The fetting 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 fhill be of as little memory,

When he is earth'd; hath here almost perfuaded,
For he's a fpirit of perfuafion, only 3
Profeffes to perfuade the King, his fon's alive;
'Tis as impoffible that he's undrown'd,
As he, that fleeps here, fwims.

Seb. I have no hope,

That he's undrown'd.

Ant. O, out of that no hope,

What great hope have you? no hope, that way, is Another way fo high an hope, that even

Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond, +

But doubts difcovery there.

That Ferdinand is drown'd?

Seb. He's gone.

Ant. Then tell me

Will you grant, with me

Who's the next heir of Naples ?

Seb. Claribel.

Ant. She that is Queen of Tunis, fhe that dwells Ten leagues beyond man's life; fhe that from Naples

2 This lord who being now in his dotage has outlived his faculty of remembring, and who once laid in the Ground fhall be as little remembered himff

as he can now remember other things.

For he's afpirit of perfuafion.] Of this entangled fentence I can draw no fenfe from the prefent reading, and therefore imagine that the Author give it thus:

For he, a spirit of perfuafion, only prefiffes to perfuade.

Of which the meaning may be either that be alone who is a Spirit of perfuafion, professes to per frade the King or that, He only profefes to perfuade that is quith. out being jo perjuaded himself he makes a few of perfuading the King

4 I hat this is the utmoft extent of the profpe&t of ambition, the point where the eye can pafs no further, and where objects lofe their diftinctnefs, fo that what is there difovered, is faint, obfcure, and doubtful.

Can

Can have no note, unless the fun were poit,

(The man i' th' moon's too flow) 'till new-born chins
Be rough and and razorable; fhe, from whom
We were fea-fwallow'd: tho' fome, caft again, s
And by that deftiny, to perform an act,

Whereof, what's paft is prologue; what to come,
Is yours and my difcharge-

Seb. What ftuff is this? how lay you?

'Tis true, my brother's daughter's Queen of Tunis, So is the heir of Naples; 'twixt which regions. There is fome space.

Ant. A fpace, whose ev'ry cubit

Seems to cry out, how fhall that Claribel
Measure us back to Naples? Keep in Tunis, 6
And let Sebaftian wake. Say, this were death
That now hath feiz'd them, why, they were no worfe
Than now they are: there be, that can rule Naples,
As well as he that fleeps; lords that can prate
As amply, and unneceffarily,

As this Gonzalo; I myself could make

A chough of as deep chat. O, that you bore
The mind that I do; what a fleep was this

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

Ant. And how does your content
Tender your own good fortune?

Seb. I remember,

You did fupplant your brother Profpero.

5 Thefe lines ftand in the old Edition thus:

-though fome caft again And by that deftiny, to perform

an ast

Where what's past is prologue,
what to come
In your and my difcharge.

The reading in the later Editions
is without authority. The old
text may very well stand, ex-

cept that in the last line in fhould be is, and perhaps we might better fay-and that by destiny. It being a common plea of wickedness to cal temptation destiny.

Sleep in Tunis,
And let Sebaftian wake.
D 4

Aut.

Ant. True:

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

Ant. Ay, Sir; where lies that?7

If 'twere a kybe, 'twould put me to my flipper;
But I feel not this deity in my bofom.

Ten confciences, that ftand

'twixt me and Milan, Candy'd be they, and melt, ere they moleft!

Here lyes your brother

No better than the earth he lyes upon,

If he were that which now he's like, that's dead; Whom I with this obedient feel, three inches of it, Can lay to bed for ever: you doing thus,

To the perpetual wink for ay might put

8

This ancient Morfel, this Sir Prudence, who
Should not upbraid our courfe. For all the reft,
They'll take fuggeftion, as a cat laps milk;
They'll tell the clock to any bufinefs, that,
We fay, befits the hour.

Seb. Thy cafe dear friend,

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

I'll come by Naples. Draw thy fword; one ftroke Shall free thee from the tribute which thou pay'st;

7 In the first Edition thefe lines are otherwife arranged.

Ay Sir, where lyes that? if twere a kyle Twould put me to my flipper, but I feel not This Deity in my bofom. Twenty confciences That ftand twixt me and Milan,

Here

candy'd be they. And melt ere they moleft. lies your brother. The prefent reading is quite arbitrary, as appears by the ne

ceflity of changing twenty to ten, but the change being for the better, it is fufficient barely to note it. I think we may safely read,

Candied be they or melt.

That is, let my confcience be dried up and lie unactive, or melt and run quite away.

For Morfel Dr. Warburton reads antient Moral, very elegantly and judiciously, yet I know not whether the Author might not write Morfel, as we fay a piece of a Man.

And

And I the King shall love thee.

And when I rear my hand, do you

To fall it on Gonzalo.

Seb. O, but one word

Enter Ariel, with Mufick and Song.

Ari. My mafter through his art forefees the danger, That you, his friend are in; and fends me forth For else his project dies to keep them living.

While you here do fnoring lye,

Open-ey'd confpiracy

His time dotb take:

If of life you keep a care,
Shake off lumber and beware:
Awake! awake!

Ant. Then let us both be fudden.

Gon. Now, good angels preferve the King! [They wake.
Alon. Why, how now, ho? awake? why are you
drawn?

Wherefore this ghaftly looking?
Gon. What's the matter?

Seb. While we flood here fecuring your repofe,
Ev'n now we heard a hollow burft of bellowing
Like bulls, or rather lions; did't not wake you?
It strook mine ear most terribly.

Alon. I heard nothing.

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

Alon. Heard you this? [To Gonzalo.]

Gon. Upon my honour, Sir, I heard a humming,
And that a ftrange one too, which did awake me.
I fhak'd you, Sir, and cry'd; as mine eyes open'd
I faw their weapons drawn :-there was a noife,
That's verity. 'Tis beft we stand on guard;
Or that we quit this place: let's draw our weapons.
A on. Lead off this ground, and let's make further
fearch

For my poor fon.

Con. Heaven's keep him from thefe beafts!
For he is, fure, i'th' ifland.

Alon, Lead away.

Ari. Profpero my lord ball know what I have done, So, King, go fafely on to feek thy lon.

Cal.

SCENE II.

Changes to another part of the Iland.

[Exeunt.

Enter Caliban with a burden of word; a noife of

A

thunder beard.

LL the Infections, that the fun fucks up From bogs, fens, flats, on Profper fall, and make him

By inch-meal a difcafe! his fpirits hear me,

And yet I needs must curfe. But they'll not pinch,
Fright me with urchin fhews, pitch me i'th' mire,
Ner lead me, like a fire-brand, in the dark

Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but
For every trifle are they fet upon me.

Some