Gon. All torment, trouble, wonder, and amazement
Inhabits here. Some heavenly power guide us
Out of this fearful country!

Pro.

Behold, sir king,
The wrongèd 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.

Whe'r thou beest 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.-But how should Prospero Be living and be here?

Pro.

First, noble friend,

Let me embrace thine age, whose honour cannot

Be measured or confined.

Gon.

Or be not, I'll not swear.

Pro.

Whether this be

You do yet taste

Some subtilties o' the isle, that will not let you
Believe things certain.-Welcome, my friends, all:-
But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded,

[Aside 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, 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 beest 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.

Pro.

I am woe for't, sir.

[A side.

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

Pro.

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?

Pro. 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?
Pro. 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
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.

The entrance of the Cell opens, and discovers FERDINAND and MIRANDA playing at chess.

Mira. Sweet lord, you play me false.

Fer.

I would not for the world.

No, my dearest love,

Mira. Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle, And I would call it fair play.

Alon.

A vision of the island, one dear son
Shall I twice lose.

Seb.

If this prove

A most high miracle!

Fer. Though the seas threaten, they are merciful:

I have cursed them without cause. [FERD. kneels to ALON.
Alon.
Now all the blessings

Of a glad father compass thee about!

Arise, and say how thou cam'st here.

Mira.

O, wonder!

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

Pro.

'Tis new to thee.

Alon. 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?

Fer.
Sir, she's 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: she
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.

Alon.

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

Pro.

There, sir, stop;

I have inly wept,

Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you gods,
And on this couple drop a blessed crown;

For it is you that have chalk'd forth the way

Which brought us hither!

I s

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

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

When no man was his own.

Alon.

Give me your hands:

[To FERD. and MIR.

1

Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart
That doth not wish you joy!

Gon.

Be't so! Amen!

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

O look, sir, look, sir; here are 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
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.

Sir, all this service

Have I done since I went.

Pro.

My tricksy spirit!

A side.

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

I'd 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, gingling chains,
And more diversity of sounds, all horrible,
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.

Was't well done?
Pro. Bravely, my diligence. Thou shalt be free.
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.

Pro.

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,

A side.

And think of each thing well.-Come hither, spirit; [Aside.

Set Caliban and his companions free:

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, bullymonster, coragio!

Trin. If these be true spies which I wear in my head, here's a goodly sight.

Cal. O Setebos, these be brave spirits indeed! How fine my master is! I am afraid

What things are these, my lord Antonio?
Will money buy them?

Ant. Very like; one of them

Is a plain fish, and, no doubt, marketable.

Pro. Mark but the badges of these men, my lords,
Then say if they be true.-This mis-shapen knave,
His mother was a witch; and one so strong
That could control the moon, make flows and ebbs,
And deal in her command, without her power:
These three have robb'd me: and this demi-devil,-
For he's a bastard one,-had plotted with them
To take my life: two of these fellows you
Must know and own; this thing of darkness I
Acknowledge mine.

Cal.

I shall be pinch'd to death. Alon. Is not this Stephano, my drunken butler? Seb. He is drunk now: where had he wine?

Alon. And Trinculo is reeling ripe: where should they Find this grand liquor that hath gilded them?—

How cam'st thou in this pickle?

Trin. I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last that, I fear me, will never out of my bones: I shall not fear fly-blowing.

Seb. Why, how now, Stephano?

Ste. O, touch me not; I am not Stephano, but a cramp.

Pro. You'd be king of the isle, sirrah?

Ste. I should have been a sore one then.

Alon. This is as strange a thing as e'er I look'd on.

[Pointing to CALIBAN.

Pro. He is as disproportioned in his manners