That wrings mine eyes to 't.

Hear a little further

Pros. And then I'll bring thee to the present business Which now's upon 's; without the which this story Were most impertinent.

So dear the love my people bore me, nor set

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

Bore us some leagues to sea; where they prepared
A rotten carcass of a butt, not rigg'd,
Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats
Instinctively have quit it: there they hoist us,
To cry to the sea that roar'd to us, to sigh
To the winds whose pity, sighing back again,
Did us but loving wrong.

Mir.

Was I then to you!

Pros.

Alack, what trouble

O, a cherubin

Thou wast that did preserve me. Thou didst

smile,

Infused with a fortitude from heaven,

When I have deck'd the sea with drops full salt,
Under my burthen groan'd; which raised in me
An undergoing stomach, to bear up

Against what should ensue.

Mir.

146. butt, (figuratively for) a broad, unwieldy boat, a 'tub.' That it was not literally a cask is shown by the description 'not rigged,' etc.

How came we ashore?

148. hoist, hoisted.

155. deck'd, sprinkled.

140

150

157. An undergoing stomach, a valiant courage.

Pros. By Providence divine.

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

Out of his charity, who being then appointed
Master of this design, did give us, with

Rich garments, linens, stuffs and necessaries,
Which since have steaded much; so, of his
gentleness,

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

I prize above my dukedom.

Mir.

But ever see that man!

Pros.

Would I might

Now I arise: [Resumes his mantle.

Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow.
Here in this island we arrived; and here

Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit
Than other princess' can that have more time
For vainer hours and tutors not so careful.
Mir. Heavens thank you for 't!

pray you, sir,

And now, I

For stiil 'tis beating in my mind, your reason
For raising this sea-storm?

Know thus far forth.

Pros.
By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune,
Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies
Brought to this shore; and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon
A most auspicious star, whose influence

160

170

180

The stage direction was first suggested by Dyce.

173. princess', princesses. Ff princesse. This is the regular Shakespearean plural of the

word.

181. zenith, culminating point of fortune.

If now I court not but omit, my fortunes

Will ever after droop. Here cease more questions:
Thou art inclined to sleep; 'tis a good dulness,
And give it way: I know thou canst not choose.
[Miranda sleeps.
Come away, servant, come. I am ready now.
Approach, my Ariel, come.

Enter ARIEL.

Ari. All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I

come

To answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly,

To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride

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

Pros.

Hast thou, spirit,

Perform'd to point the tempest that I bade thee?
Ari. To every article.

I boarded the king's ship; now on the beak,
Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin,
I flamed amazement: sometime I'ld divide,
And burn in many places; on the topmast,
The yards and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly,
Then meet and join. Jove's lightnings, the pre-

cursors

O' the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary
And sight-outrunning were not; the fire and cracks
Of sulphurous roaring the most mighty Neptune
Seem to besiege and make his bold waves tremble,
Yea, his dread trident shake.

193. quality, faculty, craft (perhaps in the collective rather than the abstract sense).

194. to point, precisely.

197. waist, the middle portion of a ship between forecastle and quarterdeck.

190

200

198. I flamed amazement, etc. The description is suggested by the 'fire of St. Elmo,'-flames seen during a storm to fly along from mast to mast. Accounts of it were accessible in Hakluyt. 200. distinctly, separately.

Pros.

My brave spirit!

Who was so firm, so constant, that this coil
Would not infect his reason?

Ari.

Not a soul

But felt a fever of the mad and play'd
Some tricks of desperation.

All but mariners

Plunged in the foaming brine and quit the vessel, Then all afire with me: the king's son, Ferdinand, With hair up-staring,-then like reeds, not hair,Was the first man that leap'd; cried, 'Hell is empty, And all the devils are here.'

Pros.

But was not this nigh shore?
Ari.

Why, that's my spirit,

Close by, my master.

Not a hair perish'd;

Pros. But are they, Ariel, safe?
Ari.

On their sustaining garments not a blemish,
But fresher than before: and, as thou badest me,
In troops I have dispersed them 'bout the isle.
The king's son have I landed by himself;
Whom I left cooling of the air with sighs
In an odd angle of the isle and sitting,
His arms in this sad knot.

Pros.

The mariners say how thou hast disposed
And all the rest o' the fleet.

Ari.

Of the king's ship

Safely in harbour

Is the king's ship; in the deep nook, where once
Thou call'dst me up at midnight to fetch dew
From the still-vex'd Bermoothes, there she's hid:

207. coil, uproar.

210. tricks, wild acts.

213. up-staring, standing on

end.

223. odd, out-of-the-way.

224. in this sad knot, sadly

210

220

The mariners all under hatches stow'd;

Who, with a charm join'd to their suffer'd labour,
I have left asleep and for the rest o' the fleet
Which I dispersed, they all have met again
And are upon the Mediterranean flote,
Bound sadly home for Naples,

Supposing that they saw the king's ship wreck'd
And his great person perish.

Pros.

Ariel, thy charge Exactly is perform'd: but there's more work.

What is the time o' the day?

Ari.

Past the mid season.

Pros. At least two glasses. The time 'twixt six

and now

Must by us both be spent most preciously.

Ari. Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains,

Let me remember thee what thou hast promised,
Which is not yet perform'd me.

Pros.

What is 't thou canst demand?

Ari.

How now ? moody?

My liberty.

Pros. Before the time be out? no more!
Ari.

I prithee,
Remember I have done thee worthy service;

Told thee no lies, made thee no mistakings, served Without or grudge or grumblings: thou didst promise

To bate me a full year.

Pros.

Dost thou forget

No.

From what a torment I did free thee?

Ari.

Pros. Thou dost, and think'st it much to tread

230

240

250

the ooze

234. flote, flood.

240. glasses, hours.

252. ooze, oozy bottom.