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Re-enter ARIEL, invisible, playing and singing; FERDINAND

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Fer. Where should this music be? i' th' air, or th' earth ?—

It sounds no more;-and sure, it waits upon
Some god o' th' island. Sitting on a bank,
Weeping again the king my father's wreck,
This music crept by me upon the waters,
Allaying both their fury, and my passion,
With its sweet air: thence I have follow'd it,
Or it hath drawn me rather :-but 'tis gone.-
No, it begins again.

ARIEL sings.

Full fathom five thy father lies;

Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,

4 The wild waves WAIST,] i. e. The wild waves silent.

5 And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.] In the old copies this line runs, “And sweet sprites bear the burden," which the rhyme, and the corr. fo. 1632 show to be a transposition.

6 Dispersedly.] This is the stage-direction of the folios, meaning that “the watch-dog's bark" is to be heard in several places at the same time: what is called "the burden," "bowgh, wowgh," is erroneously mixed up with the song itself in the old editions, and we are left to infer that “dispersedly” applies to the repetition, as well as to the first insertion of "bowgh, wowgh."

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But doth suffer a sea-change

Into something rich and strange.

Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell :

[Burden ding-dong.

Hark! now I hear them,—ding-dong, bell.

Fer. The ditty does remember my drown'd father.-
This is no mortal business, nor no sound.

That the earth owes '.—I hear it now above me.
Pro. The fringed curtains of thine eye advance
And say, what thou seest yond'.

Mira.

What is't? a spirit?
Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, sir,

It carries a brave form :-but 'tis a spirit.

Pro. No, wench: it eats and sleeps, and hath such senses As we have; such. This gallant, which thou seest,

Was in the wreck; and but he's something stain'd

With grief, that's beauty's canker, thou mightst call him
A goodly person. He hath lost his fellows,

And strays about to find 'em.

Mira.

A thing divine, for nothing natural

I ever saw so noble.

Pro.

I might call him

It goes on, I see,

[Aside.

As my soul prompts it.-Spirit, fine spirit! I'll free thee
Within two days for this.

Fer.

Most sure, the goddess

On whom these airs attend!--Vouchsafe, my prayer

May know if you remain upon this island,
And that you will some good instruction give,
How I may bear me here: my prime request,
Which I do last pronounce, is, oh you wonder!
If you be maid, or no?

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[Kneeling.

7 That the earth owES.] i. e.
Vol. iii. pp. 51. 142. 180. 287, &c.
8 And say, what thon seest yond'.] Coleridge, in his "Ninth Lecture (8vo,
1856, p. 124). has an admirable and eloquent vindication of this passage from the
accusation of Pope and Arbuthnot, that it is bombastic.

Owns. See Vol. ii. pp. 210. 251. 575. 661 ;
See also near the bottom of the next page.

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"If you be MAID, or no?] This is the reading of the three earliest folios, and seems unquestionably right. Ferdinand has at first supposed Miranda a goddess, and now inquires if she be really a mortal; not a celestial being, but a maiden: "maid" is used in its general sense. In the fourth folio "maid" is altered to

made, as if the question had been, are you a created being?

But, certainly a maid.

Fer.

My language heavens! [Rising'.

I am the best of them that speak this speech,
Were I but where 'tis spoken.

How the best?

Pro.
What wert thou, if the king of Naples heard thee?

Fer. A single thing, as I am now, that wonders
To hear thee speak of Naples. He does hear me,
And that he does I weep: myself am Naples;
Who with mine eyes, ne'er since at ebb, beheld
The king, my father, wreck'd.

Mira.

Alack, for mercy!

Fer. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the duke of Milan, And his brave son, being twain.

Pro.

[Aside.] The duke of Milan,

And his more braver daughter, could control thee,

If now 'twere fit to do't.—At the first sight

They have chang'd eyes :-delicate Ariel,

I'll set thee free for this!-[To him.] A word, good sir;
I fear, you have done yourself some wrong: a word.
Mira. Why speaks my father so ungently? This

Is the third man that e'er I saw; the first

That e'er I sigh'd for.

To be inclin❜d my way!
Fer.

Pity move my father

Oh! if a virgin,

And your affection not gone forth, I'll make you

The queen of Naples.

Pro.

Soft, sir: one word more.

[Aside.] They are both in either's powers: but this swift

business

I must uneasy make, lest too light winning

Make the prize light.—[To him.] One word more: I charge

thee,

That thou attend me. Thou dost here

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The name thou ow'st not; and hast put thyself

Upon this island as a spy, to win it

From me, the lord on't.

Fer.

No, as I am a man.

1 Rising.] This stage-direction, and the previous "Kneeling," are from the corr. fo. 1632, and afford evidence of what was the practice with the performers on our old stage. The action seems natural, and proper to the situation.

2 I fear, you have done yourself some wrong:] Some wrong to your character by asserting, untruly, that you are king of Naples.

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Mira. There's nothing ill can dwell in such a temple:
If the ill spirit have so fair a house,

Good things will strive to dwell with't.

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[TO FERDINAND.

Speak not you for him; he's a traitor.-Come.
I'll manacle thy neck and feet together;

Sea-water shalt thou drink; thy food shall be
The fresh-brook muscles, wither'd roots, and husks
Wherein the acorn cradled. Follow.

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My foot my tutor?-Put thy sword up, traitor;

Who mak'st a show, but dar'st not strike, thy conscience
Is so possess'd with guilt: come from thy ward,
For I can here disarm thee with this stick,

And make thy weapon drop.

Mira.

Pro. Hence! hang not on my garments.

Mira.

I'll be his surety.

Pro.

Beseech you, father!

Sir, have pity:

Silence! one word more

Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee. What!
An advocate for an impostor? hush!

Thou think'st there are no more such shapes as he,
Having seen but him and Caliban: foolish wench!
To the most of men this is a Caliban,

And they to him are angels.

Mira.

My affections

Are then most humble: I have no ambition

Pro.

-If

To see a goodlier man.

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Thy nerves are in their infancy again,
And have no vigour in them.

Fer.

3 He's gentle, and not FEARFUL.] i. e. Not to be feared, not terrible: the use of the word in this sense was of old common.

VOL. I.

D

My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up.
My father's loss, the weakness which I feel,
The wreck of all my friends, nor this man's threats,
To whom I am subdued, are but light to me,
Might I but through my prison once a day
Behold this maid: all corners else o' th' earth
Let liberty make use of; space enough

Have I in such a prison.

Pro.
Thou hast done well, fine Ariel!-Follow me.-

It works. Come on.

[To FERD. and MIR. [To ARIEL.

Be of comfort.

Hark, what thou else shalt do me.
Mira.

My father's of a better nature, sir,
Than he appears by speech: this is unwonted,
Which now came from him.

Pro.

Thou shalt be as free

As mountain winds; but then, exactly do

All points of my command.

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

Gon. Beseech you, sir, be merry: you have cause

(So have we all) of joy, for our escape

Is much beyond our loss. Our hint of woe*

Is common: every day, some sailor's wife,

The masters of some merchant, and the merchant,

4 Our HINT of woe] Gonzalo seems to call it "hint of woe," in reference to its comparative triflingness, and ordinary occurrence.

5 The MASTERS of some merchant,] Possibly, "masters" (as Steevens thought) has here been misprinted for mistress; or the passage may refer to the owners of the ship, who may be called the "masters." It has been suggested by Malone, that "merchant may be taken in the sense of merchantman.

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