Be living, and be here?
Pro.

First, noble friend,

Let me embrace thine age; whose honour cannot

Be measur'd, or confin'd.

Gon.

Or be not, I'll not swear.
Pro.

Whether this be,

You do yet taste Some subtilties o' the isle, that will not let you Believe things certain :-Welcome, my friends

all:

But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded,

[Aside to Seb. and Ant.

I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you,
And justify you traitors; at this time
I'll tell no tales.

Seb.

Pro.

The devil speaks in him. [Aside.
No;-

For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault; all of them; and require
My dukedom of thee, which, perforce, I know,

Thou must restore.

Alon.

If thou beest Prospero,

Give us particulars of thy preservation;

How thou hast met us here, who three hours since Were wreck'd upon this shore; where I have lost, How sharp the point of this remembrance is !

My dear son Ferdinand.

Pro.

I am wol for't, sir.

Alon. Irreparable is the loss; and Patience

Says, it is past her cure.

Pro.

I rather think

You have not sought her help; of whose soft grace, For the like loss, I have her sovereign aid,

And rest myself content.

Alon.

You the like loss?

Pro. As great to me, as late; and, portable2 To make the dear loss, have I means much weaker

Than you may call to comfort you; for I
Have lost my daughter.

Alon.

A daughter?

O heavens! that they were living both in Naples,
The king and queen there! that they were, I wish
Myself were mudded in that oozy bed
Where my son lies. When did you lose your

daughter?

Pro. In this last tempest. I perceive, these lords At this encounter do so much admire, That they devour their reason; and scarce think Their eyes do offices of truth, their words Are natural breath; but, howsoe'er you have Been justled from your senses, know for certain, That I am Prospero, and that very duke Which was thrust forth of Milan; whomost strangely Upon this shore, where you were wreck'd, was

landed,

To be the lord on't. No more yet of this;
For 'tis a chronicle of day by day,
Not a relation for a breakfast, nor

Befitting this first meeting. Welcome, sir;
This cell's my court here have I few attendants,
And subjects none abroad: pray you, look in.
My dukedom since you have given me again,
I will requite you with as good a thing;
At least, bring forth a wonder, to content ye,
As much as me my dukedom.

The entrance of the cell opens, and discovers Ferdinand and Miranda playing at chess.

Mira. Sweet lord, you play me false.

Fer.

I would not for the world.

1

No, my dearest love,

Mira. Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should

wrangle,

And I would call it fair play.

Alon.

If this prove

A vision of the island, one dear son

Shall I twice lose.

Seb. A most high miracle!

Fer. Though the seas threaten, they are merciful,

I have curs'd them without cause.

Alon.

[Ferd. kneels to Alon.

Now all the blessings

Of a glad father compass thee about!

Arise, and say how thou cam'st here.

Mira.

O! wonder.

How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,

That has such people in't!

Pro.

'Tis new to thee.

Alon. What is this maid, with whom thou wast

at play?

Your eld'st acquaintance cannot be three hours :
Is she the goddess that hath sever'd us,
And brought us thus together?

Fer.

Sir, she's mortal;

But, by immortal Providence, she's mine;
I chose her, when I could not ask my father
For his advice; nor thought I had one: she
Is daughter to this famous duke of Milan,
Of whom so often I have heard renown,
But never saw before; of whom I have
Receiv'd a second life, and second father
This lady makes him to me.

Alon.

I am hers:

But O, how oddly will it sound, that I
Must ask my child forgiveness!

Pro.

There, sir, stop:

Let us not burden our remembrances

With a heaviness that's gone.

Gon.

I have inly wept, Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you gods, And on this couple drop a blessed crown; For it is you, that have chalk'd forth the way Which brought us hither! Alon.

I say, Amen, Gonzalo!

Gon. Was Milan thrust from Milan, that his i

Should become king of Naples? O, rejoice
Beyond a common joy; and set it down
With gold on lasting pillars: In one voyage
Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis;
And Ferdinand, her brother, found a wife,
Where he himself was lost; Prospero his dukedom,
In a poor isle; and all of us, ourselves,

When no man was his own.1

Alon.

Give me your hands: [To Fer. and Mira.

Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart,

That doth not wish you joy!

Gon.

Be't so! Amen!

Re-enter Ariel, with the Master and Boatswain

amazedly following.

O look, sir, look, sir; here are more of us!
I prophesied, if a gallows were on land,
This fellow could not drown :-Now, blasphemy,
That swear'st grace o'erboard, not an oath on shore?
Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news?
Boats. The best news is, that we have safely found
Our king and company: the next our ship,-
Which, but three glasses since, we gave out split,-
Is tight and yare, 2 and bravely rigg'd, as when

We first put out to sea.

Ari.

Sir, all this service

Have I done since I went.

Pro:

My tricksy3 spirit!

[Aside.

Alon. These are not natural events; they

strengthen,

From strange to stranger.-Say, how came you

hither?

Boats. If I did think, sir, I were well awake, I'd strive to tell you. We were dead of sleep, And (how, we know not) all clapp'd under hatches, Where, but even now, with strange and several

noises

(1) In his senses. (2) Ready. (3) Clever, adroit.

Of roaring, shrieking, howling, gingling chains,
And more diversity of sounds, all horrible,
We were awak'd; straightway, at liberty;
Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld
Our royal, good, and gallant ship; our master
Cap'ring to eye her: On a trice, so please you,
Even in a dream, were we divided from them,
And were brought moping hither.

Ari.

Was't well done?

Pro. Bravely, my diligence. shalt be free.

Thou [Aside.

Alon. This is as strange a maze as e'er men trod :

And there is in this business more than nature

Was ever conduct1 of: some oracle

Must rectify our knowledge.

Pro.

Sir, my liege,

Do not infest your mind with beating on
The strangeness of this business; at pick'd leisure,
Which shall be shortly, single I'll resolve you
(Which to you shall seem probable,) of every
These happen'd accidents; till when, be cheerful,
And think of each thing well. Come hither, spirit;

[Aside.

Set Caliban and his companions free :
Untie the spell. [Exit Ariel.] How fares my gra-

cious sir?

There are yet missing of your company
Some few odd lads, that you remember not.

Re-enter Ariel, driving in Caliban, Stephano, and
Trinculo, in their stolen apparel.

Ste. Every man shift for all the rest, and let no man take care for himself; for all is but fortune :-Coragio, bully-monster, Coragio!

Trin. If these be true spies which I wear in my head, here's a goodly sight. Cal. O Setebos, these be brave spirits, indeed! How fine my master is! I am afraid

(1) Conductor.