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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 measur'd, or confin'd.

Gon. Whether this be, Or be not, I'll not swear,

Pro. 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 :

[Aside.

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.

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, portable
To make the dear loss, have I means much weaker

[9] The unity of time is most rigidly observed in this piece. The fable scarcely takes up a greater number of hours than are employed in the representation; and from the very particular care which our author takes to point out this circumstance in so many other passages, as well as here, it seems as if it were not accidental,but purposely designed to shew the admirers of Ben Jonson's art, and the cavillers of the time, that he too could write a play within all the strictest laws of regularity, when he chose to load himself with the critick's fetters. STEEV.

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 FERDI-
NAND and MIRANDA playing at chess.

Mira. Sweet lord, you play me false.

Fer. No, my dearest love,

I would not for the world.

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

Alon. If this prove

A vision of the island, one dear son

Shall I twice lose.

Seb. A most high miracle!

Fer. Though the seas threaten, they are merciful :

I have curs'd them without cause.

Alon. Now all the blessings [FERD. kneels to ALON. Of a glad father compass thee about!

Arise, and say how thou cam'st here.

Mira. O! wonder!

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How many.goodly creatures are there here!

How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has 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
Receiv'd a second life, and second father
This lady makes him to me.

Alon. I am her's:

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

Pro. There, sir, stop;

Let us not burden our remembrance

With a heaviness that's gone.

Gon. 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!

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;
In a poor isle; and all of us, ourselves,
When no man was his own.

hands:

Prospero his dukedom,

[To FER. and MIR.

Alon. Give me your
Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart,

That doth not wish you joy!

Gon. Be't so! Amen!

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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!

}

Aside.

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 awak'd; straitway, at liberty:
Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld
Our royal, good, and gallant ship; our master
Cap'ring 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.

be free.

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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,
And think of each thing well.Come hither, spirit;
Set Caliban and his companions free :

[Aside.

Untie the spell. [Ex.ARI.] 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, bully-monster, 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

He will chastise me.

Seb. Ha, ha;

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 ?

[1] This was the phraseology of the times. After the statute against witches, revenge or ignorance frequently induced people to charge those against whom they harboured resentment, or entertained prejudices, with the crime of witchcraft, which had just then been declared a capital offence. In our ancient reports are several cases where persons charged in this manner sought redress in the courts of law. And it is remarkable in all of them, to the scandalous imputation of being witches, the term-a strong one, is constantly added. In Michaelmas term, 9 Car. I. the point was settled that no action could be supported on so general a charge, and that the epithet strong did not enforce the other words. In this instance, I believe, the opinion of the people at large was not in unison with the sages of Westminster-Hall. Several of these cases are collected together in I. Viner, 422. REED.

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