Ant. Ay, sir; where lies that? if it were a kybe,
"Twould put me to my slipper: But I feel not
This deity in my bosom; twenty consciences,
That stand 'twixt me and Milan, candied be they,
And melt, ere they molest?! Here lies your brother,
No better than the earth he lies upon,

If he were that which now he's like+: whom I,
With this obedient steel, three inches of it,
Can lay to bed for ever: whiles you, doing thus,
To the perpetual wink for aye might put
This ancient morsel, this sir Prudence, who
Should not upbraid our course. For all the rest,
They'll take suggestion, as a cat laps milk;1
They'll tell the clock to any business that

We say befits the hour.

Seb.

Thy case, dear friend,

Shall be my precedent; as thou got'st Milan,

I'll come by Naples. Draw thy sword: one stroke
Shall free thee from the tribute which thou pay'st;
And I the king shall love thee.

Ant.

Draw together:
And when I rear my hand, do you the like,
To fall it on Gonzalo.

Seb.

O, but one word.

[They converse apart.

7 And melt, ere they molest!] I had rather read Would melt, ere they molest.

i. e. Twenty consciences, such as stand between me and my hopes, though they were congealed, would melt before they could molest me, or prevent the execution of my purposes. JOHNSON.

+"he's like, that's dead :". - MALONE.

9 This ancient morsel,] For morsel, Dr. Warburton reads -ancient moral, very elegantly and judiciously; yet I know not whether the author might not write morsel, as we say a piece of a man.

JOHNSON.

1

· take suggestion,] i. e. Receive any hint of villainy.

Musick. Re-enter ARIEL, invisible.

Ari. My master through his art foresees the danger That these, his friends, are in; and sends me forth, (For else his project dies,) to keep them living. 2

[Sings in GONZALO's car.

While you here do snoring lie
Open-ey'd conspiracy

His time doth take:

If of life you keep a care,

Shake off slumber, and beware;
Awake! Awake!

Ant. Then let us both be sudden.

Gon. Now, good angels, preserve the king!

[They awake.

Alon. Why, how now, ho! awake! Why are you

drawn ?3

Wherefore this ghastly looking?

What's the matter?

Gon.
Seb. Whiles we stood here securing your repose,
Even now, we heard a hollow burst of bellowing
Like bulls, or rather lions; did it not wake you?
It struck mine ear most terribly.

Alon.

I heard nothing.

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

Alon.
Heard you this, Gonzalo?
Gon. Upon mine honour, sir, I heard a humming,

2 to keep them living.] By them, as the text now stands, Gonzalo and Alonzo must be understood.

justly to this passage, and would read

Dr. Johnson objects very "That these his friends are

in." This Mr. Steevens adopts, but Mr. Malone reads, “That you, his friend, are in."

- S

- drawn?] Having your swords drawn.

And that a strange one too, which did awake me:
I shak'd you, sir, and cry'd; as mine eyes open'd,
I saw their weapons drawn: there was a noise,
That's verity: 'Best stand upon our guard ;+

Or that we quit this place; let's draw our weapons.

Alon. Lead off this ground; and let's make further search

For my poor son.

Gon.

Heavens keep him from these beasts!

For he is, sure, i'the island.

Alon.

Lead away.

Ari. Prospero my lord shall know what I have done :

So, king, go safely on to seek thy son.

SCENE II.

Another part of the Island.

Enter CALIBAN, with a burden of Wood.

A noise of Thunder heard.

Cal. All the infections that the sun sucks

up

From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall, and make him
By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me,

And yet
I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,
Fright me with urchin shows, pitch me i'the mire,
Nor lead me, like a fire-brand, in the dark
Out of my way, unless he bid them; but
For every trifle are they set upon me:

Sometimes like apes, that moe1 and chatter at me,
And after, bite me; then like hedge-hogs, which
Lie tumbling in my bare-foot way, and mount

Their pricks at my foot-fall; sometime am I

All wound with adders, who, with cloven tongues,
Do hiss me into madness:

-Lo! now! lo!

Enter TRINCULO.

Here comes a spirit of his; and to torment me,
For bringing wood in slowly: I'll fall flat ;
Perchance, he will not mind me.

Trin. Here's neither bush nor shrub, to bear off any weather at all, and another storm brewing; I hear it sing i'the wind: yond' same black cloud, yond' huge one, looks like a foul bumbard' that would shed his liquor. If it should thunder, as it did before, I know not where to hide my head: yond' same cloud cannot chuse but fall by pailfuls. What have we here?

a man or a fish? Dead or alive? A fish: he smells like a fish; a very ancient and fish-like smell; a kind of, not of the newest, Poor-John. A strange fish! Were I in England now, (as once I was,) and had but this fish painted, not a holiday fool there but would give a piece of silver: there would this monster make a man9; any strange beast there makes a man: when they will not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, they will lay out ten to see a dead Indian. Legg'd like a ! and his fins like arms! Warm, o'my troth! I do now let loose my opinion, hold it no longer; this is no fish, but an islander, that hath lately suffered by a thunder-bolt. [Thunder.] Alas! the storm is come

man

6

5 Their pricks-] i. e. prickles.

7

wound with adders,] wound, or twisted about.

looks like a foul bumbard-] This word means a large vessel for holding drink, as well as the piece of ordnance so called. this fish painted,] To exhibit fishes, either real or imaginary, was very common about the time of our author. STEEVENS. 9 make a man ;] That is, make a man's fortune.

again my best way is to creep under his gaberdine;' there is no other shelter hereabout: Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. I will here shroud, till the dregs of the storm be past.

Enter STEPHANO, singing; a Bottle in his hand.

Ste. I shall no more to sea, to sea,

Here shall I dye a-shore;

This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's funeral : Well, here's my comfort.

[Drinks.

The master, the swabber, the boatswain, and I,
The gunner, and his mate,

Lov'd Mall, Meg, and Marian, and Margery,
But none of us car'd for Kate:

For she had a tongue with a tang,
Would cry to a sailor, Go, hang:

She lov'd not the savour of tar nor of pitch,
Yet a tailor might scratch her where-e'er she did itch:
Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang.

This is a scurvy tune too: But here's my comfort.

Cal. Do not torment me: O!

[Drinks.

Ste. What's the matter? Have we devils here? Do you put tricks upon us with savages2, and men of Inde? Ha! I have not 'scap'd drowning, to be afeard now of your four legs; for it hath been said, As proper a man as ever went on four legs, cannot make him give ground:

1 - his gaberdine ;] A gaberdine is properly the coarse frock or outward garment of a peasant, but here means a loose felt cloak. MALONE.

the time.

savages,] salvages was the spelling and pronunciation of