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THE

TEMPEST.

ACT I SCENE I.

On a Ship at Sea.

A tempeftuous noife of thunder and lightning heard: Enter a Ship-mafter, and a Boatswain.

MASTER.

OATSWAIN.

Boats. Here mafter: what cheer? Maft. Good, fpeak to th' mariners fall to't, yarely, or we run ourfelves a-ground; beftir, beftir.

Enter Mariners.

Boats. Hey my hearts, cheerly my hearts; yare, yare; take in the top-fail; tend to th' mafter's whistle; blow 'till thou burft thy wind, if room enough.

Enter Alonfo, Sebaftian, Anthonio, Ferdinand, Gonzalo, and others.

Alon. Good boatfwain have care: where's the mafter? play the men.

B 2

Boats.

Boats. I pray now keep below.

Ant. Where is the mafter, boatswain?

Boats. Do you not hear him? you mar our labour; keep your cabins; you affift the ftorm.

Gonz. Nay, good be patient.

Beatf. When the fea is. Hence. What care these Roarers for the name of King? to cabin; filence; trouble us not.

Gonz. Good: yet remember whom thou hast aboard. Boatf. None that I love more than myfelf. You are a counsellor; if you can command these elements to filence, and work the peace of the prefent, we will not hand a rope more; ufe your authority. If you cannot, give thanks you have liv'd fo long, and make your felf ready in your cabin for the mifchance of the hour, if it fo hap. Cheerly good hearts: out of our way, I fay. [Exit.

Gonz. I have great comfort from this fellow; methinks he hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is perfect gallows. Stand faft, good fate, to his hanging; make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage: if he be not born to be hang'd, our cafe is miferable.

Re-enter Boatswain.

[Exit.

Boats. Down with the top-maft: yare, lower, lower; bring her to try with main-course. A plague upon this howling

A cry within. Enter Sebastian, Anthonio and Gonzalo. they are louder than the weather, or our office. Yet again? what do you here? fhall we give o'er and drown? have you a mind to fink?

Seb. A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blafphemous, uncharitable dog.

Boats. Work you then.

Ant. Hang cur, hang, you whorefon infolent noisemaker; we are lefs afraid to be drown'd than thou art. Gonz. I'll warrant him for drowning, though the Ship

were

were no ftronger than a nut-fhell, and as leaky as an unftanch'd wench.

Boatf. Lay her a hold, a hold; fet her two courfes off to fea again, lay her off.

Enter Mariners wet.

Mar. All loft! to prayers, to prayers! all loft!"
Boats. What, muft our mouths be cold?

Gonz. The King and Prince at pray'rs ? let us affift 'em, For our cafe is as theirs.

Seb. I'm out of patience.

Ant. We're merely cheated of our lives by drunkards. This wide-chopt rafcal---would thou might'ft lie drowning The washing of ten tides!

Gonz. He'll be hang'd yet,

Though every drop of water fwear against it,

And gape at wid❜ft to glut him.

Seb. Mercy on us!

[A confufed noife within.

We fplit, we fplit! farewel my wife and children,

Brother farewel: we fplit, we fplit, we fplit!

Ant. Let's all fink with the King.

Seb. Let's take leave of him.

I

[Exit.

Gonz. Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground: 'ling, heath, broom, furze, any thing;' the wills above be done, but I would

fain die a dry death.

[Exit.

[blocks in formation]

Mira.F by your art (my dearest father) you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them:
The sky it feems would pour down ftinking pitch,

B 3

long heath, brown furze, any thing;

But

But that the fea, mounting to th' welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O! I have fuffer'd
With thofe that I faw fuffer: a brave veffel
(Who had, no doubt, fome noble creatures in her)
Dafh'd all to pieces. Oh! the cry did knock
Against my very heart: poor fouls, they perifh'd:
Had I been any God of pow'r, I would

Have funk the fea within the earth or e'er
It should the good fhip fo have fwallow'd, and
The fraighted fouls within her.

Pro. Be collected;

No more amazement; tell your piteous heart,
There's no harm done.

Mira. O wo the day!

Pro. No harm.

I have done nothing but in care of thee
(Of thee my dear one, thee my daughter) who
Art ignorant of what thou art, nought knowing
Of whence I am, nor that I'm more, or better
Than Profpero, mafter of a full poor cell,
And thy no greater father,

Mira. More to know

Did never meddle with my thoughts.
Pro. 'Tis time

I should inform thee farther. Lend thy hand,
And pluck my magick garment from me: fo!

[Lays down his mantle.

Lye there my Art. Wipe thou thine eyes, have comfort.

The direful fpectacle of the wreck, which touch'd

The very virtue of compaffion in thee,

I have with fuch 2 'provision' in mine art
So fafely order'd, that there's no foul loft;
No not fo much perdition as an hair

Betid to any creature in the veffel.

Which thou heard'ft cry, which thou faw'ft fink: fit down, For thou must now know farther.

Mira. You have often

2 compaffion... old edit. Theob. emend.

Begun

Begun to tell me what I am, but ftopt,
And left me to the bootlefs inquifition;
Concluding, Stay, not yet.

Pro. The hour's now come,

The very minute bids thee ope thine ear,
Obey, and be attentive. Canft remember
A time before we came unto this cell?

I do not think thou canft, for then thou waft not
Out three years old.

Mira. Certainly, Sir, I can.

Pro. By what? by any other house, or person?
Of any thing the image, tell me, that
Hath kept in thy remembrance?

Mira. 'Tis far off;

And rather like a dream, than an affurance
That my remembrance warrants. Had I not
Four or five women once that tended me?

Pro. Thou hadft, and more, Miranda: but how is it
That this lives in thy mind? what feeft thou elfe
In the dark back-ward and abyfme of time?

If thou remember'st ought ere thou cam'st here,
How thou cam'ft here thou may'st.

Mira. But that I do not.

{fince

Pro. 'Tis twelve years fince, Miranda; twelve years Thy father was the Duke of Milan, and

A Prince of Pow'r.

Mira. Sir, are not you my father?

Pro. Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and

She faid thou waft my daughter; and thy father
Was Duke of Milan, 3 'thou his only heir'

A Princess, no worfe iffu'd.

Mira. O the heav'ns!

What foul play had we that we came from thence?
Or bleffed was't we did?

Pro. Both, both, my girl:

By foul play (as thou say'ft) were we heav'd thence,
But bleffedly help'd hither.

and his only heir

B 4

Mira.

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