Seb. A living drollery. Now I will believe, That there are unicorns; that, in Arabia

There is one tree, the phoenix' throne; one phoenix At this hour reigning there.

Ant. I'll believe both :

And what does elfe want credit, come to me,

And I'll be fworn 'tis true.

Travellers ne'er did lie,

Though fools at home condemn 'em.

Gon. If in Naples

I fhould report this now, would they believe me?
If I fhould fay, I faw fuch iflanders:

(For, certes, these are people of the Island)
Who tho' they are of monstrous fhape, yet, note,
Their manners are more gentle-kind, than of
Our human generation you fhall find

Many; nay, almost any.

Pro. Honeft lord,

Thou haft faid well; for fome of you there prefent Are worfe than devils.

Alon. I cannot too much mufe,

Such fhapes, fuch gefture, and fuch found, expreffing (Although they want the ufe of tongue) a kind Of excellent dumb discourse.

Pro. Praise, in departing.

Fran. They vanish'd ftrangely.

Seb. No matter, fince

They've left their viands behind; for we have stomachs. Will't please you taste of what is here ?

Alon. Not I.

[boys,

Gon. Faith, Sir, you need not fear. When we were Who would believe, that there were mountaineers, Dew-lapt like bulls, whofe throats had hanging at 'em Wallets of flesh, or that there were fuch men,

Whofe heads ftood in their breafts? which now we find, Each putter out on five for one will bring us 2

Good

2 This paffage alluding to a the putter out must be a traveller, forgotten cuftom is very abfcure; elfe how could he give this ac

count?

Good warrant of.

Alon. I will ftand to and feed,

Although my laft; no matter, fince I feel
The best is past. Brother, my lord the Duke,
Stand to, and dọ as we.

Thunder and lightning. Enter Ariel like a harpy, claps his wings upon the table, feems to feize upon the dishes, and with a quaint device the banquet vanishes.

Ari. You are three men of fin, whom destiny, That hath to inftrument this lower world, And what is in't, the never-forfeited fea Hath caused to belch up; and on this Inland Where man doth not inhabit, you 'mongst men Being moft unfit to live. I have made you mad; And ev❜n with fuch like valour men hang and drown Their proper felves. [Alonfo, Sebaftian, and the reft Ye fools! I and my fellows [draw their fwords.

Are minifters of fate; the elements,

Of whom your fwords are temper'd, may as well
Wound the loud winds, or with bemockt-at ftabs
Kill the ftill-clofing waters, as diminish

One down that's in my plume: my fellow-minifters
Are like invulnerable. If you could hurt,
Your swords are now too maffy for your strengths,
And will not be up-lifted. But remember,
(For that's my bufinets to you) that you three
From Milan did fupplant good Profpero:
Expos'd unto the lea, which hath requit it,
Him, and his innocent child: for which foul deed
The powers, delaying not forgetting, have
Incens'd the feas and thores, yea, all the creatures,

count? the five for one is money to be received by him at his return, Mr. Theobald has well il

laftrated this paffage by a quotation from Johnson.

Against

Againft your peace. Thee of thy fon, Alonso,
They have bereft; and do pronounce by me,
Ling'ring perdition, worse than any death
Can be at once, shall step by step attend

You and your ways; whofe wrath to guard you from,
Which here in this most defolate Inle elle falls

Upon your heads, is nothing but heart's forrow,
And a clear life enfuing. 3

He vanishes in thunder: then to foft mufick. Enter the Shapes again, and dance with mops and mowes, and carrying out the table.

Prov. Bravely the figure of this harpy haft thou Perform'd, my Ariel; a grace it had, devouring: Of my inftruction haft thou nothing 'bated, In what thou hadt to fay; fo with good life, 4 And obfervation ftrange, my meaner ministers Their feveral kinds have done. My high charms work, And these, mine enemies, are all knit up In their distractions: they are in my power; And in thefe fits I leave them, whilt I vifit` Young Ferdinand, whom they fuppofe is drown'd, And his and my lov'd darling.

[Exit Profpero from above. Gon. I'th' name of fomething holy, Sir, why ftand

In this ftrange ftare?

Alon. O, it is monftrous! monftrous! Methought, the billows fpoke, and told me of it The winds did fing it to me; and the thunder,

3 clear life.] Pure, blamelefs, innocent.

4

with good life.] This feems a corruption. I know not in what fenfe life can here be ufed, unless for alacrity, livelinefs, vigour, and in this fenfe the expreffion is harth. Perhapa we may read,

with good lift,

[you

with good will, with fincere zeal for my service. I fhould have propofed,

rvith good lief, in the fame fenfe, but that I can. not find lief to be a Subftantive.

That

That deep and dreadful organ-pipe, pronounc'd
The Name of Profper: it did bais my treipals. 5
Therefore, my fon i'th' ooze is bedded; and
I'll feek him deeper than e'er plummet founded,
And with him there lye mudded.

Seb. But one fiend at a time,

I'll fight their legions o'er.
Ant. I'll be thy fecond.

[Exit.

[Exeunt.

Gon. All three of them are defperate; their great guilt, Like poifon giv'n to work a great time after, Now 'gins to bite the fpirits. I do befeech you That are of fuppler joints, follow them fwiftly; And hinder them from what this ecftafie May now provoke them to.

Adri. Follow, I pray you,

ACT IV.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.

I'

Profpero's Cell.

Enter Profpero, Ferdinand, and Miranda.

PROSPER O.

F-I have too aufterely punish'd you,

Your compenfation makes amends, for I Have giv'n you here a third of mine own life: 6

5 bafs my trefpafs.] The deep pipe told it me in a rough bafs found.

6 Thus all the Impreffions in general; but why is She only a Third of his own Life He had no wife living, nor any other Child, to rob her of a Share in his Affection: So that we may reckon her at least half of him

Or

Or that for which I live; whom once again
I tender to thine hand: all my vexations
Were but my tryals of thy love, and thou
Haft ftrangely ftood the teft, 7 Here, afore heaven,
I ratify this my rich gift: O Ferdinand,

Do not smile at me, that I boast her off;
For thou shalt find, the will outstrip all praise,
And make it halt behind her.

Fer. I believe it, Against an oracle.

Pro. Then as my gift, and thine own acquifition
Worthily purchas'd, take my Daughter. But
If thou doit break her virgin-knot, before
All fanctimonious ceremonies may

With full and holy Rite be minifter'd,
No sweet afperfions fhall the heav'ns let fall
To make this contract grow: but barren hate,
Sour-ey'd difdain, and difcord fhall beftrew
The union of your bed with weeds fo loathly,
That you fhall hate it both: therefore take heed,
As Hymen's lamps fhall light you.

Fer. As I hope

For quiet days, fair iffue, and long life,

With fuch love as 'tis now; the murkieft den,

The moft opportune place, the frong'ft fuggeftion Our worfer Genius can, fhall never melt

Mine honour into luft; to take away

The edge of that day's celebration,

When I fhall think or Phabus' steeds are founder'd,