The setting of thine eye and cheek proclaim
A matter from thee, and a birth indeed

Which throes thee much to yield.

Ant.

230

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.

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 so high a hope that even

Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond,

But doubt discovery there. Will you grant with me

That Ferdinand is drown'd ?

Seb.

240

Ant.

He's gone.

Then, tell me,

Claribel.

Who's the next heir of Naples?

Seb.

Ant. She that is queen of Tunis; she that dwells

Ten leagues beyond man's life; she that from

Naples

Can have no note, unless the sun were post

The man i' the moon's too slow-till new-born

chins

Be rough and razorable; she that-from whom 250

229. proclaim from thee, announce an important communication.

doubting (suspecting) that no-
thing can there be found.
247. beyond
life,
(probably) beyond the distance
a man could travel in his life.

We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again,
And by that destiny to perform an act

Whereof what's past is prologue, what to come

In yours and my discharge.

Seb.

What stuff is this! how say you? 'Tis true, my brother's daughter's queen of Tunis; So is she heir of Naples; 'twixt which regions

There is some space.

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 seized 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 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?

Ana 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 'twere a kibe,

260

270

'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, 280
No better than the earth he lies upon,

If he were that which now he's like, that's dead;
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;
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 payest:

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 talk apart.

Re-enter ARIEL, invisible.

Ari. My master through his art foresees the danger

That you, his friend, are in; and sends me forthFor else his project dies-to keep them living.

[Sings in Gonzalo's ear.

While you here do snoring lie,
Open-eyed conspiracy

290

300

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, 310

Even now, we heard a hollow burst of bellowing
Like bulls, or rather lions: did't 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, And that a strange one too, which did awake me: I shaked you, sir, and cried as mine eyes open'd, I saw their weapons drawn: there was a noise, That's verily. 'Tis best we 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

320

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. [Exeunt.

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 firebrand, in the dark
Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but
For every trifle are they set upon me;
Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me
And after bite me, then like hedgehogs which
Lie tumbling in my barefoot way and mount
Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I
All wound with adders who with cloven tongues
Do hiss me into madness.

Enter TRINCULO.

Lo, now, lo!

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.

10

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 bombard that would shed his liquor. If it should thunder as it did before, I know not where to hide my head:

20