Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark
Out of my way, unless he bid 'em : but
For every trifle are they set upon me;
Sometime like apes, that mow and chatter at me,
And after bite me; then like hedgehogs, which
Lie tumbling in my barefoot way, and mount
Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I
All wound with adders, who with cloven tongues
Do hiss me into madness.

1ο

Enter Trinculo.

Lo, now, lo!
Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me
For bringing wood in slowly. I'll fall flat;

Perchance he will not mind me.
Trin. Here's neither bush nor shrub, to bear off

any weather at all, and another storm brewing;
I hear it sing i' the wind : yond same black cloud, 20
yond huge one, looks like a foul bombard that
would shed his liquor. If it should thunder as it
did before, I know not where to hide my head :
yond same cloud cannot choose but fall by pail-
fuls. What have we here? a man or a fish? dead
or alive? A fish: he smells like a fish; a very
ancient and fish-like smell; a kind of not of the
newest Poor-John. A strange fish! Were I in
England now, as once I was, and had but this fish
painted, not a holiday fool there but would give 30
a piece of silver: there would this monster make
a man; any strange beast there makes a man :
when they will not give a doit to relieve a lame
beggar, they will lay out ten to see a dead Indian,

:

Legged like a man ! and his fins like arms! Warm
o'my troth! I do now let loose my opinion; hold
it no longer : this is no fish, but an islander, that
hath lately suffered by a thunderbolt. [Thunder.]
Alas, the storm is come again! my best way is to
creep under his gaberdine; there is no other shelter 40
hereabout: misery acquaints a man with strange
bed-fellows. I will here shroud till the dregs of
the storm be past.

Enter Stephano, singing : a bottle in his hand.
Ste.

I shall no more to sea, to sea,

Here shall I die a-shore,
This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's
funeral : well, here's my comfort. .

[Drinks.
[Sings.
The master, the swabber, the boatswain, and I,

The gunner, and his mate,
Loved Moll, Meg, and Marian, and Margery, 50

But none of us cared for Kate ;
For she had a tongue with a tang,

Would cry to a sailor, Go hang !
She loved not the savour of tar nor of pitch;
Yet a tailor might scratch her where'er she did itch.

Then, to sea, boys, and let her go hang !
This is a scurvy tune too: but here's my

comfort.

[Drinks. Cal. Do not torment me:-0! Ste. What's the matter? Have we devils here? Do

you put tricks upon 's with salvages and men of 60 Ind, ha? I have not scaped drowning, to be afeard now of your four legs; for it hath been

a

70

said, As proper a man as ever went on four legs
cannot make him give ground, and it shall be

said so again, while Stephano breathes at nostrils.
Cal. The spirit torments me.-0!
Ste. This is some monster of the isle with four legs,

who hath got, as I take it, an ague. Where the
devil should he learn our language? I will give
him some relief, if it be but for that.

If I can
recover him, and keep him tame, and get to
Naples with him, he's a present for any emperor

that ever trod on neat's-leather. Cal. Do not torment me, prithee; I'll bring my wood

home faster.
Ste. He's in his fit now, and does not talk after the

wisest. He shall taste of my bottle: if he have
never drunk wine afore, it will go near to remove
his fit. If I can recover him, and keep him
tame, I will not take too much for him; he shall 80

pay for him that hath him, and that soundly.
Cal. Thou dost me yet but little hurt; thou wilt

anon, I know it by thy trembling : now Prosper

works upon thee.
Ste. Come on your ways; open your mouth; here is

that which will give language to you, cat : open
your mouth; this will shake your shaking, I can
tell you, and that soundly: you cannot tell who's

your friend : open your chaps again. Trin. I should know that voice : it should be—but 90

he is drowned ; and these are devils :-O defend

me !

Ste. Four legs and two voices,- most delicate monster!

His forward voice, now, is to speak

well of his friend; his backward voice is to utter
foul speeches and to detract. If all the wine in
my bottle will recover him, I will help his ague.
Come :-Amen! I will pour some in thy other

mouth.
Trin. Stephano!

100 Ste. Doth thy other mouth call me ? Mercy, mercy !

This is a devil, and no monster : I will leave

him; I have no long spoon. Trin. Stephano! If thou beest Stephano, touch me,

and speak to me; for I am Trinculo,-be not

afeard,—thy good friend Trinculo.
Ste. If thou beest Trinculo, come forth : I'll pull thee

by the lesser legs : if any be Trinculo's legs, these
are they. Thou art very Trinculo indeed! How
camest thou to be the siege of this moon-calf ? 110

can he vent Trinculos ?
Trin. I took him to be killed with a thunder-stroke.

But art thou not drowned, Stephano ? I hope,
now, thou art not drowned. Is the storm over-
blown? I hid me under the dead moon-calf's gaber-
dine for fear of the storm. And art thou living,

Stephano ? O Stephano, two Neapolitans scaped!
Ste. Prithee, do not turn me about; my stomach is

not constant.

I21

Cal. [Aside] These be fine things, an if they be not

sprites.
That's a brave god, and bears celestial liquor :

I will kneel to him.
Ste. How didst thou scape? How camest thou

hither? swear, by this bottle, how thou camest
hither. I I escaped upon a butt of sack, which the

sailors heaved o'erboard, by this bottle! which I
made of the bark of a tree with mine own hands,

since I was cast ashore.
Cal. I'll swear, upon that bottle, to be thy true
subject; for the liquor is not earthly.

130 Ste. Here ; swear, then, how thou escapedst. Trin. Swum ashore, man, like a duck: I can swim

like a duck, I'll be sworn. Ste. Here, kiss the book. Though thou canst swim

like a duck, thou art made like a goose. Trin. O Stephano, hast any more of this? Ste. The whole butt, man: my cellar is in a rock by

the sea-side, where my wine is hid. How now,

moon-calf! how does thine ague ? Cal. Hast thou not dropp'd from heaven?

140 Ste. Out o' the moon, I do assure thee: I was the

man i' the moon when time was. Cal. I have seen thee in her, and I do adore thee: my

mistress show'd me thee, and thy dog, and thy

bush. Ste. Come, swear to that; kiss the book : I will fur

nish it anon with new contents : swear.
Trin. By this good light, this is a very shallow

monster! I afeard of him! A very weak
monster! The man i the moon ! A most
poor credulous monster! Well drawn, monster, 150

in good sooth!
Cal. I'll show thee every fertile inch o' th' island ;

and I will kiss thy foot: I prithee, be my god. Trin. By this light, a most perfidious and drunken

monster! when's god's asleep, he'll rob his
bottle.