Execute all things: for no kind of traffic
Would I admit; no name of magistrate;
Letters should not be known: riches, poverty,
And use of service, none; contract, succession,
Bourn, bound of land, tilth1, vineyard, none:
No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil:
No occupation; all men idle, all;

And women too; but innocent and pure:
No sovereignty:-

Seb.

Yet he would be king on't.

Ant. The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the be

ginning.

Gon. I would with such perfection govern, sir,

To excel the golden age.

Seb.

Save his majesty!

Ant. Long live Gonzalo !
Gon.
And, do you mark me, sir?
Alon. Prithee, no more: thou dost talk nothing to me.

Gon. I do well believe your highness; and did it to minister occasion to these gentlemen, who are of such sensible and nimble lungs, that they always use 2 to laugh at nothing. Ant. 'Twas you we laughed at.

Gon. Who, in this kind of merry fooling, am nothing to you so you may continue, and laugh at nothing still. You are gentlemen of brave mettle; you would lift the moon out of her sphere, if she would continue in it five weeks without changing.

Enter ARIEL invisible, playing solemn music.

Seb. We would so, and then go a bat-fowling.
Ant. Nay, good my lord, be not angry.

Gon. No, I warrant you; I will not adventure my discretion so weakly. Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy?

Ant. Go sleep, and hear us.

[All sleep but ALON. SEB. and ANT. Alon. What, all so soon asleep! I wish mine eyes Would, with themselves, shut up my thoughts; I find,

They are inclined to do so.

Seb.

Please you, sir,

Do not omit the heavy offer of it:

1 Cultivation of the earth, from "to till." 2 Are in the habit of laughing.

[ALONSO sleeps. Exit ARIEL.

Seb. What a strange drowsiness possesses them!
Ant. It is the quality of the climate.

1

Why

Seb.
Doth it not then our eyelids sink? I find not
Myself disposed to sleep.

Ant.

Nor I; my spirits are nimble.

They fell together all, as by consent:

They dropped, as by a thunder-stroke. What might,
Worthy Sebastian?-O, what might?—No more :—
And yet, methinks, I see it in thy face,

What thou should'st be: the occasion speaks thee; and
My strong imagination sees a crown
Dropping upon thy head.

Seb.

What, art thou waking?

Ant. Do you not hear me speak?

Seb.

I do; and, surely,

It is a sleepy language; and thou speak'st
Out of thy sleep: What is it thou didst say?
This is a strange repose, to be asleep

With eyes wide open; standing, speaking, moving,
And yet so fast asleep.

Ant.

Noble Sebastian,

Thou lett'st thy fortune sleep- die rather; wink'st
Whiles thou art waking.

Seb.

Prithee say on:

The setting of thine eye, and cheek, proclaim

A matter from thee; and a birth, indeed,

Which throes thee much to yield.

Ant.

Thus, sir:

Although this lord of weak remembrance, this (Who shall be of as little memory,

When he is earthed) hath here almost persuaded (For he's a spirit of persuasion, only

Professes to persuade) the king, his son's alive,—

1 Nature.

'Tis as impossible that he's undrowned,

As he that sleeps here, swims.

Seb.

That he's undrowned.

Ant.

I have no hope

O, out of that no hope,

What great hope have you! no hope, that way, is
Another way so high a hope, that even
Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond,

But doubts discovery there.
That Ferdinand is drowned?

Seb. Ant.

Will you grant, with me,

Who's the next heir of Naples?

Seb.

Ant. She that is queen of Tunis: she that dwells Ten leagues beyond man's life1; she that from Naples Can have no note, unless the sun were post,

(The man in the moon's too slow) till new-born chins
Be rough and razorable; she, from whom

We all were sea-swallowed, though some cast again;
And by that destiny to perform an act,

Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come,
In yours and my discharge.

Seb.
What stuff is this?-How say you?
'Tis true, my brother's daughter's queen of Tunis ;
So is she heir of Naples; 'twixt which regions
There is some space.

Ant.

A space whose every cubit

Seems to cry out, "How shall that Claribel
Measure us back to Naples?"-Keep in Tunis,
And let Sebastian wake!-Say, this were death

That now hath seized them; why, they were no worse
Than now they are: There be, that can rule Naples,
As well as he that sleeps; lords, that can prate

As amply and unnecessarily,

As this Gonzalo ;-I myself could make
A chough of as deep chat. O, that you bore
The mind that I do! what a sleep were this

For your advancement! Do you understand me?
Seb. Methinks, I do.

Ant.

And how does your content

Tender your own good fortune?

1 Farther off than the life of man would be long enough to reach.

Seb.

I remember,

You did supplant your brother Prospero.
Ant.

True:

And, look, how well my garments sit upon me;
Much feater than before: My brother's servants
Were then my fellows, now they are my men.
Seb. But, for your conscience-

Ant. Ay, sir; where lies that? if 'twere a kybe2,
'Twould put me to my slipper: But I feel not
This deity in my bosom; twenty consciences,
That stand 'twixt me and Milan, candied 3 be they,
And melt, ere they molest! Here lies your brother,
No better than the earth he lies upon,

If he were that which now he's like, that's dead;
Whom I, with this obedient steel, three inches of it,
Can lay to bed for ever: whiles you, doing thus,
To the perpetual wink for aye1 might put
This ancient morsel, this sir Prudence, who
Should not upbraid our course.
For all the rest,

They'll take suggestion, as a cat laps milk;
They'll tell the clock to any business that
We say befits the hour.

Seb.

Thy case, dear friend,

Shall be my precedent: as thou got'st Milan,

I'll come by Naples. Draw thy sword: one stroke
Shall free thee from the tribute which thou payest;
And I, the king, shall love thee.

Ant.

And when I rear my hand, do you the like,

Draw together:

[They converse apart.

Music. Re-enter ARIEL, invisible.

Ari. My master, through his art, foresees the danger That you, his friend, are in; and sends me forth,

(For else his project dies,) to keep them living.

If of life you keep a care,

Shake off slumber, and beware ;
Awake! Awake!

Ant. Then let us both be sudden.

Gon. Now, good angels, preserve the king!

[They awake. Alon. Why, how now, ho! awake! Why are you drawn?1 Wherefore this ghastly looking?

Gon.

What's the matter?

Seb. Whiles we stood here securing your repose,
Even now, we heard a hollow burst of bellowing,
Like bulls, or rather lions: did it not wake you?
It struck mine ear most terribly.

Alon.

I heard nothing.

Ant. O, 'twas a din to fright a monster's ear; To make an earthquake! sure, it was the roar Of a whole herd of lions.

Alon.

Heard you this, Gonzalo?

Gon. Upon mine honour, sir, I heard a humming,
And that a strange one too, which did awake me:
I shaked you, sir, and cried; as mine eyes opened,
I saw their weapons drawn:-There was a noise,
That's verity: "Tis best we stand upon our guard;
Or that we quit this place; let's draw our weapons.

Alon. Lead off this ground; and let's make further search For my poor son.

Gon.

Heavens keep him from these beasts!

For he is, sure, in the island.

Alon.

Lead away.

Ari. Prospero, my lord, shall know what I have done :

So, king, go safely on to seek thy son.

Aside. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.-Another part of the Island.

Enter CALIBAN, with a burthen of Wood.-A noise of Thunder heard.

Cal. All the infections that the sun sucks up

From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall, and make him

2

By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me,

1 Why have you your swords drawn?

2 Parts of the size of an inch.

F