Here on this grass-plot, in this very place,
To come and sport. Her peacocks fly amain.
[JUNO descends in her car]
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.
Enter CERES
CERES. Hail, many-coloured
messenger, that ne'er
Dost
disobey the wife of Jupiter;
Who, with thy saffron wings, upon my flow'rs
Diffusest honey drops,
refreshing show'rs;
And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown
My bosky acres and my unshrubb'd down,
Rich scarf to my proud earth-why hath thy Queen
Summon'd me
hither to this short-grass'd green?
IRIS. A contract of true love to celebrate,
And some donation
freely to estate
On the blest lovers.
CERES. Tell me,
heavenly bow,
If Venus or her son, as thou dost know,
Do now attend the Queen? Since they did plot
The means that dusky Dis my daughter got,
Her and her blind boy's scandal'd company
I have forsworn.
IRIS. Of her society
Be not afraid. I met her Deity
Cutting the clouds towards Paphos, and her son
Dove-drawn with her. Here thought they to have done
Some
wanton charm upon this man and maid,
Whose vows are that no bed-rite shall be paid
Till Hymen's torch be lighted; but in vain.
Mars's hot minion is return'd again;
Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more, but play with sparrows,
And be a boy right out. [JUNO alights]
CERES. Highest Queen of State,
Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.
JUNO. How does my
bounteous sister? Go with me
To bless this twain, that they may
prosperous be,
And honour'd in their issue. [They sing]
JUNO. Honour,
riches, marriage-
blessing,
Long
continuance, and increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her
blessings on you.
CERES. Earth's increase, foison plenty,
Barns and gamers never empty;
Vines with clust'ring bunches growing,
Plants with
goodly burden bowing;
Spring come to you at the farthest,
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun you,
Ceres'
blessing so is on you.
FERDINAND. This is a most
majesticvision, and
Harmonious charmingly. May I be bold
To think these spirits?
PROSPERO. Spirits, which by mine art
I have from their confines call'd to enact
My present fancies.
FERDINAND. Let me live here ever;
So rare a wond'red father and a wise
Makes this place Paradise.
[JUNO and CERES
whisper, and send IRIS on employment]
PROSPERO. Sweet now, silence;
Juno and Ceres
whisper seriously.
There's something else to do; hush, and be mute,
Or else our spell is marr'd.
IRIS. You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the wind'ring brooks,
With your sedg'd crowns and ever
harmless looks,
Leave your crisp channels, and on this green land
Answer your summons; Juno does command.
Come,
temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
A contract of true love; be not too late.
Enter certain NYMPHS
You sun-burnt sicklemen, of August weary,
Come
hither from the
furrow, and be merry;
Make
holiday; your rye-straw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs
encounter every one
In country footing.
Enter certain REAPERS,
properly habited; they join
with the NYMPHS in a
graceful dance; towards the
end
whereof PROSPERO starts suddenly, and speaks,
after which, to a strange, hollow, and confused
noise, they heavily vanish
PROSPERO. [Aside] I had forgot that foul conspiracy
Of the beast Caliban and his confederates
Against my life; the minute of their plot
Is almost come. [To the SPIRITS] Well done; avoid; no
more!
FERDINAND. This is strange; your father's in some passion
That works him strongly.
MIRANDA. Never till this day
Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.
PROSPERO. You do look, my son, in a mov'd sort,
As if you were dismay'd; 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-capp'd 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 vex'd;
Bear with my
weakness; my old brain is troubled;
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity.
If you be pleas'd,
retire into my cell
And there
repose; a turn or two I'll walk
To still my
beating mind.
FERDINAND, MIRANDA. We wish your peace. Exeunt
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 fear'd
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 unback'd colts they prick'd their ears,
Advanc'd their eyelids, lifted up their noses
As they smelt music; so I charm'd their cars,
That calf-like they my lowing follow'd through
Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes, pricking goss, and thorns,
Which ent'red 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'erstunk their feet.
PROSPERO. This was well done, my bird.
Thy shape
invisibleretain thou still.
The trumpery in my house, go bring it
hitherFor 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.
Re-enter ARIEL, loaden with glistering
apparel, &c.
Come, hang them on this line.
[PROSPERO and ARIEL remain,
invisible]
Enter CALIBAN, STEPHANO, 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.
STEPHANO. Monster, your fairy, which you say is a
harmlessfairy, has done little better than play'd the Jack with us.
TRINCULO. Monster, I do smell all horse-piss at which my
nose is in great indignation.
STEPHANO. 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 hush'd as
midnight yet.
TRINCULO. Ay, but to lose our bottles in the pool!
STEPHANO. 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.
STEPHANO. 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.
STEPHANO. Give me thy hand. I do begin to have bloody
thoughts.
TRINCULO. O King Stephano! O peer! O
worthy Stephano!
Look what a
wardrobe here is for thee!
CALIBAN. Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash.
TRINCULO. O, ho,
monster; we know what belongs to a
frippery. O King Stephano!
STEPHANO. 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.
STEPHANO. Be you quiet,
monster. Mistress line, 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.
TRINCULO. Do, do. We steal by line and level, an't like
your Grace.
STEPHANO. 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 garmet 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 turn'd to barnacles, or to apes