ALONSO, King of Naples.
SEBASTIAN, his brother.

PROSPERO, the rightful Duke of
Milan.

ANTONIO, his brother, the usurp
ing Duke of Milan.
FERDINAND, son to the King of
Naples.

sellor of Naples.

ADRIAN, a lord.

ACT I.

rouble us not.

Gon. Good; yet remember whom thou hast aboard. Boats. None that I more love than myself. You are a counsellor; if you can command these elezents to silence, and work the peace of the present, we will not hand a rope more; use your authority. If you cannot, give thanks you have lived so long, and make yourself ready in your cabin for the mis: chance of the hour, if it so hap.-Cheerly, good bearts.-Out of our way, I say. [Exit. Gon. I have great comfort from this fellow me#inks he hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is perfect gallows. Stand fast, good fate, to his hanging! make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage! If he be not born to be hanged our case is miserable. [Exeunt.

Re-enter Boatswain.

JUNO, Nymphs, Reapers,

spirits.

Other spirits attending on Pros pero.

SCENE. The sea, with a ship; afterwards an Island.

[them,

Boats. What, must our mouths be cold?
Gon. The king and prince at prayers! let us assist
For our case is as theirs.

Seb. I am out of patience.

Ant. We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards.

The washing of ten tides!"
This wide-chopp'd rascal;-'Would, thou mightst
[lie drowning,
Gon.
He'll be hang'd yet;
Though every drop of water swear against it,
And gape at wid'st to glut him.

[A confused noise within.Mercy on us! We split,
we split !-Farewell, my wife and children! Fare-
well, brother! We split, we split, we split !-
Ant. Let's all sink with the king.
[Exit.
Seb. Let's take leave of him.
[Exit.
Gon. Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea
furze, anything: The wills above be done! but I
for an acre of barren ground; long heath, brown
would fain die a dry death.

[Exit.

SCENE II.-The Island: before the Cell of Prospero. Enter Prospero and Miranda.

Mira. If by your art, my dearest father, you have Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them: But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek, The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch, With those that I saw suffer! a brave vessel, Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffer'd Who had no doubt some noble creature in her, Dash'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock Against my very heart! Poor souls! they perish'd. Had I been any god of power, I would Have sunk the sea within the earth, or e'er It should the good ship so have swallow'd, and The fraughting souls within her. No more amazement: tell your piteous heart, Be collected; There's no harm done. Mira. O, woe the day!

Pro.

Pro.

No harm.

I have done nothing but in care of thee,
(Of thee, my dear one! thee, my daughter!) who
Art ignorant of what thou art, nought knowing
Of whence I am; nor that I am inore better
Than Prospero, master of a full poor cell,
And thy no greater father. Mira. More to know
Did never meddle with my thoughts.
'Tis time

Pro.

I should inform thee farther. Lend thy hand,

And pluck my magic garment from me.-So; [Lays down his mantle. Lie there my art.-Wipe thou thine eyes; have

I

comfort.

The direful spectacle of the wrack, which touch'd
have with such provision in mine art
The very virtue of compassion in thee,
So safely order'd, that there is no soul-
No, not so much perdition as an hair,
Betid to any creature in the vessel

[Sit down; For thou must now know farther. Which thou heard'st cry, which thou saw'st sink.

Mira.

You have often

Begun to tell me what I am; but stopp'd, And left me to.a bootless inquisition; Concluding, 'Stay, not yet.'

B

Pro.
The hour's now come
The very minute bids thee ope thine ear;
Obey, and be attentive. Canst thou remember
A time before we came unto this cell?

I do not think thou canst; for then thou wast not
Out three years old.
Mira.
Certainly, sir, I can.
Pro. By what? by any other house, or person?
Of anything the image tell me that
Hath kept with thy remembrance.
Mira.

'T is far off;
And rather like a dream than an assurance
That my remembrance warrants: Had I not
Four or five women once that tended ine? [is it
Pro. Thou hadst, and more, Miranda: But how
That this lives in thy mind? What see'st thou else
In the dark backward and abysm of time?

If thou remember'st aught ere thou cam'st here,
How thou cam'st here thou may'st.
Mira.
But that I do not.
Pro. Twelve year since, Miranda, twelve year
Thy father was the duke of Milan, and [since,
A prince of power.
Mira.

Sir, are not you my father?
Pro. Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and
She said thou wast my daughter; and thy father
Was duke of Milan; and his only heir

O, the heavens!

