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.

Pro.

Hast thou, spirit,

Perform'd to point1 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 flam'd amazement: sometimes, I'd divide,
And burn in many places; on the top-mast,
The yards, and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly;
Then meet, and join: Jove's lightnings, the pre-

cursors

O' the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary And sight-outrunning were not: the fire, and cracks Of sulphurous roaring, the most mighty Neptune Seem'd 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 coil2
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,
Plung'd in the foaming brine, and quit the vessel,
Then all a-fire with me: the king's son, Ferdinand,
With hair upstaring (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!

But was not this nigh shore?
Ari.

Close by, my master.

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 dispers'd them 'bout the isle :

(1) The minutest article. (2) Bustle, tumult.

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 dispos'd, 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 stowed; Whom, with a charm join'd to their suffer'd la

bour,

I have left asleep: and for the rest o' the fleet,
Which I dispers'd, they all have met again;
And are upon the Mediterranean flote2,

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.

Ari. Is there more toil? Since thou dost give

me pains,

Let me remember thee what thou hast promis'd,

Which is not yet perform'd me.

Pro.

What is't thou canst demand?
Ari.

How now? moody?

My liberty.

Pro. Before the time be out? no more.
Ari.

I pray thee

Remember, I have done thee worthy service;
Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, serv'd

(1) Bermudas>

(2) Wave.

Pro.

Shake it off: come on;.

We'll visit Caliban, my slave, who never

Yields us kind answer.

Mira.

I do not love to look on.
Pro.

'Tis a villain, sir,

But, as 'tis,

We cannot miss1 him: he does make our fire,
Fetch in our wood; and serves in offices

That profit us. What, ho! slave! Caliban!

Thou earth, thou! speak.

Cal. [Within.] There's wood enough within.

Pro. Come forth, I say; there's other business

for thee;

Come forth, thou tortoise! when?

Re-enter Ariel, like a water-nymph.

Fine apparition! My quaint Ariel,

Hark in thine ear.

Ari.

My lord, it shall be done. [Exit.

Pro. Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil

himself

Upon thy wicked dam, come forth!

Enter Caliban.

Cal. As wicked dew as e'er my mother brush'd

With raven's feather from unwholesome fen,
Drop on you both! a south-west blow on ye,
And blister you all o'er!

Pro. For this, be sure, to-night thou shalt have

cramps,

Side-stitches, that shall pen thy breath up; urchins2
Shall, for that vast of night that they may work,
All exercise on thee: thou shalt be pinch'd
As thick as honey-combs, each pinch more stinging

Than bees that made them.

Cal.

I must eat my dinner.

This island's mine, by Sycorax, my mother,

(1) Do without.

(2) Fairies.

Which thou tak'st from me. When thou camest first, Thou strok'dst me, and mad'st much of me;

would'st 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 lov'd thee,
And show'd 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.

Thou most lying slave,

Whom stripes may move, not kindness; I have

us'd thee,

Filth as thou art, with human care; and lodg'd thee In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate The honour 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,

1

Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each

hour

One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage, Know thine own meaning, but would'st gabble like A thing most brutish, I endow'd 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 confin'd into this rock,
Who hadst deserv'd more than a prison.

Cal. You taught me language; and my profit on't Is, I know how to curse: the red plague rid1 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,
It would control my dam's god, Setebos,
And make a vassal of him.

Pro.

[Aside.

So, slave; hence!

[Exit Caliban.

Re-enter Ariel, invisible, playing and singing; Ferdinand following him.

ARIEL'S SONG.

Come unto these yellow sands,
And then take hands:

Court' sied when you have, and kiss'd,

(The wild waves whist2) 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

Cry, Cock-a-doodle-doo.

[dispersedly.

[dispersedly.

The strain of strutting chanticlere,

Fer. Where should this music be? i' the air, or the earth?

(1) Destroy.

(2) Still, silent.