MIRA. I fhould fin

To think but nobly of my grandmother:
Good wombs have borne bad fons.

PRO. Now the condition.

This king of Naples, being an enemy

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

Out of the dukedom; and confer fair Milan,
With all the honours, on my brother: Whereon,
A treacherous army levy'd, one midnight
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 felf.

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.

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. Wherefore did they not

That hour destroy us?

PRO. Well demanded, wench;

My tale provokes that question. Dear, they durft not;

(So dear the love my people bore me) nor fet

A mark fo bloody on the bufinefs; but

With colours fairer painted their foul ends.
In few, they hurried us aboard a bark;

Bore us fome leagues to fea; where they prepar'd

A rotten carcafs of a boat, not rigg'd,
Nor tackle, fail, nor maft; the very rats
Inftinctively had quit it: there they hoift us,
To cry to the fea that roar'd to us; to figh
To the winds, whose pity, fighing back again,
Did us but loving wrong.

MIRA. Alack! what trouble

Was I then to you!

PRO. O! a cherubim

Thou waft, that did preserve me! Thou didst fmile,
Infused with a fortitude from heaven,

When I have deck'd the sea with drops full falt;
Under my burden groan'd; which rais'd in me
An undergoing ftomach, to bear up

Against what should enfue.

MIRA. How came we afhore?

PRO. By Providence divine.

Some food we had, and fome fresh water, that
A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,

Out of his charity, (who being then appointed
Master of this defign,) did give us; with

Rich garments, linens, stuffs, and neceffaries,
Which fince have fteaded much fo, of his gentleness,
Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me,

From my own library, with volumes that

Sit still, and hear the last of our fea-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.
MIRA. Heavens thank for't! And now,
you
you, fir,

(For ftill 'tis beating in my mind) your reason
For raifing this fea-storm?

PRO. Know thus far forth.

By accident moft ftrange, bountiful fortune,
Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies
Brought to this fhore: and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon
A moft aufpicious ftar; whofe influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes

Will ever after droop.-Here ceafe more queftions;
Thou art inclin'd to fleep; 'tis a good dulnefs,
And give it way;-I know thou can'ft not choose.-
[MIRANDA Sleeps.
Come away, fervant, come: I am ready now;
Approach, my Ariel; come.

Enter ARIEL.

ARI. All hail, great master! grave fir, 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 ftrong bidding, task

Ariel, and all his quality.

PRO. Haft thou, fpirit,

Perform'd to point the tempeft that I bade thee?
ARI. To every article.

I boarded the king's fhip; now on the beak,
Now in the waift, the deck, in every cabin,
I flam'd amazement: Sometimes, I'd divide,
And burn in many places; on the top-maft,
The yards and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly,
Then meet, and join: Jove's lightnings, the precurfors.

O' the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary
And fight-out-running were not: The fire, and cracks
Of fulphurous roaring, the most mighty Neptune
Seem'd to befiege, and make his bold waves tremble,
Yea, his dread trident shake.

PRO. My brave spirit!

Who was fo firm, fo conftant, that this coil
Would not infect his reafon?

ARI. Not a foul

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

Some tricks of defperation: All, but mariners,
Plung'd in the foaming brine, and quit the veffel,
Then all a-fire with me: the king's fon, 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. Why, that's my spirit!
But was not this nigh fhore?
ARI. Close by, my master.
PRO. But are they, Ariel, fafe?
ARI. Not a hair perish'd;

On their fuftaining garments not a blemish,
But fresher than before: and, as thou bad'ft me,
In troops I have difpers'd them 'bout the isle:
The king's fon have I landed by himself;
Whom I left cooling of the air with fighs,
In an odd angle of the ifle, and fitting,
His arms in this fad knot.

PRO. Of the king's ship,

The mariners, fay, how thou haft difpos'd,
And all the reft o' the fleet?

ARI. Safely in harbour

Is the king's ship; in the deep nook, where once

Thou call'dft me up at midnight, to fetch dew
From the ftill-vex'd Bermoothes, there she's hid:
The mariners all under hatches ftow'd;

Whom, with a charm join'd to their fuffer'd labour,
I have left asleep: and for the rest o' the fleet,
Which I difpers'd, they all have met again;
And are upon the Mediterranean flote,

Bound fadly home for Naples;

Suppofing that they saw the king's ship wreck'd,
And his great perfon perish.

PRO. Ariel, thy charge

Exactly is perform'd; but there's more work:
What is the time o' the day?

ARI. Paft the mid feafon.

PRO. At least two glaffes: The time 'twixt fix and now, Muft by us both be spent most preciously.

ARI. Is there more toil? Since thou doft give me pains, Let me remember thee what thou haft promis'd, Which is not yet perform'd me.

PRO. How now? moody?

What is't thou can'st demand?

ARI. My liberty.

PRO. Before the time be out? no more.

Remember, I have done thee worthy service;

Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, ferv'd
Without or grudge, or grumblings: thou didst promise
To bate me a full year.

PRO. Doft thou forget

From what a torment I did free thee?

ARI. No.

PRO. Thou doft; and think'ft

It much, to tread the ooze of the falt deep;