Act IV.
Scene I.
Act IV. Scene I. Before PROSPERO'S Cell.
Enter PROSPERO, FERDINAND, and .
MIRANDA
Pro. If I have too austerely punish'd you,
Your compensation makes amends; for I
Have given you here a thrid of mine own life,
Or that for which I live; whom once again
I tender to thy hand: all thy vexations
Were but my trials of thy love, and thou
Hast strangely stood the test: here, afore
Heaven,
I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand!
Do not smile at me that I boast her off,
For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise,
And make it halt behind her.
Fer. I do believe it
Against an oracle.
Pro. Then, as my gift and thine own acqui-
sition
Worthily purchas'd, take my daughter: but
If thou dost break her virgin knot before
All sanctimonious ceremonies may
With full and holy rite be minister'd,
No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall
To make this contract grow; but barren hate,
Sour-ey'd disdain and discord shall bestrew
The union, of your bed with weeds so loathly
That you shall hate it both: therefore take
heed,
As Hymen's lamps shall light you.
Fer. As I hope
For quiet days, fair issue and long life,
With such love as 'tis now, the murkiest den,
The most opportune place, the strong'st sug-
gestion
Our worser genius can, shall never melt
Mine honour into lust, to take away
The edge of that day's celebration
When I shall think, or Phoebus' steeds are
founder'd,
Or Night kept chain'd below.
Pro. Fairly spoke:
Sit then, and talk with her, she is thine own.
What, Ariel! my industrious servant Ariel!
Enter ARIEL.
Ari. What would my potent master? here
I am.
Pro. Thou and thy meaner fellows your last
service
Did worthily perform; and I must use you
In such another trick. Go bring the rabble,
O'er whom I give thee power, here to this place:
Incite them to quick motion; for I must
Bestow upon the eyes of this young couple
Some vanity of mine art: it is my promise,
And they expect it from me.
Ari. Presently?
Pro. Ay, with a twink.
Ari. Before you can say, 'Come,' and
'Go;
And breathe twice; and cry, 'so, so,'
Each one, tripping on his toe,
Will be here with mop and mow.
Do you love me, master? no?
Pro. Dearly, my delicate Ariel. Do not
approach
Till thou dost hear me call.
Ari. Well, I conceive. [Exit.
Pro. Look, thou be true; do not give dalliance
Too much the rein: the strongest oaths are
straw
To the fire i' the blood: be more abstemious,
Or eise good night your vow!
Fer. I warrant you, sir;
The white-cold virgin snow upon my heart
Abates the ardour of my liver.
Pro. Well.—
Now come, my Ariel! bring a corollary,
Rather than want a spirit: appear, and pertly.
No tongue! all eyes! be silent. [Soft music.
A Masque. Enter IRIS.
Iris. Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich
leas
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and peas;
Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
And flat meads thatch'd with stover, them to
keep;
Thy banks with pioned and twilled brims,
Which spongy April at thy hest betrims,
To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy
broom groves,
Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves,
Being lass-lorn; thy pole-dipt vineyard;
And thy sea-marge, sterile and rocky-hard,
Where thou thyself dost air: the queen o' the
sky,
Whose watery arch and messenger am I,
Bids thee leave these; and with her sovereign
grace,
Here on this grass-plot, in this very place,
To come and sport; her peacocks fly amain:
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.
Enter CERES.
Cer. Hail, many-coloured messenger, that
ne'er
Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;
Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers
Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers:
And with each end of thy blue bow dost
crown
My bosky acres, and my unshrubb'd down,
Rich scarf to my proud earth; why hath thy
queen
Summon'd me hither, to this short-grass'd
green?
Iris. A contract of true love to celebrate,
And some donation freely to estate
On the bless'd lovers.
Cer. Tell me, heavenly bow,
If Venus or her son, as thou dost know,
Do now attend the queen? since they did plot
The means that dusky Dis my daughter got,
Her and her blind boy's scandal'd company
I have forsworn.
Iris. Of her society
Be not afraid; I met her deity
Cutting the clouds towards Paphos and her son
Dove-drawn with her. Here thought they to
have done
Some wanton charm upon this man and maid,
Whose vows are, that no bed-rite shall be
paid.
Till Hymen's torch be lighted; but in vain:
Mars's hot minion is return'd again;
Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more, but play with
sparrows,
And be a boy right out.
Cer. Highest queen of state,
Great Juno comes; I know her by her gait.
Enter JUNO.
Jun. How does my bounteous sister? Go
with me
To bless this twain, that they may prosperous
be,
And honour'd in their issue.
SONG.
Jun. Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance, and increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you.
Cer. Earth's increase, foison plenty,
Barns and garners never empty;
Vines,with clust'ring bunches growing;
Plants with goodly burden bowing;
Spring come to you at the farthest
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun you;
Ceres' blessing so is on you.
Fer. This is a most majestic vision, and
Harmonious charmingly: May I be bold
To think these spirits?
Pro. Spirits, which by mine art
I have from their confines call'd to enact
My present fancies.
Fer. Let me live here ever:
So rare a wonder'd father and a wise,
Makes this place Paradise.
[JUNO and CERES whisper, and send
IRIS on employment.
Pro. Sweet, now, silence!
Juno and Ceres whisper seriously,
There's something else to do: hush, and be
mute,
Or else our spell is marr'd.
Iris. You nymphs, call'd Naiades, of the
windring brooks,
With your sedg'd crowns, and ever-harmless
looks,
Leave your crisp channels, and on this green land
Answer your summons: Juno does command.
Come, temperate nymphs, and help to cele-
brate
A contract of true love: be not too late.
Enter certain Nymphs.
