Dramatis Perfonæ. ALONSO, King of Naples. Sebaftian, his Brother. Profpero, the rightful Duke of Milan. Anthonio, his Brother, the ufurping Duke of Milan, Ferdinand, Son to the King of Naples. Gonzalo, an honeft old Counsellor of Naples. Adrian, } Lords. Francisco, Caliban, a Salvage, and deformed Slave. Trinculo, a fefter. Stephano, a drunken Butler. Mafter of a Ship, Boatswain, and Mariners. Miranda, Daughter to Profpero. Ariel, an aiery Spirit. 1 THE TEMPEST. ACT I. SCENE I. On a Ship at Sea. A tempeftuous noife of thunder and lightning beard: Enter a Ship-mafter, and a Boatswain. B Oatfwain. MASTER. Boats. Here, Mafter: what cheer? Maft. Good, fpeak to th' mariners: fall to't yarely, or we run our felves a-ground; beftir, beftir. Enter Mariners. [Exit. Boats. Hey, my hearts; cheerly, my hearts; yare, yare; take in the top-fail; tend to th' mafter's whistle; blow, 'till thou burft thy wind, if room enough. Enter The Tempeft] Thefe two firft Plays, the Tempeft and the Midfummer-night's Dream, are the nobleft Efforts of that fublime and amazing Imagination, peculiar to Shakespear, which foars above the Bounds of Nature without forfaking Senfe: or, more properly, carries Nature, along with him beyond her established Limits. Fletcher feems particularly to have admired these two B 2 Plays, Enter Alonfo, Sebaftian, Anthonio, Ferdinand, Alon. Good Boatswain, have care: where's the mafter? play the men. Boats. I pray now, keep below. Ant. Where is the mafter, boatswain? Boats. Do you not hear him? you mar our labour; keep your cabins; you do affift the storm. Gonz. Nay, good, be patient. Boatf. When the fea is. Hence-what care these Roarers for the name of King? to cabin; filence; trouble us not. Gonz, Good, yet remember whom thou haft aboard. Boatf. None, that I more love than my felf. You are a counsellor; if you can command these elements to filence, and work the peace o'the prefent, we will not hand a rope more; ufe your authority. If you cannot, give thanks you have liv'd fo long, and make your felf ready in your cabin for the mifchance of the hour, if it fo hap. Cheerly, good hearts: out of our way, I fay. [Exit. Gonz. I have great comfort from this fellow; methinks, he hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is perfect gallows. Stand faft, good fate, to his hanging; make the rope of his deftiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage: if he be not born to be hang'd, our cafe is miferable. [Exeunt. Plays, and hath wrote two in Imitation of them, the Sea-voyage and the Faithful Shepherdefs. But when he prefumes to break a Lance with Shakespear, and write in emulation of him, as he does in the False one, which is the Rival of Anthony and Cleopatra, he is not fo fuccefsful. After him, Sir John Suckling and Milton catched the brightest Fire of their Imagination from these two Plays; which fhines fantaftically indeed, in the Goblins, but much more nobly and ferenely in The Mask at Ludlow-Cafile. Re-enter Re-enter Boatswain. Boats. Down with the top-mast: yare, lower, lower; bring her to try with main-courfe. A plague upon this howling! A cry within. Re-enter Sebaftian, Anthonio, and Gonzalo. they are louder than the weather, or our office. Yet again? what do you here? fhall we give o'er, and drown? have you a mind to fink? Seb. A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blafphemous, uncharitable dog, Boats. Work you then. Ant. Hang, cur, hang; you whoreson, infolent, noifemaker; we are lefs afraid to be drown'd than thou art. Gonz. I'll warrant him from drowning, tho' the ship were no ftronger than a nut-fhell, and as leaky as an unftanch'd wench. Boatf. Lay her a-hold, a-hold; fet her two courfes off to fea again, lay her off. Enter Mariners wet. Mar. All loft! to prayers! to prayers! all loft! [Exe. Boats. What, muft our mouths be cold? Gonz. The King and Prince at pray'rs! let us affift 'em. For our cafe is as theirs. Seb. I'm out of patience. [kards. Ant. We're meerly cheated of our lives by drunThis wide-chopt rafcal-'Would, thou might'ft lye drowning, The washing of ten tides ! Gonz. He'll be hang'd yet, Though every drop of water fwear against it, And gape at wid'it to glut him. |