Mira.

Miranda : -0 my father!

I have broke your hest 3 to say so.

Fer.

Admir'd Miranda !

Indeed the top of admiration; worth
What's dearest to the world! Full many a lady
I have ey'd with best regard; and many a time
The harmony of their tongues hath into bondage
Brought my too diligent ear: for several virtues
Have I lik'd several women; never any

With so full soul, but some defect in her
Did quarrel with the noblest grace she ow'd,*
And put it to the foil: But you, O you!
So perfect, and so peerless, are created
Of every creature's best."

I do not know

Mira.
One of my sex; no woman's face remember,
Save, from my glass, mine own; nor have I seen
More that I may call men, than you, good friend,
And my dear father: how features are abroad,
I am skill-less of; but, by my modesty,
(The jewel in my dower,) I would not wish
Any companion in the world but you;
Nor can imagination form a shape,

Besides yourself, to like of: But I prattle
Something too wildly, and my father's precepts
I therein do forget.

Fer.

I am, in my condition,

A prince, Miranda; I do think, a king;
(I would, not so!) and would no more endure
This wooden slavery, than to suffer

3 Behest.

4 Owned.

5 In the first book of Sidney's Arcadia, a lover says of his mistress "She is herself of best things the collection." In the third book there is a fable which may have been in Shakespeare's mind.

The flesh-fly blow my mouth.

speak : —

The very instant that I saw you, did

Hear my soul

My heart fly to your service; there resides,
To make me slave to it; and, for your sake,
Am I this patient log-man.

Mira.

Do you love me?

Fer. O heaven! O earth! bear witness to this

sound,

And crown what I profess with kind event,

If I speak true; if hollowly, invert

What best is boded me to mischief! I,

Beyond all limit of what else i' the world,

Do love, prize, honour you. ́

Mira.

To weep at what I am glad of.

Pro.

I am a fool,

Fair encounter

Of two most rare affections! Heavens rain grace On that which breeds between them!

Wherefore weep you

?

Fer. Mira. At mine unworthiness, that dare not offer What I desire to give; and much less take What I shall die to want: But this is trifling;

And all the more it seeks to hide itself,

The bigger bulk it shows. Hence, bashful cunning!
And prompt me, plain and holy innocence!

I am your wife, if you will marry me;
If not, I'll die your maid to be your fellow
You may deny me; but I'll be your servant,
Whether you will or no.

Fer.

And I thus humble ever.

Mira.

My mistress, dearest,

My husband then?

• What else, for whatsoever else.
7 i. e. your companion.

Fer. Ay, with a heart as willing

As bondage e'er of freedom: here's my hand. Mira. And mine, with my heart in't: And now farewell,

Till half an hour hence.

Fer.

A thousand, thousand!
[Exeunt FER. and MIR.

Pro. So glad of this as they, I cannot be,
Who are surpris'd with all; but my rejoicing
At nothing can be more. I'll to my book;
For yet, ere supper time, must I perform
Much business appertaining.

SCENE II. Another part of the Island.

[Exit.

Enter STEPHANO and TRINCULO; CALIBAN following with a bottle.

Ste. Tell not me: - when the butt is out, we will drink water; not a drop before: therefore bear up, and board 'em: Servant-monster, drink to me.

Trin. Servant-monster? the folly of this island! They say, there's but five upon this isle: we are three of them; if the other two be brain'd like us, the state totters.

Ste. Drink, servant-monster, when I bid thee: thy eyes are almost set in thy head.

Trin. Where should they be set else? he were a brave monster indeed, if they were set in his tail. Ste. My man-monster hath drown'd his tongue in sack for my part, the sea cannot drown me: I swam, ere I could recover the shore, five-and-thirty leagues, off and on, by this light. Thou shalt be my lieutenant, monster, or my standard.'

8 i. e. a thousand, thousand times farewell.

1 i. e. ensign.

Trin. Your lieutenant, if you list; he's no standard. Ste. We'll not run, monsieur monster.

Trin. Nor go neither: but you'll lie like dogs, and yet say nothing neither.

Ste. Moon-calf, speak once in thy life, if thou beest a good moon-calf.

Cal. How does thy honour? Let me lick thy shoe: I'll not serve him, he is not valiant.

Trin. Thou liest, most ignorant monster: I am in case to justle a constable: Why, thou debosh'd' fish thou, was there ever man a coward, that hath drunk so much sack as I to-day? Wilt thou tell a monstrous lie, being but half a fish, and half a monster?

Cal. Lo, how he mocks me! wilt thou let him, my lord?

Trin. Lord, quoth he!. that a monster should be such a natural!

Cal. Lo, lo, again! bite him to death, I pr'ythee. Ste. Trinculo, keep a good tongue in your head: if you prove a mutineer, the next tree The poor monster's my subject, and he shall not suffer indignity.

Cal. I thank my noble lord. Wilt thou be pleas'd to hearken once again to the suit I made thee? Ste. Marry will I kneel, and repeat it: I will stand, and so shall Trinculo.

Enter ARIEL, invisible.

Cal. As I told thee before, I am subject to a tyrant; a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of the island.

2 Deboshed is the old orthography of debauched; following the sound of the French original. In altering the spelling we have departed from the proper pronunciation of the word.

Ari. Thou liest.

Cal. Thou liest, thou jesting monkey, thou! I would, my valiant master would destroy thee: I do not lie.

Ste. Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in his tale, by this hand, I will supplant some of your teeth.

Trin. Why, I said nothing.

Ste. Mum then, and no more.

ceed.

[TO CAL.] Pro

If thy greatness will

Cal. I say, by sorcery he got this isle;
From me he got it:
Revenge it on him,

But this thing dare not,
Ste.

for, I know, thou dar'st;

That's most certain.

Cal. -thou shalt be lord of it, and I'll serve thee. Ste. How now shall this be compass'd? Canst thou bring me to the party?

Cal. Yea, yea, my lord: I'll yield him thee

asleep,

Where thou mayst knock a nail into his head.
Ari. Thou liest; thou canst not.
Cal. What a pied ninny's this! 3

patch!

Thou scurvy

I do beseech thy greatness, give him blows,
And take his bottle from him when that's gone,
He shall drink nought but brine; for I'll not show him
Where the quick freshes are.

4

Ste. Trinculo, run into no further danger: interrupt the monster one word further, and, by this hand, I'll turn my mercy out of doors, and make a stockfish of thee.

3 He calls him a pied ninny, alluding to Trinculo's motley dress he was a licensed fool or jester.

4 Quick freshes are living springs.