And even with suchlike valour men hang and drown

Their proper selves.

Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio draw

You fools! I and my fellows

Are ministers of fate. The elements

Of whom your swords are tempered may as well

Wound the loud winds, or with bemocked-at stabs

Kill the still-closing waters, as diminish

One dowl that’s in my plume. My fellow ministers

Are like invulnerable. If you could hurt,

Your swords are now too massy for your strengths

And will not be uplifted.

Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio stand amazed

But remember,

For that’s my business to you, that you three

From Milan did supplant good Prospero;

Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it,

Him and his innocent child; for which foul deed,

The powers, delaying not forgetting, have

Incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures,

Against your peace. Thee of thy son, Alonso,

They have bereft, and do pronounce by me

Ling’ring perdition—worse than any death

Can be at once—shatt step by step attend

You and your ways; whose wraths to guard you

from—

Which here in this most desolate isle else falls

Upon your heads—is nothing but heart’s sorrow

And a clear life ensuing.

He ⌈ascends and⌉ vanishes in thunder. Then, to soft music, enter the spirits again, and dance with mocks and mows, and they depart, carrying out the table

PROSPERO

Bravely the figure of this harpy hast thou

Performed, my Ariel; a grace it had devouring.

Of my instruction hast thou nothing bated

In what thou hadst to say. So with good life

And observation strange my meaner ministers

Their several kinds have done. My high charms work,

And these mine enemies are all knit up

In their distractions. They now are in my power;

And in these fits I leave them, while I visit

Young Ferdinand, whom they suppose is drowned,

And his and mine loved darling.

Exit

⌈Gonzalo, Adrian, and Francisco go towards the others⌉

GONZALO

I’th’ name of something holy, sir, why stand you

In this strange stare?

ALONSO

O, it is monstrous, monstrous!

Methought the billows spoke and told me of it,

The winds did sing it to me, and the thunder,

That deep and dreadful organ-pipe, pronounced

The name of Prosper. It did bass my trespass.

Therefor my son i’th’ ooze is bedded, and

I’ll seek him deeper than e’er plummet sounded,

And with him there lie mudded.

Exit

SEBASTIAN

But one fiend at a time,

I’ll fight their legions o’er.

ANTONIO

I’ll be thy second.

Exeunt Sebastian and Antonio

GONZALO

All three of them are desperate. Their great guilt,

Like poison given to work a great time after,

Now ’gins to bite the spirits. I do beseech you

That are of suppler joints, follow them swiftly,

And hinder them from what this ecstasy

May now provoke them to.

ADRIAN

Follow, I pray you. Exeunt

4.1 Enter Prospero, Ferdinand, and Miranda

PROSPFRO (to Ferdinand)

If I have too austerely punished you,

Your compensation makes amends, for I

Have given you here a third of mine own tife—

Or that for which I live—who once again

I tender to thy hand. All thy vexations

Were but my trials of thy love, and thou

Hast strangely stood the test. Here, afore heaven,

I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand,

Do not smile at me that I boast of her,

For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise,

And make it halt behind her.

FERDINAND

I do believe it

Against an oracle.

PROSPERO

Then, as my gift and thine own acquisition

Worthily purchased, take my daughter. But

If thou dost break her virgin-knot before

All sanctimonious ceremonies may

With full and holy rite be ministered,

No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall

To make this contract grow; but barren hate,

Sour-eyed disdain, and discord, shall bestrew

The union of your bed with weeds so loathly

That you shall hate it both. Therefore take heed,

As Hymen’s lamps shall light you.

FERDINAND

As I hope

For quiet days, fair issue, and long life

With such love as ’tis now, the murkiest den,

The most opportune place, the strong’st suggestion

Our worser genius can, shall never melt

Mine honour into lust to take away

The edge of that day’s celebration;

When I shall think or Phoebus’ steeds are foundered

Or night kept chained below.

PROSPERO

Fairly spoke.

Sit, then, and talk with her. She is thine own.

Ferdinand and Miranda sit and talk together

What, Ariel, my industrious servant Ariel!

Enter Ariel

ARIEL

What would my potent master? Here I am.

PROSPERO

Thou and thy meaner fellows your last service

Did worthily perform, and I must use you

In such another trick. Go bring the rabble,