To me inveterate, hearkens my brother's suit;
Which was, that he in lieu o' the premises,-
Of homage, and I know not how much tribute,—
Should presently extirpate me and mine

Out of the dukedom; and confer fair Milan,
With all the honours, on my brother: Whereon,
A treacherous army levied, one mid-night,

Fated to the purpose, did Antonio open

The gates of Milan; and, i' the dead of darkness,
The ministers for the purpose hurried thence

Me, and thy crying self.

MIRA.

Alack, for pity!

I, not rememb'ring how I cried out then,

Will cry it o'er again; it is a hint,

That wrings mine eyes to 't.

PRO.

Hear a little further,

And then I'll bring thee to the present business

Which now's upon us; without the which, this story

Were most impertinent.

MIRA.

That hour destroy us?

PRO.

Wherefore did they not

Well demanded, wench;

My tale provokes that question. Dear, they durst not,

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 prepar'd

A rotten carcass of a boat, not rigg'd,

Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats

Instinctively had quit it; there they hoist us,

Το

cry

to the sea that roar'd to us; to sigh To the winds, whose pity, sighing back again, Did us but loving wrong.

C

MIRA.

Was I then to you!

PRO.

Alack! what trouble

O a cherubim

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 burden groan'd; which rais'd in me.
An undergoing stomach, to bear up
Against what should ensue.

PRO. 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 lov'd my books, he furnish'd me,

From mine own library, with volumes that
I prize above my dukedom.

MIRA.

But ever see that man!

'Would I might

PRO. [Puts on his robe] Now I arise :Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow. Here in this island we arriv'd; and here

Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit

Than other princes can, that have more time

For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful.

1

MIRA. Heavens thank you for 't! And now, I pray you, sir,

(For still 'tis beating in my mind,) your reason

For raising this sea-storm?

PRO.

Know thus far forth.

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
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes,
Will ever after droop.-Here cease more questions;
Thou art inclin'd to sleep; 'tis a good dulness,
And give it way;-I know thou can'st 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.

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 flam'd amazement: Sometimes, I'd divide,
And burn in many places; on the top-mast,
The yards, and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly,
Then meet, and join. Jove's lightnings, the precursors
O' the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary
And sight-out-running were not: The fire, and cracks

Of sulphurous roaring, the most mighty Neptune

Seem'd to besiege, and to make his bold waves tremble, Yea, his dread trident shake.

But felt a fever of the mad, and play'd

Some tricks of desperation: All, but mariners,
Plung'd in the foaming brine, and quit the vessel,
Then all a-fire 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.

PRO.

But was not this nigh shore?

ARI. Close by, my master.

Why, that's my spirit!

PRO. But are they, Ariel, safe?
ARI.

Not a hair perish'd ;

On their sustaining garments not a blemish,
But fresher than before: and as thou bad'st me,

In troops I have dispers'd 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.

PRO.

Of the king's ship,

The mariners, say, how thou hast dispos'd,

And all the rest o' the fleet?

ARI.

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:

The mariners all under hatches stow'd;

Who, with a charm joined to their suffer'd labour,