And princess no worse issued.
Mira.
What foul play had we, that we came from thence?
Or blessed was 't we did?
Pro.

Both, both, my girl;

By foul play, as thou say'st, were we heav'd thence; But blessedly holp hither.

Mira.

O, my heart bleeds To think o' the teen that I have turn'd you to, Which is from my remembrance!

farther.

Please you,

Pro. My brother, and thy uncle, call'd Antonio,-
I pray thee mark me that a brother should
Be so perfidious;-he whom, next thyself,
Of all the world I lov'd, and to him put
The manage of my state, as, at that time,
Through all the signiories it was the first
And Prospero the prime duke, being so reputed
In dignity; and for the liberal arts
Without a parallel: those being all my study
The government I cast upon my brother,
And to my state grew stranger, being transported,
And rapt in secret studies. Thy false uncle-
Dost thou attend me?

Mira.

Sir, most heedfully.

Pro. Being once perfected how to grant suits, How to deny them; whom to advance, and whom To trash for overtopping; new created [them, The creatures that were mine, I say, or chang'd Or else new form'd them; having both the key Of officer and office, set all hearts i' th' state To what tune pleas'd his ear; that now he was The ivy which had hid my princely trunk, [not. And suck'd my verdure out on 't.-Thou attend'st Mira. O good sir, I do.

Pro.

I pray thee, mark me.
I thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated
To closeness, and the bettering of my mind
With that, which, but by being so retired,
O'er-priz'd all popular rate, in my false brother
Awak'd an evil nature: and my trust,
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falsehood, in its contrary as great
As my trust was; which had, indeed, no limit,
A confidence sans bound. He being thus lorded,
Not only with what my revenue yielded,
But what my power might else exact,-like one
Who having unto truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory,
To credit his own lie,-he did believe

He was indeed the duke; out of the substitution,
And executing the outward face of royalty,
With all prerogative:-Hence his ambition
Growing,-Dost thou hear?
Mira.

Your tale, sir, would cure deafness. Pro. To have no screen between this part he play'd, And him he play'd it for, he needs will be Absolute Milan: Me poor man! my library

Mira.
O the heavens !
Pro. Mark his condition, and the event; then tell me,
If this might be a brother. Mira. I should sin
To think but nobly of my grandmother:
Good wombs have borne bad sons.

Pro.

Now the condition. This king of Naples, being an enemy To me inveterate, hearkens my brother's suit; Which was, that he, in lieu o' the premises Of homage, and I know not how much tribute, Should presently extirpate me and mine Out of the dukedom; and confer fair Milan, With all the honours, on my brother: Whercon A treacherous army levied, one midnight Fated to the purpose, did Antonio open The gates of Milan; and, i' the dead of darkness, The ministers for the purpose hurried thence Me, and thy crying self. Mira. Alack, for pity! I, not rememb'ring how I cried out then, Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint, That wrings mine eyes to 't.

Pro.

Hear a little farther, And then I'll bring thee to the present business Which now's upon us; without the which, this story Were most impertinent. Mira.

That hour destroy us? Pro.

Wherefore did they not

Well demanded, wench; My tale provokes that question. Dear, they durst not; (So dear the love my people bore me) nor set A mark so bloody on the business; but With colours fairer painted their foul ends. In few, they hurried us aboard a bark; Bore us some leagues to sea; where they prepar'd A rotten carcase of a butt, not rigg'd, Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats Instinctively have quit it: there they hoist us, To cry to the sea that roar'd to us; to sigh To the winds, whose pity, sighing back again, Did us but loving wrong.

How came we ashore?

Pro. By Providence divine,
Some food we had, and some fresh water, that
A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,

Out of his charity (who being then appointed
Master of this design) did give us; with
Rich garments, linens, stuffs, and necessaries,
Which since have steaded much; so, of his gentle-
Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me, [ness,
From mine own library, with volumes that
I prize above my dukedom.
Mira.

'Would I might Pro. Now I arise:

But ever see that man!
Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow,
Here in this island we arriv'd; and here
Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit
Than other princes can, that have more time
For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful. [you, sir,
Mira. Heavens thank you for 't! And now, I pray
(For still 't is beating in my mind,) your reason
For raising this sea-storm?
Pro.
Know thus far forth.
By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune,
Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies
Brought to this shore: and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon

A most auspicious star; whose influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop.-Ilere cease more questions;
Thou art inclin'd to sleep; 't is a good dulness,