SC. II.]

TEMPEST.

49

Ste. Marry will 1: 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 this island.

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.-[To CALIBAN.] Proceed.

Cal.. I say, by sorcery he got this isle: From me he got it. If thy greatness will Revenge it on him—for, I know, thou darʼst; But this thing dare not―

Ste. That's most certain.

Cal. Thou shalt be lord of it, and I'll serve thee. Ste. How, now, shall this be compassed?

thou bring me to the party?

Canst

Cal. Yea, yea, my lord; I'll yield him thee asleep, Where thou may'st knock a nail into his head.

Ari. Thou liest, thou canst not.

Cal. What a pied' ninny's this?

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 1.im
Where the quick freshes are.

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 stock-fish of thee.

1 Alluding to Trinculo's party-colored dress: he was a licensed fool or jester. 2 Living springs.

50

TEMPEST.

[ACT III

Trin. Why, what did I? I did nothing; I'll go further off.

Ste. Didst thou not say, he lied?

Ari. Thou liest.

Ste. Do I so? take thou that.

[Strikes him.]

As you like this, give me the lie another time.
Trin. I did not give the lie:-Out o' your wits,
and hearing too?-A pox o' your bottle! this can
sack, and drinking do.-A murrain on your monster,
and the devil take your fingers!

Cal. Ha, ha, ha!

Ste. Now, forward with your tale. Pr'ythee stand further off.

Cal. Beat him enough: after a little time, I'll beat him too.

Ste.

Stand further.-Come proceed.

Cal. Why, as I told thee, 'tis a custom with him

I' the afternoon to sleep: there thou may'st brain him
Having first seized his books; or with a log
Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,
Or cut his wezand with thy knife. Remember,
First, to possess his books; for without them
He's but sot, as I am, nor hath not

One spirit to command: They all do hate him
As rootedly as I: Burn but his books;

He has brave utensils, (for so he calls them,)
Which, when he has a house, he'll deck withal.
And that most deeply to consider, is

The beauty of his daughter; he himself
Calls her a nonpareil: I never saw a woman,
But only Sycorax my dam, and she;

But she as far surpasseth Sycorax,

As great'st does least.

Ste.

Is it so brave a lass?

Cal. Ay, lord; she will be come thy bed, I war

rant,

And bring thee forth brave brood.

Ste. Monster, I will kill this man: his daughter

1 Wezand, i. e. throat or windpipe.

and I will be king and queen: (save our graces!) and Trinculo and thyself shall be viceroys:-Dost thou like the plot, Trinculo?

Trin. Excellent.

Ste. Give me thy hand; I am sorry I beat thee: but, while thou livest, keep a good tongue in thy head. Cal. Within this half hour will he be asleep; Wilt thou destroy him then?

Ste.

Ay, on mine honor. Ari. This will I tell my master.

Cal. Thou mak'st me merry: I am full of pleasure, Let us be jocund: Will you troll the catch

You taught me but while-ere?

Ste. At thy request, monster, I will do reason, any reason: Come on, Trinculo, let us sing.

[Sings.

Flout 'em, and skout 'em; and skout 'em, and

flout 'em :

Thought is free.

Cal. That's not the tune.

[ARIEL plays the tune on a tabor and pipe.

Ste. What is this same?

Trin. This is the tune of our catch, played by the picture of No-body.'

Ste. If thou beest a man, show thyself in thy likeness if thou beest a devil, take't as thou list.

Trin. O, forgive me my sins!

Ste. He that dies, pays all debts: I defy thee :Mercy upon us!

Cal. Art thou afeard? 2

Ste. No, monster, not I.

Gal. Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,

Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices,

1 The picture of No-body was a common sign. There is also a wood cut prefixed to an old play of No-body and Some-body, which representa this notable person.

2 To affray or make afraid.

That, if I then had waked after long sleep,

Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming, The clouds, methought, would open, and show riches Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked,

I cried to dream again.

Ste. This will prove a brave kingdom to me, where I shall have my music for nothing.

Cal. When Prospero is destroyed.

Ste. That shall be by and by: I remember the

story.

Trin. The sound is going away: let's follow it, and, after, do our work.

Ste. Lead, monster; we'll follow.-I would, I could see this taborer: he lays it on.

Trin. Wilt come? I'll follow, Stephano. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Another Part of the Island.

Enter ALONZO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO, ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and others.

2

Gon. By'r lakin, I can go no further, sir; My old bones ache; here's a maze trod, indeed, Through forth-rights, and meanders! by your patience, I needs must rest me.

Alon.

Old lord, I cannot blame thee,

Who am myself attached with weariness,
To the dulling of my spirits: sit down, and rest.
Even here I will put off my hope, and keep it
No longer for my flatterer: he is drowned,

1 "You shall heare in the ayre the sound of tabors and other instruments, to put the trauellers in feare, &c. by evill spirites that make these soundes, and also do call diuerse of the trauellers by their names, &c."-Trauels of Marcus Paulus, by John Frampton, 4to. 1579. To some of these circumstances Milton also alludes:

66

—calling shapes, and beckoning shadows dire;
And aery tongues that syllable men's names

On sands, and shores, and desert wildernesses."

3 Byr lakin is a contraction of By our ladykin, the diminutive of our lady.

Whom thus we stray to find; and the sea mocks
Our frustrate search on land: Well, let him go.
Ant. I am right glad that he's so out of hope.

[Aside to SEBASTIAN.

Do not, for one repulse, forego the purpose
That you resolved to effect.

Seb.

Will we take thoroughly.

Ant.

The next advantage

Let it be to-night:

For, now they are oppressed with travel, they
Will not, nor cannot, use such vigilance,

As when they are fresh.

Seb.

I say, to-night: no more.

Solemn and strange music; and PROSPERO above, in- · visible. Enter several strange Shapes, bringing in a banquet; they dance about it with gentle actions of salutation; and inviting the king, &c. to eat, they depart.

Alon. What harmony is this? my good friends,

hark!

Gon. Marvellous sweet music!

Alon. Give us kind keepers, heavens! What were these?

Seb. A living drollery: Now I will believe

That there are unicorns; that, in Arabia

2

There is one tree, the phoenix' throne; one phoenix
At this hour reigning there.

Ant.
I'll believe both;
And what does else want credit, come to me,
And I'll be sworn 'tis true: Travellers ne'er did lie,
Though fools at home condemn them.

1 Shows, called Drolleries, were in Shakspeare's time performed by puppets only. From these our modern drolls, exhibited at fairs, &c., took their name. "A living drollery" is therefore a drollery not by wooden but by living personages.

21 myself have heard straunge things of this kind of tree; namely in regard of the bird Phoenix, which is supposed to have taken that name of this date-tree (called in Greek pov); for it was assured unto me, that the said bird died with that tree, and revived of itselfe as the tree sprung againe." -Holland's Translation of Pliny, B. xiii. C. 4.