Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,
Dash'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock
Against my very heart. Poor souls, they perish'd.
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth or ere

It should the good ship so have swallow'd and
The fraughting souls within her.

Be collected:

Pros.
No more amazement. Tell your piteous heart
There's no harm done.

Mir.
Pros.

O, woe the day!

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 am more better
Than Prospero, master of a full
And thy no greater father.

Mir.

poor cell,

More to know

Did never meddle with my thoughts.

Pros.

'Tis time

I should inform thee farther. Lend thy hand,

10

20

And pluck my magic garment from me. So: [Lays down his mantle.
Lie there, my art. Wipe thou thine eyes; have comfort.
The direful spectacle of the wrack, which touch'd

The very virtue of compassion in thee,

I have with such provision in mine art
So safely order'd that there is no soul—
No, not so much perdition as an hair
Betid to any creature in the vessel

Which thou heard'st cry, which thou saw'st sink. Sit down;
For thou must now know farther.

The hour 's now come,

The very minute bids thee ope thine ear;
Obey and be attentive. Canst thou remember

A time before we came unto this cell?

I do not think thou canst, for then thou wast not
Dut three years old.

Mir.

Certainly, sir, I can.

Pros. By what? by any other house or person? Of any thing the image tell me that

Hath kept with thy remembrance.

30

40

Mir.

"T is far off

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

But how is it

Pros. Thou hadst, and more, Miranda.
That this lives in thy mind? What seest thou else
In the dark backward and abysm of time?

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

Mir.

But that I do not.

Pros. Twelve year since, Miranda, twelve year since, Thy father was the Duke of Milan and

A prince of power.

Mir.

Sir, are not you my father?

Pros. Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and She said thou wast my daughter; and thy father Was Duke of Milan; and thou his only heir And princess no worse issued.

Mir.

O the heavens !

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

Pros.

Both, both, my girl:
By foul play, as thou say'st, were we heav'd thence,
But blessedly holp hither.

Mir.

O, my heart bleeds

To think o' th' teen that I have turn'd you to,

Which is from my remembrance! Please you, farther.

I

Pros. My brother and thy uncle, call'd Antonio —

pray thee, mark me— that a brother should

Be so perfidious! —he whom next thyself

Of all the world I lov'd, and to him put
The manage of my state; as at that time
Through all the signories it was the first,
And Prospero the prime duke, being so reputed
In dignity, and for the liberal arts

Without a parallel; those being all my study,
The government I cast upon my brother

And to my state grew stranger, being transported
And rapt in secret studies. Thy false uncle -
Dost thou attend me?

Mir.

Sir, most heedfully.

Pros. Being once perfected how to grant suits, How to deny them, who t' advance and who

To trash for overtopping, new created

63 holp helped, old form, common in S.'s plays.

64 teen anxiety, trouble.

81 trash, hunting slang for check.

50

60

70

80

The creatures that were mine, I say, or chang'd 'em,
Or else new form'd 'em; having both the key
Of officer and office, set all hearts i' th' state

To what tune pleas'd his ear; that now he was
The ivy which had hid my princely trunk,

And suck'd my verdure out on 't. Thou attend'st not.
Mir. O, good sir, I do.

Pros.
I pray thee, mark me.
I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated
To closeness and the bettering of my mind
With that which, but by being so retir'd,
O'er-priz'd all popular rate, in my false brother
Awak'd an evil nature; and my trust,
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falsehood, in its contrary as great

As my trust was; which had indeed no limit,

A confidence sans bound. He being thus lorded,
Not only with what my revenue yielded,

But what my power might else exact, like one
Who having unto truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory,

To credit his own lie, he did believe

He was indeed the duke ; out o' th' substitution,

And executing th' outward face of royalty,

With all prerogative: hence his ambition growing-
Dost thou hear?

Mir.

Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.
Pros. To have no screen between this part he play'd
And him he play'd it for, he needs will be

Absolute Milan. Me, poor man!— my library
Was dukedom large enough: of temporal royalties
He thinks me now incapable; confederates —
So dry he was for sway - wi' th' King of Naples
To give him annual tribute, do him homage,
Subject his coronet to his crown, and bend

The dukedom yet unbow'd — alas, poor Milan! -
To most ignoble stooping.

Mir.

O the heavens !

Pros. Mark his condition and th' event; then tell me If this might be a brother.

90

100

110

Now the condition.

120

This King of Naples, being an enemy

sans bound without bound. This French word was commonly used in 8.'s time.

To me inveterate, hearkens my brother's suit;
Which was, that he, in lieu o' th' 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 midnight
Fated to th' purpose did Antonio open

The gates of Milan, and, i' th' dead of darkness,
The ministers for the purpose hurri'd thence
Me and thy crying self.

Mir.

Alack, for pity! I, not remembering how I cri'd out then, it o'er again: it is a hint

Will cry

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

Mir.

Was I then to you!

Pros.

Alack, what trouble

O, a cherubin

Thou didst smile,

Thou wast that did preserve me.

Infused with a fortitude from heaven,

When I have deck'd the sea with drops full salt,
Under my burthen groan'd; which rais'd in me

An undergoing stomach, to bear up

Against what should ensue.

123 in lieu in consideration, payment.

139 wench girl, simply.

152 cherubin the old form of cherub; from Ital. cherubino.
157 undergoing stomach = sustaining courage.

130

140

150

Mir.

How came we ashore?

160

Pros. By Providence divine.

Some food we had and some fresh water that

A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,

Out of his charity, 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

Mir.

I prize above

Pros.

Now I arise:

[Puts on his robe.

But ever see that man!

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 princess can that have more time

For vainer hours and tutors not so careful.

170

Mir. Heavens thank you for 't! And now I pray you, sir, For still 't is beating in my mind, your reason

For raising this sea-storm?

Pros.

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; 't is a good dulness,
And give it way: I know thou canst not choose.
Come away, servant, come. I am ready now.
Approach, my Ariel, come.

Enter ARIEL.

180

[Miranda sleeps.

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: sometime I 'ld divide,

190