Pro. 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
Was dukedom large enough; of temporal royal-
ties

He thinks me now incapable: confederates
(So dry he was for sway) with the king of Naples,
To give him annual tribute, do him homage;
Subject his coronet to his crown, and bend
The dukedom, yet unbow'd, (alas, poor Milan !)
To most ignoble stooping.

Mira.

O the heavens !

Pro. Mark his condition, and the event; then

tell me,

If this might be a brother.

I should sin

Mira.
To think but nobly of my grandmother :
Good wombs have borne bad sons.

Pro.

Now the condition. This king of Naples, being an enemy

To me inveterate, hearkens my brother's suit;
Which was, that he, in lieu o' the premises-
Of homage, and I know not how much tribute,—
Should presently extirpate me and mine
Out of the dukedom; and confer fair Milan,
With all the honours, on my brother: whereon,
A treacherous army levied, one midnight
Fated to the purpose, did Antonio open
The gates of Milan; and, i' the dead of darkness,
The ministers for the purpose hurried thence
Me, and thy crying self.

Mira.

Alack, for pity!

I, not remembering how I cried out then,
Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint

That wrings mine eyes to't.

Pro.

Hear a little further,

And then I'll bring thee to the present business Which now's upon us; without the which, this

durst not,

So dear the love my people bore me,-nor set
A mark so bloody on the business; but
With colours fairer painted their foul ends.
In few, they hurried us aboard a bark;
Bore us some leagues to sea; where they prepared
A rotten carcase of a boat, not rigg'd,

Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats
Instinctively have quit it; there they hoist us,
To cry to the sea that roar'd to us; to sigh
To the winds, whose pity, sighing back again,
Did us but loving wrong.

Mira.

Was I then to you!

Pro.

Alack! what trouble

O! a cherubim

Thou wast that did preserve me! Thou didst

smile,

Infused with a fortitude from heaven,

When I have deck'd the sea with drops full salt; Under my burden groan'd; which raised in me An undergoing stomach, to bear up

Against what should ensue.

Mira.

How came we ashore?

Pro. By Providence divine

Some food we had, and some fresh water, that

A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,

Out of his charity-being then appointed

Master of this design-did give us; with
Rich garments, linens, stuffs, and necessaries,
Which since have steaded much; so, of his
gentleness,

Knowing I loved my books, he furnish'd me,
From mine own library, with volumes that
I prize above my dukedom.

Mira.

But ever see that man!

Pro.

'Would I might

Now I arise :- [Resumes his mantle. Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow. Here in this island we arrived; and here Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit Than other princess' can, that have more time For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful. Mira. Heavens thank you for 't! And now, I pray you, sir,

(For still 'tis beating in my mind,) your reason For raising this sea-storm?

Pro.

Know thus far forth.
By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune,-
Now my dear lady-hath mine enemies
Brought to this shore; and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon

A most auspicious star; whose influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop.-Here cease more ques-
tions;

Thou art inclined to sleep; 'tis a good dulness,
And give it way;-I know thou canst not
choose.-
[MIRANDA sleeps.
Come away, servant, come! I am ready now;
Approach, my Ariel; come!

Enter ARIEL

Ari. All hail, great master! grave sir, hail

I come

To answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly,
To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride

On the curl'd clouds; to thy strong bidding task
Ariel, and all his quality.
Hast thou, spirit,

Pro.

Perform'd to point the tempest that I bade thee?
Ari. To every article.

I boarded the king's ship: now on the beak,
Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin
I flamed amazement: sometime I'd divide
And burn in many places; on the topmast,
The yards, and bowsprit, would I flame dis-
tinctly,

Then meet and join. Jove's lightnings, the precursors

O' the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary And sight-outrunning were not the fire, and cracks

Of sulphurous roaring, the most mighty Neptune Seem to besiege, and make his bold waves tremble,

Yea, his dread trident shake.

Pro. My brave spirit! Who was so firm, so constant, that this coil

Would not infect his reason?

Ari.

Not a soul But felt a fever of the mad, and play'd Some tricks of desperation. All, but mariners, Plunged in the foaming brine, and quit the

vessel,

Then all a-fire with me: the king's son, Ferdinand,

With hair up-staring, -then like reeds, not

hair,

Was the first man that leap'd; cried, Hell is empty, And all the devils are here.

Pro.

Why, that's my spirit!

Close by, my master.

But was not this nigh shore?

Ari.

Pro. But are they, Ariel, safe?

Ari. Not a hair perish'd; On their sustaining garments not a blemish, But fresher than before: and, as thou bad'st me, In troops I have dispersed them 'bout the isle. The king's son have I landed by himself; Whom I left cooling of the air with sighs, In an odd angle of the isle, and sitting, His arms in this sad knot.

Pro.

Of the king's ship,

The mariners, say, how thou hast disposed,
And all the rest o' the fleet.

Ari.
Safely in harbour
Is the king's ship; in the deep nook, where once
Thou call'dst me up at midnight, to fetch dew
From the still-vex'd Bermoothes, there she's
hid:

The mariners all under hatches stow'd;

Whom, with a charm join'd to their suffer'd labour,

:

I have left asleep and for the rest o' the fleet,
Which I dispersed, they all have met again,
And are upon the Mediterranean flote,
Bound sadly home for Naples ;

Supposing that they saw the king's ship wreck'd,
And his great person perish.

Pro.

Ariel, thy charge

Exactly is perform'd; but there's more work : What is the time o' the day?

Ari.

Past the mid season.

Pro. At least two glasses. The time 'twixt

six and now

Must by us both be spent most preciously.