The creatures that were mine; I fay, or chang'd

them,

Or elfe new form'd them having both the key
Of officer and office, fet all hearts

To what tune pleas'd his ear; that now he was
The ivy, which had hid my princely trunk,
And fuck'd my verdure out on't.-Thou attend'ft

I

not:

pray thee, mark me.

Mira.

O good Sir, I do.
Pro. I thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicate
To clofenefs, and the bettering of my mind
With that, which, but by being fo retir'd,
O'er-priz'd all popular rate, in my falfe brother
Awak'd an evil nature and my trust,
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falfehood, in its contrary as great

As my truft was; which had, indeed, no limit,
A confidence fans bound. He being thus lorded,
Not only with what my revenue yielded,
But what my power might elfe exact,-like one,
Who having, unto truth, by telling of it,
Made fuch a finner of his memory,

To credit his own lie,—he did believe
He was the duke; out of the substitution,
And executing the outward face of royalty,
With all prerogative :-Hence his ambition
Growing, Doft hear?

Mira.

Your tale, fir, would cure deafness. Pro. To have no fcreen between this part he

play'd

And him he play'd it for, he needs will be
Abfolute Milan: Me, poor man!-my library
Was dukedom large enough; of temporal royalties
He thinks me now incapable: confederates
(So dry he was for fway) with the king of Naples
To give him annual tribute, do him homage;

Subject his coronet to his crown, and bend
The dukedom, yet unbow'd, (alas, poor Milan!)
To most ignoble stooping.

Mira.

O the heavens!

Pro. Mark his condition, and the event; then

tell me,

If this might be a brother.

Mira.

I fhould fin

To think but nobly of my grandmother :
Good wombs have borne bad fons.

Pro.

Now the condition.

This king of Naples, being an enemy

To me inveterate, hearkens my brother's fuit ;
Which was, that he in lieu o' the premises,-

Of homage, and I know not how much tribute,-
Should prefently extirpate me and mine

Out of the dukedom; and confer fair Milan,
With all the honours, on my brother: Whereon,
A treacherous army levy'd, one midnight
Fated to the purpose, did Antonio open

The gates of Milan; and, i' the dead of darkness,
The minifters for the purpose hurried thence
Me, and thy crying self.

Mira.

Alack, for pity! J, not remembering how I cried out then,

Will cry it o'er again; it is a hint,

That wrings mine eyes.

Pro.

Hear a little further,

And then I'll bring thee to the prefent business Which now's upon us; without the which, this story

Were most impertinent.

Mira.

That hour deftroy us?

Pro.

Wherefore did they not

Well demanded, wench;

My tale provokes that queftion. Dear, they durft

not;

(So dear the love my people bore me) nor fet

A mark fo bloody on the business; but
With colours fairer painted their foul ends.
In few, they hurried us aboard a bark ;

Bore us fome leagues to fea; where they prepar'd
A rotten carcass of a boat, not rigg'd

Nor tackle, fail, nor mast; the very rats
Inftinctively had quit it: there they hoift us
To cry to the fea that roar'd to us; to figh
To the winds, whose pity, fighing back again,
Did us but loving wrong.

Mira.

Was I then to you!

Pro.

Alack! what trouble

O! a cherubim

Thou waft, that did preferve me! Thou didft

fmile,

Infused with a fortitude from heaven,

When I have deck'd the fea with drops full falt; Under my burden groan'd; which rais'd in me An undergoing ftomach, to bear up

Againft what should enfue.

Mira.

How came we afhore?

Pro. By Providence divine.

Some food we had, and fome fresh water, that
A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,

Out of his charity, (who being then appointed
Master of this defign,) did give us ; with
Rich garments, linens, ftuffs, and neceffaries,
Which fince have fteaded much : fo, of his gentle-
nefs,

Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me,
From my own library, with volumes that

I prize above my dukedom.

Mira.

But ever fee that man!

Pro.

'Would I might

Now I arife: :

Sit ftill, and hear the last of our fea-forrow.
Here in this island we arrived; and here

Have I, thy fchool-mafter, made thee more profit
Than other princes can, that have more time
For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful.
Mira. Heavens thank you fot't! And now, I
pray you, fir,

(For ftill 'tis beating in my mind) your reason
For raifing this fea-storm?

Pro

Know thus far forth.

By accident moft ftrange, bountiful fortune,
Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies
Brought to this fhore: and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon
A moft aufpicious ftar; whose influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop. - Here ceafe more questions;
Thou art inclin'd to fleep; 'tis a good dulnefs,
And give it way;

choofe.

I know thou can't not

[MIRANDA Sleeps.

Come away, fervant, come: I am ready now;
Approach, my Ariel; come.

Enter ARIEL.

Ari. All hail, great mafter! grave fir, hail! I

come

To answer thy beft pleafure; be't to fly,
To fwim, to dive into the fire, to ride

On the curl'd clouds; to thy ftrong bidding, task
Ariel, and all his quality.

Pro.
Haft thou, fpirit,
Perform'd to point the tempeft that I bade thee?
Ari. To every article.

I boarded the king's fhip; now on the beak,
Now in the waift, the deck, in every cabin,
I flam'd amazement: Sometimes, I'd divide,
And burn in many places; on the top-maft,
The yards, and bowfprit, would I flame distinctly,

Then meet, and join: Jove's lightnings, the pre

curfors

O' the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary And fight-out-running were not: The fire, and cracks

Of fulphurous roaring, the moft mighty Neptune Seem'd to befiege, and made his bold waves tremble, Yea, his dread trident shake.

Pro.

Who was fo firm, so constant,

Would not infect his reafon ?

Ari.

My brave spirit! that this coil

Not a foul
But felt a fever of the mad, and play'd

Some tricks of defperation: All, but mariners,
Plung'd in the foaming brine, and quit the veffel,
Then all a-fire with me: the king's fon, Ferdinand,
With hair up-ftaring (then like reeds, not hair)
Was the firft man that leap'd; cried, Hell is empty,
And all the devils are here.

Pro.

But was not this nigh shore ?

Ari,

Why, that's my fpirit!

Clofe by, my mafter.

Pro. But are they, Ariel safe?
Ari.

Not a hair perifh'd;
On their fuftaining garments not a blemish,
But fresher than before: and as thou bad'ft me,
In troops I have difpers'd them 'bout the ifle :
The king's fon have I landed by himself;
Whom I left cooling of the air with fighs,
In an odd angle of the isle, and fitting,
His arms in this fad knot.

Pro.

Of the king's fhip,

The mariners, fay, how thou haft difpos'd,
And all the reft o' the fleet?

Ari.

Safely in harbour

Is the king's fhip; in the deep nook, where once