FERDINAND (to Miranda)

This is strange. Your father’s in some passion

That works him strongly.

MIRANDA

Never till this day

Saw I him touched with anger so distempered.

PROSPERO

You do look, my son, in a moved sort,

As if you were dismayed. Be cheerful, sir.

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,

As I foretold you, were all spirits, and

Are melted into air, into thin air;

And like the baseless fabric of this vision,

The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve;

And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff

As dreams are made on, and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vexed.

Bear with my weakness. My old brain is troubled.

Be not disturbed with my infirmity.

If you be pleased, retire into my cell,

And there repose. A turn or two I’ll walk

To still my beating mind.

FERDINAND and MIRANDA

We wish your peace.

Exeunt Ferdinand and Miranda

PROSPERO

Come with a thought! I thank thee, Ariel. Come!

Enter Ariel

ARIEL

Thy thoughts I cleave to. What’s thy pleasure?

PROSPERO

Spirit,

We must prepare to meet with Caliban.

ARIEL

Ay, my commander. When I presented Ceres

I thought to have told thee of it, but I feared

Lest I might anger thee.

PROSPERO

Say again: where didst thou leave these varlets?

ARIEL

I told you, sir, they were red-hot with drinking;

So full of valour that they smote the air

For breathing in their faces, beat the ground

For kissing of their feet; yet always bending

Towards their project. Then I beat my tabor,

At which like unbacked colts they pricked their ears,

Advanced their eyelids, lifted up their noses

As they smelt music. So I charmed their ears

That calf-like they my lowing followed, through

Toothed briars, sharp furzes, pricking gorse, and

thorns,

Which entered their frail shins. At last I left them

I’th’ filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell,

There dancing up to th’ chins, that the foul lake

O’er-stunk their feet.

PROSPERO

This was well done, my bird.

Thy shape invisible retain thou still.

The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither

For stale to catch these thieves.

ARIEL

I go, I go.

Exit

PROSPERO

A devil, a born devil, on whose nature

Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains,

Humanely taken, all, all lost, quite lost,

And, as with age his body uglier grows,

So his mind cankers. I will plague them all,

Even to roaring.

Enter Ariel, laden with glistening apparel, etc.

Come, hang them on this lime.

Ariel hangs up the apparel. ⌈Exeunt Prospero and

Ariel.⌉

Enter Caliban, Stefano, and Trinculo, all wet

CALIBAN

Pray you, tread softly, that the blind mole may

Not hear a foot fall. We now are near his cell.

STEFANO Monster, your fairy, which you say is a harmless fairy, has done little better than played the Jack with us.

TRINCULO Monster, I do smell all horse-piss, at which my nose is in great indignation.

STEFANO So is mine. Do you hear, monster? If I should take a displeasure against you, look you—

TRINCULO Thou wert but a lost monster.

CALIBAN

Good my lord, give me thy favour still.

Be patient, for the prize I’ll bring thee to

Shall hoodwink this mischance. Therefore speak softly.

All’s hushed as midnight yet.

TRINCULO Ay, but to lose our bottles in the pool!

STEFANO There is not only disgrace and dishonour in that, monster, but an infinite loss.

TRINCULO That’s more to me than my wetting. Yet this is your harmless fairy, monster.

STEFANO I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o’er ears for my labour.

CALIBAN

Prithee, my king, be quiet. Seest thou here;

This is the mouth o’th’ cell. No noise, and enter.

Do that good mischief which may make this island

Thine own for ever, and I thy Caliban

For aye thy foot-licker.

STEFANO

Give me thy hand.

I do begin to have bloody thoughts.

TRINCULO (seeing the apparel) O King Stefano, O peer! O worthy Stefano, look what a wardrobe here is for thee!

CALIBAN

Let it alone, thou fool, it is but trash.

TRINCULO (putting on a gown) O ho, monster, we know what belongs to a frippery! O King Stefano!

STEFANO Put off that gown, Trinculo. By this hand, I’ll have that gown.

TRINCULO Thy grace shall have it.

CALIBAN

The dropsy drown this fool! What do you mean

To dote thus on such luggage? Let’t alone,

And do the murder first. If he awake,

From toe to crown he’ll fill our skins with pinches,

Make us strange stuff.

STEFANO Be you quiet, monster.—Mistress lime, is not this my jerkin? Now is the jerkin under the line. Now, jerkin, you are like to lose your hair and prove a bald jerkin.

Stefano and Trinculo take garments

TRINCULO Do, do! We steal by line and level, an’t like your grace.

STEFANO I thank thee for that jest. Here’s a garment for’t. Wit shall not go unrewarded while I am king of this country. ‘Steal by line and level’ is an excellent pass of pate. There’s another garment for’t.

TRINCULO Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and away with the rest.

CALIBAN

I will have none on’t. We shall lose our time,

And all be turned to barnacles, or to apes

With foreheads villainous low.

STEFANO Monster, lay to your fingers. Help to bear this away where my hogshead of wine is, or I’ll turn you out of my kingdom. Go to, carry this.