PRO. Look, thou be true; do not give dalliance Too much the rein; the strongest oaths are straw To the fire i' the blood: be more abftemious,

Or elfe, good night, your vow!

FER. I warrant you, fir;

The white-cold virgin fnow upon my heart
Abates the ardour of my liver.

PRO. Well.

Now come, my Ariel; bring a corollary,
Rather than want a fpirit; appear, and pertly.-

No tongue;

all eyes; be filent.

A Mafque. Enter IRIS.

[Soft mufick.

IRIS. Ceres, moft bounteous lady, thy rich leas
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and pease;
Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
And flat meads thatch'd with ftover, them to keep;
Thy banks with peonied and lilied brims,

Which fpungy April at thy heft betrims,

[groves,

To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy broom
Whofe fhadow the difmiffed bachelor loves,
Being lafs-lorn; thy pole-clipt vineyard;
And thy fea-marge, fteril, and rocky-hard,
Where thou thyfelf do'ft air: The queen o' the sky,
Whofe watery arch, and messenger, am I,

Bids thee leave these; and with her fovereign grace,
Here on this grass-plot, in this very place,

To come and sport: her peacocks fly amain;
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.

Enter CERES.

CER. Hail, many-colour'd meffenger, that ne'er Doft disobey the wife of Jupiter;

Who, with thy faffron wings, upon my flowers

Diffuseft honey-drops, refreshing showers;

And with each end of thy blue bow doft crown
My bosky acres, and my unfhrubb'd down,

Rich scarf to my proud earth; Why hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither, to this fhort-grafs'd green?
IRIS. A contract of true love to celebrate;
And fome donation freely to estate
On the blefs'd lovers.

CER. Tell me, heavenly bow,

If Venus, or her fon, as thou doft know,
Do now attend the queen? fince they did plot
The means, that dufky Dis my daughter got,
Her and her blind boy's fcandal'd company
I have forfworn.

IRIS. Of her fociety

Be not afraid: I met her deity

Cutting the clouds towards Paphos; and her fon
Dove-drawn with her: here thought they to have done
Some wanton charm upon this man and maid,
Whofe vows are, that no bed-rite shall be paid
Till Hymen's torch be lighted: but in vain;
Mars's hot minion is return'd again;

Her waspish-headed fon has broke his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more, but play with sparrows,
And be a boy right out.

GER. Highest queen of state,

Great Juno comes; I know her by her gait.

Enter JUNO.

JUN. How does my bounteous fifter? Go with me, To bless this twain, that they may profperous be, And honour'd in their issue.

SONG.

JUNO. Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance, and increasing,

Hourly joys be fill upon you!
Juno fings her blessings on you.
CER. Earth's increafe, and foifon plenty;
Barns, and garners never empty;
Vines, with cluft'ring bunches growing;
Plants, with goodly burden boring;
Spring come to you, at the fartheft,
In the very end of harvest!

Scarcity, and want, shall shun you;
Ceres' bleffing fo is on you.

FER. This is a moft majestic vision, and
Harmonious charmingly : May I be bold
To think these spirits?

PRO. Spirits, which by mine art

I have from their confines call'd to enact
My present fancies.

FER. Let me live here ever;

So rare a wonder'd father, and a wife,

Make this place Paradise.

[JUNO and CERES whisper, and fend IRIS on employment.] PRO. Sweet now, filence:

Juno and Ceres whisper seriously;

There's fomething else to do: hush, and be mute,
Or else our spell is marr'd.

IRIS. Younymphs, call'd Naiads, ofthe wand'ring brooks,
With your fedg'd crowns, and ever-harmless looks,
Leave your crisp channels, and on this green land
Answer your fummons; Juno does command :
Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
A contract of true love; be not too late.

Enter certain Nymphs.

You fun-burn'd ficklemen, of Auguft weary,
Come hither from the furrow, and be merry;

Make holy-day: your rye-ftraw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one

In country footing.

Enter certain Reapers, properly habited: they join with the
Nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the end whereof
PROSPERO farts fuddenly, and speaks; after which, to a
Strange, hollow, and confufed noife, they heavily vanish.
PRO. [afide.] I had forgot that foul confpiracy
Of the beaft Caliban, and his confederates,
Against my life; the minute of their plot

[no more.

Is almost come.-[To the fpirits.] Well done ;-avoid ;FER. This is most strange: your father's in fome paffion That works him ftrongly.

MIRA. Never till this day,

Saw I him touch'd with anger fo diftemper'd.
PRO. You do look, my son, in a mov'd fort,
As if you were dismay'd be cheerful, fir:
Our revels now are ended: these our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabrick of this vision,
The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The folemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, fhall diffolve;
And, like this infubftantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind: We are fuch stuff
As dreams are made of, and our little life

Is rounded with a fleep. Sir, I am vex'd;

Bear with my weakness; my old brain is troubled.
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:

If you be pleas'd, retire into my cell,
And there repofe; a turn or two I'll walk,
To ftill my beating mind.

FER. MIRA. We wish your peace.

[Exeunt.

PRO. Come witha thought:-Ithank you:-Ariel,come.
Enter ARIEL.

ARI. Thy thoughts I cleave to: What's thy pleasure?
PRO. Spirit,

We must prepare to meet with Caliban.

9

ARI. Ay, my commander: when I presented Ceres, I thought to have told thee of it; but I fear'd,

Left I might anger thee.

PRO. Say again, where didft thou leave these varlets ? ARI. I told you, fir, they were red-hot with drinking; So full of valour, that they fmote the air

For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
For kiffing of their feet: yet always bending
Towards their project: Then I beat my tabor,
At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd their ears,
Advanc'd their eye-lids, lifted up their nofes,
As they smelt mufick; fo I charm'd their ears,
That, calf-like, they my lowing follow'd, through
Tooth'd briers, fharp furzes, pricking gofs, and thorns,
Which enter'd their frail fhins: at laft I left them
'I' the filthy mantled pool beyond your cell,
There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake
O'er-ftunk their feet.

PRO. This was well done, my bird:

Thy shape invisible retain thou still :

The trumpery in my house, go, bring it hither,
For ftale to catch these thieves.

ARI. I go, I go,

PRO. A devil, a born devil, on whofe nature Nurture can never ftick; on whom my pains, Humanely taken, all, all loft, quite loft;

And as,

with age, his body uglier grows,

[Exit.