surety.
Pro.
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,
Having seen but him and Caliban : Foolish wench!
VOL. I. - 3
To the most of men this is a Caliban,
And they to him are angels.
Mira.
My affections
Are then most humble; I have no ambition
To see a goodlier man.
Pro.
Come on; obey:
[TO FERD.
Thy nerves are in their infancy again;
And have no vigor in them.
Fer.
So they are:
My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up.
My father's loss, the weakness which I feel,
The wreck of all my friends, or this man's threats,
To whom I am subdued, are but light to me,
Might I but through my prison once a day
Behold this maid: all corners else o' the earth
Let liberty make use of; space enough
Have I in such a prison.
Pro.
It works :-Come on.-
Thou hast done well, fine Ariel !-Follow me.-
[TO FERD, and MIRA. Hark, what thou else shalt do me.
[To ARIEL. Mira.
Be of comfort;
My father's of a better nature, sir,
Than he appears by speech; this is unwonted,
Which now came from him.
Pro.
Thou shalt be as free
As mountain winds : but then exactly do
All points of my command.
Ari.
To the syllable.
Pro. Come, follow: speak not for him. [Exeunt.
SCENE I. – Another Part of the Island. Enter Alonzo, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO, ADRIAN,
FRANCISCO, and others. Gon. 'Beseech you, sir, be merry: you have cause (So have we all) of joy; for our escape Is much beyond our loss : our hint of wo Is common; every day, some sailor's wife, The masters of some merchant, and the merchant, Have just our theme of wo: but for the miracle, I mean our preservation, few in millions
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