By their own fear, or sloth. Seb. Pr'ythee, say on: The setting 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 shall be of as little memory, When he is earth'd,) hath here almost persuaded (For he's a spirit of persuasion, only Professes to persuade) the king, his son's alive; "Tis as impossible that he's undrown'd, As he that sleeps here, swims. Seb. That he's undrown'd. Ant. I have no hope O, out of that no hope, What great hope have you! no hope, that way, is Another way so high an hope, that even Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond 18, L But doubts discovery there. Will you grant, with me, That Ferdinand is drown'd? Seb. Ant. He's gone. Who's the next heir of Naples? Then tell me, Claribel. Ant. She that is queen of Tunis; she that dwells Ten leagues beyond man's life; she that from Naples Can have no note 19, unless the sun were post, (The man i' the moon's too slow,) till new-born chins Be rough and razorable; she, from whom We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again ; 18 i. e. The utmost extent of the prospect of ambition, the point where the eye can pass no farther. 19 The commentators have treated this as a remarkable instance of Shakspeare's ignorance of Geography, but though the real distance between Naples and Tunis is not so immeasurable; the intercourse in early times between the Neapolitans and the Tunisians was not so frequent as to make it popularly considered less than a formidable voyage; Shakspeare may however be countenanced in his poetical exaggeration, when we remember that Eschylus has placed the river Eridanus in Spain; and that Appolonius Rhodius describes the Rhone and the Po as meeting in one and discharging themselves into the Gulf of Venice. And, by that destiny, to perform an act, Seb. Ant. A space whose every cubit Seems to cry out, How shall that Claribel Measure us back to Naples?-Keep in Tunis, And let Sebastian wake!-Say, this were death That now hath seiz'd them; why they were no worse Than now they are: There be, that can rule Naples, As well as he that sleeps; lords, that can prate As amply, and unnecessarily, As this Gonzalo; I myself could make A chough 21 of as deep chat. O, that you bore. The mind that I do! what a sleep were this For your advancement! Do you understand me? Seb. Methinks, I do. Art. And how does your content Tender your own good fortune? Seb. I remember, You did supplant your brother Prospero. Ant. True: And, look, how well my garments sit upon me; Much feater than before: My brother's servants Were then my fellows, now they are my men. Seb. But, for your conscience 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, that's dead'; 20 What is past is the prologue to events which are to come; that depends on what you and I are to perform. 21 A chough is a bird of the jackdaw kind. Whom I, with this obedient steel, three inches of it, We say befits the hour. Seb. Thy case, dear friend, Shall be my precedent; as thou gotst 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. Music. Re-enter ARIEL, invisible. Ari. My master through his art foresees the danger That you, his friend, are in; and sends me forth, For else his projects die 22, to keep them living. [Sings in GONZALO's ear. While you here do snoring lie, His time doth take: If of life you keep a care, Shake off slumber, and beware: Ant. Then let us both be sudden. Gon. Now, good angels, preserve the king! [They wake. 22 Suggestion is frequently used in the sense of temptation, or seduction, by Shakspeare and his contemporaries. The sense here is that they will adopt and bear witness to any tale that may be dictated to them. 23 The old copies read "For else his project dies." By the transposition of a letter this passage, which has much puzzled the editors, is rendered more intelligible.-"-to keep them living," relates to projects, and not to Alonzo and Gonzalo, as Steevens and Johnson erroneously supposed. Alon. Why, how now, ho! awake! Why are you drawn? Wherefore this ghastly looking? Gon. What's the matter? 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. 0, 'twas a din to fright a monster's car; 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, And that a strange one too, which did awake me: I shak'd you, sir, and cried; 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. 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. Cal. All the infections that the sun sucks up Sometime like apes, 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 3 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 choose 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 man ; 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 man! 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 thun 1. To moe is to make mouths. To make a moe like an ape. Distorquére os. Rictum deducere."-Baret. 2 Pricks is the ancient word for prickles. 3 A bumbard is a black jack of leather, to hold beer, &c. 4 i. e. make a man's fortune. Thus in A Midsummer Night's Dream "We are all made men." And in the old comedy of Ram Alley "She's a wench Was born to make us all." |