You sun-burn'd sicklemen, of August weary,
Come hither from the furrow, and be merry:
Make holiday: your rye-straw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing.
Enter certain Reapers, properly habited: they
join with the Nymphs in a graceful dance;
towards the end whereof PROSPERO starts
suddenly, and speaks; after which, to a
strange, hollow, and confused noise, they
heavily vanish.
Pro. [Aside.] I had forgot that foul con-
spiracy
Of the beast Caliban, and his confederates
Against my life: the minute of their plot
Is almost come.—[To the Spirits.] Well done!
avoid; no more!
Fer. This is strange: your father's in some
passion
That works him strongly.
Mira. Never till this day
Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.
Pro. You do look, my son, in a mov'd sort,
As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir:
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.—Sir, I am vex'd:
Bear with my weakness; my old brain is troubled.
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity.
If you be pleas'd, retire into my cell
And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk,
To still my beating mind.
Fer. Mira. We wish your peace.
[Exeunt.
Pro. Come with a thought!—[To them.] I
thank thee: Ariel, come!
Enter ARIEL.
Ari. Thy thoughts I cleave to. What's thy
pleasure?
Pro. Spirit,
We must prepare to meet with Caliban.
Ari. Ay, my commander; when I presented
Ceres,
I thought to have told thee of it; but I fear'd
Lest I might anger thee.
Pro. Say again, where didst thou leave these
varlets?
An. I told you, sir, they were red-hot with.
drinking;
So full of valour that they smote the air
For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
For kissing of their feet; yet always bending
Towards their project. Then I beat my tabor;
At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd their
ears,
Advanc'd their eyelids, lifted up their noses
As they smelt music: so I charm'd their ears
That, calf-like, they my lowing follow'd through
Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes, pricking goss and
thorns,
Which enter'd their frail shins: at last I left
them
I' the filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell,
There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake
O'erstunk their feet.
Pro. This was well done, my bird.
Thy shape invisible retain thou still:
The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither,
For stale to catch these thieves.
Ari. I go, I go. [Exit,
Pro. A devil, a born devil, on whose nature
Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains,
Humanely taken, are all lost, quite lost;
And as with age his body uglier grows,
So his mind cankers. I will plague them all,
Even to roaring.
Re-enter ARIEL, loaden with glistering
apparel, &c.
Come, hang them on this line.
PROSPERO and ARIEL remain invisible. Enter
CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO, all wet.
Cal. Pray you, tread softly, that the blind.
mole may not
Hear a foot fall: we now are near his cell.
Ste. Monster, your fairy, which you say is a
harmless fairy, has done little better than played
the Jack with us.
Trin. Monster, I do smell all horse-piss; at
which my nose is in great indignation.
Ste. So is mine.—Do you hear, monster? If I
should take a displeasure against you, look you,—
Trin. Thou wert but a lost monster.
Cal. Good my lord, give me thy favour still:
Be patient, for the prize I'll bring thee to
Shall hoodwink this mischance: therefore speak
softly;
All's hush'd as midnight yet.
Trin. Ay, but to lose our bottles in the
pool,—
Ste. There is not only disgrace and dishonour
in that, monster, but an infinite loss.
Trin. That's more to me than my wetting:
yet this is your harmless fairy, monster.
Ste. I will fetch off my bottle, though I be
o'er ears for my labour.
Cal. Prithee, my king, be quiet. Seest thou
here,
This is the mouth o' the cell: no noise, and
enter.
Do that good mischief, which may make this
island
Thine own for ever, and I, thy Caliban,
For aye thy foot-licker.
Ste. Give me thy hand: I do begin to have
bloody thoughts.
Trin. O king Stephano! O peer! O worthy
Stephano! look, what a wardrobe here is for
thee!
Cal. Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash.
Trin. O, ho, monster! we know what belongs
to a frippery.—O king Stephano!
Ste. Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this
hand, I'll have that gown.
Trin. Thy grace shall have it.
Cal. The dropsy drown this fool! what do
you mean
To dote thus on such luggage? Let's along,
And do the murder first: if he awake,
From toe to crown he'll fill our skins with
pinches;
Make us strange stuff.
Ste. Be you quiet, monster.—Mistress line, is
not this my jerkin? Now is the jerkin under the
line: now, jerkin, you are like to lose your hair
and prove a bald jerkin.
Trin. Do, do: we steal by line and level,
an't like your grace.
Ste. I thank thee for that jest; here's a gar-
ment for't: wit shall not go unrewarded while I
am king of this country: 'Steal by line and
level/ is an excellent pass of pate; there's an-
other garment for't.
Trin. Monster, come, put some lime upon
your fingers, and away with the rest.
Cal. I will have none on't: we shall lose our
time,
And all be turned to barnacles, or to apes
With foreheads villanous low.
Ste. Monster, lay-to your fingers: help to bear
this away where my hogshead of wine is, or I'll
turn you out of my kingdom. Go to; carry this.
Trin. And this.
Ste. Ay, and this.
A noise of hunters heard. Enter divers Spirits,
in shape of hounds, and hunt them about;
PROSPERO and ARIEL setting them on,
Pro. Hey, Mountain, hey!
Ari. Silver! there it goes, Silver!
Pro. Fury, Fury! there, Tyrant, there! hark,
hark!
[CAL., STE., and TRIN. are driven out.
Go, charge my goblins that they grind their
joints
With dry convulsions; shorten up their sinews
With aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted
make them
Than pard, or cat o' mountain.
Ari. Hark! they roar.
Pro. Let them be hunted soundly. At this
hour
Lie at my mercy all mine enemies:
Shortly shall all my labours end, and thou
Shalt have the air at freedom: for a little,
Follow, and do me service. [Exeunt.
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