Therefore my son i' the ooze is bedded, and
I'll seek him deeper than e'er plummet sounded
And with him there lie mudded.

Seb.

I'll fight their legions o'er.

Ant.

[Exit.

But one fiend at a time,

I'll be thy second.
[Exeunt Seb. and Ant.

Gon. All three of them are desperate: their great guilt,

Like poison given to work a great time after,
Now 'gins to bite the spirits. I do beseech you
That are of suppler joints, follow them swiftly
And hinder them from what this ecstasy
May now provoke them to.

100

Adr.

Follow, I pray you. [Exeunt.

SCENE I.

ACT IV.

Before PROSPERO'S cell.

Enter PROSPERO, FERDINAND, and Miranda.
Pros. If I have too austerely punish'd you,
Your compensation makes amends, for I
Have given you here a third of mine own life,
Or that for which I live; who 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,

108. ecstasy, madness. 3. a third, i.e. a main portion.
7. strangely, rarely.

For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise
And make it halt behind her.

Fer.

Against an oracle.

I do believe it

Pros. Then, as my gift and thine own acquisition

Worthily purchased, 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-eyed 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 suggestion

Our worser genius can, shall never melt

Mine honour into lust, to take away

The edge of that day's celebration

ΤΟ

20

When I shall think, or Phœbus' steeds are founder'd, 30 Or Night kept chain'd below.

14. purchased, won.

18. aspersion, sprinkling, as of dew.

26. suggestion, temptation.

27. Our worser genius, the demon within us. Elsewhere Shakespeare's language suggests a single genius or guardian spirit presiding over, but within, each man, and associating itself now with his planning intellect (Jul. Cæs. ii. 1. 66),

now with his heroism (Ant. and Cleo. ii. 3. 19), now with his weakness (ib. ii. 3. 21). Here, on the contrary, the evil impulses of men are ascribed to a special 'worser genius' whom a 'better' genius resists. The passage goes far to show that the whole doctrine was with Shakespeare little more than inherited phraseology.

30. founder'd, disabled (by over-riding).

Pros.

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. Pros. 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
of this young couple

Bestow upon the eyes

Some vanity of mine art: it is my promise,

And they expect it from me.

Ari.

Pros. Ay, with a twink.

Presently?

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? Pros. Dearly, my delicate Ariel. proach

Till thou dost hear me call.

Ari.

Do not ap

40

Well, I conceive. [Exit. 50

Pros. 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 else, good night your vow!

Fer.

I warrant you, sir;

The white cold virgin snow upon my heart
Abates the ardour of my liver.

Pros.

Well.

Now come, my Ariel! bring a corollary,

47. mop and mow, grimaces. 57. corollary, supernumerary.

Rather than want a spirit: appear, and pertly!
No tongue! all eyes! be silent.

Enter IRIS.

[Soft music.

Iris. Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats and pease; 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-clipt vineyard;

And thy sea-marge, sterile and rocky-hard,

60

Where thou thyself dost air;-the queen o' the sky, 70

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.

61. vetches, Ff fetches, an archaic and provincial form of the word.

63. stover, straw of rye, barley, or wheat, used as winter-fodder for cattle.

64. banks with pioned and twilled brims. Two interpretations still compete for the possession of this line. According to one, it refers to a river bank overgrown with 'marigolds' and 'reeds.' But the meanings thus given to pioned and twilled rest on very doubtful authority; while the following line implies that the banks are 'pioned and twilled' before they

are 'trimmed' with flowers. Hence the less picturesque but perhaps more logical interpretation has latterly gained ground, according to which the banks' are those of trenches or dykes dividing cornlands, artificially heaped up (pioned) and 'furrowed' or 'faced with mire'

(Fr. fouiller). Can twilled describe the appearance of the two banks running in 'twinned' parallel lines between the meadows?

66. broom-groves, luxuriant copses of broom.

68. pole-clipt, having vines clinging about its poles.

Enter CERES.

Cer. Hail, many-colour'd 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 blest 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

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-right shall be paid
Till Hymen's torch be lighted: but in vain;
Mars's hot minion is return'd again;

80

90

Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more but play with sparrows 100
And be a boy right out.

Cer.

Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.

85. freely estate, liberally bestow.

89. Dis, Pluto. Cf. Perdita's

High'st queen of state,

allusion to the story, Wini. Tale, iv. 4. 118.