How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in 't!

Pros.

'Tis new to thee.

Alon. What is this maid with whom thou wast

at play? Your eld'st acquaintance cannot be three hours: Is she the goddess that hath sever'd us,

And brought us thus together?

Fer.

She

Sir, she is mortal; But by immortal Providence she's mine: I chose her when I could not ask my father For his advice, nor thought I had one. Is daughter to this famous Duke of Milan, Of whom so often I have heard renown, But never saw before; of whom I have Received a second life; and second father This lady makes him to me.

Alon.

I am hers: But, O, how oddly will it sound that I Must ask my child forgiveness!

Pros.

Let us not burthen our remembrance with

A heaviness that's gone.

Gon.

There, sir, stop:

I have inly wept,

Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you

gods,

And on this couple drop a blessed crown!

For it is you that have chalk'd forth the way
Which brought us hither.

Alon.

I say, Amen, Gonzalo!

Gon. Was Milan thrust from Milan, that his

issue

Should become kings of Naples ? O, rejoice
Beyond a common joy, and set it down

With gold on lasting pillars: In one voyage
Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis

And Ferdinand, her brother, found a wife

Where he himself was lost, Prospero his dukedom
In a poor isle and all of us ourselves

When no man was his own.

Alon. [To Fer. and Mir.] Give me your hands: Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart

That doth not wish you joy!

Gon.

Be it so! Amen!

Re-enter ARIEL, with the Master and Boatswain
amazedly following.

O, look, sir, look, sir! here is more of us:

I prophesied, if a gallows were on land,

This fellow could not drown. Now, blasphemy, That swear'st grace o'erboard, not an oath on shore?

210

Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news? 220 Boats. The best news is, that we have safely

found

Our king and company; the next, our ship-
Which, but three glasses since, we gave out split-

Is tight and yare and bravely rigg'd as when

We first put out to sea.

Ari. [Aside to Pros.] Sir, all this service

Have I done since I went.

Pros. [Aside to Ari.] My tricksy spirit!

Alon. These are not natural events; they strengthen

From strange to stranger.

hither?

Say, how came you

Boats. If I did think, sir, I were well awake,

223. glasses, hours. The seaman's 'glass' in Shakespeare's time has been shown to have been half an hour; but

v. 186 shows that Shakespeare is here following his ordinary usage of the word.

I'ld strive to tell you. We were dead of sleep, And-how we know not-all clapp'd under hatches;

Where but even now with strange and several
noises

Of roaring, shrieking, howling, jingling chains,
And moe diversity of sounds, all horrible,
We were awaked; straightway, at liberty;
Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld
Our royal, good and gallant ship, our master
Capering to eye her: on a trice, so please you,
Even in a dream, were we divided from them
And were brought moping hither.

Ari. [Aside to Pros.] Was 't well done?
Pros. [Aside to Ari.] Bravely, my diligence.

Thou shalt be free.

Alon. This is as strange a maze as e'er men
trod;

And there is in this business more than nature
Was ever conduct of: some oracle

Must rectify our knowledge.

Pros.

Sir, my liege,

Do not infest your mind with beating on

The strangeness of this business; at pick'd leisure
Which shall be shortly, single I'll resolve you,
Which to you shall seem probable, of every
These happen'd accidents; till when, be cheerful
And think of each thing well. [Aside to Ari.]
Come hither, spirit:

Set Caliban and his companions free ;

Untie the spell. [Exit Ariel.]

gracious sir?

How fares my

230

240

250

248. resolve you, give you an explanation.

249. Which, i.e. the explana

tion.

There are yet missing of your company
Some few odd lads that you remember not.

Re-enter ARIEL, driving in CALIBAN, STEPHANO
and TRINCULO, in their stolen apparel.

Ste. Every man shift for all the rest, and let no man take care for himself; for all is but fortune. Coragio, bully-monster, coragio!

Trin. If these be true spies which I wear in my head, here's a goodly sight.

Cal. O Setebos, these be brave spirits indeed! How fine my master is! I am afraid

What things are these, my lord Antonio?

Will money buy 'em?

Ant.

Is a plain fish, and, no Pros. Mark but the lords,

Then say if they be true.

Very like; one of them

doubt, marketable.

badges of these men, my

This mis-shapen knave,

His mother was a witch, and one so strong

260

That could control the moon, make flows and ebbs, 270
And deal in her command without her power.

These three have robb'd me; and this demi-devil—
For he's a bastard one-had plotted with them
To take my life. Two of these fellows you
Must know and own; this thing of darkness I
Acknowledge mine.

Cal.

I shall be pinch'd to death. Alon. Is not this Stephano, my drunken butler? Seb. He is drunk now: where had he wine?

267. badges, silver plates bearing their master's arms, worn by servants as part of their livery.

271. deal in her command without her power, exercise her influence beyond her sphere.

Alon. And Trinculo is reeling ripe: where

should they

Find this grand liquor that hath gilded 'em?
How camest thou in this pickle?

Trin. I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last that, I fear me, will never out of my bones I shall not fear fly-blowing.

Seb. Why, how now, Stephano!

Ste. O, touch me not; I am not Stephano, but

a cramp.

Pros. You'ld be king o' the isle, sirrah?

Ste. I should have been a sore one then.
Alon. This is a strange thing as e'er I look'd
[Pointing to Caliban.

on.

Pros. He is as disproportion'd in his manners
As in his shape. Go, sirrah, to my cell;
Take with you your companions; as you look
To have my pardon, trim it handsomely.

Cal. Ay, that I will; and I'll be wise hereafter
And seek for grace. What a thrice-double ass
Was I, to take this drunkard for a god

And worship this dull fool!

Pros.

Go to; away!

Alon. Hence, and bestow your luggage where

you found it.

Seb. Or stole it, rather.

280

290

[Exeunt Cal., Ste., and Trin. Pros. Sir, I invite your highness and your train 300 To my poor cell, where you shall take your rest For this one night; which, part of it, I'll waste With such discourse as, I not doubt, shall make it Go quick away; the story of my life

280. gilded 'em, made them

279. reeling ripe, intoxicated to the reeling-point. Analogous glow. phrases were: tumbling-ripe, weeping-ripe, crying-ripe.

302. waste, spend.