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 wandering 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-burn'd sicklemen, of August weary,
Come hither from the furrow, and be merry.
Make holy-day: 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.

Pro. [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.

Fer. This is strange: your father's in some passion That works him strongly.

Mira.

Never till this day,

Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.

Pro. You do look, my son, in a mov'd sort,

As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir.

1

of the WANDERING brooks,] Possibly, winding is the true word: all the folios repeat the misprint of that of 1623, windring.

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.

Fer. Mira.

We wish your peace.

[Exeunt.

Pro. Come with a thought!-I thank thee.-Ariel,

come!

Enter ARIEL.

Spirit,

Ari. Thy thoughts I cleave to. What's thy pleasure? Pro. We must prepare to meet with Caliban3.

Ari. Ay, my commander: when I presented Ceres, I thought to have told thee of it; but I fear'd, Lest I might anger thee.

Pro. Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets? Ari. 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

2 Leave not a RACK behind.] "Rack" is vapour, from reek, as Horne Tooke showed; and the light clouds on the face of heaven are the "rack or vapour from the earth. The word "rack " was often used in this way.

3 We must prepare to meet with Caliban.] "To meet with 99 was of old equivalent to to counteract, to oppose: we now say, "to be meet with."

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 eye-lids, lifted up their noses,

As they smelt music: so I charm'd their ears,
That, calf-like, they my lowing follow'd, through
Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes, pricking gorse, and thorns,
Which enter'd their frail shins: at last I left them
I' the filthy mantled pool beyond your cell,

There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake
O'erstunk their feet.

Pro.

This was well done, my bird.

Thy shape invisible retain thou still:

The trumpery in my house, go, bring it hither,
For stale to catch these thieves1.

Ari

I go, I go.

[Exit.

Pro. 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,

Re-enter ARIEL, loaden with glistering apparel, &c. Even to roaring.-Come, hang them on this line.

PROSPERO and ARIEL remain unseen. Enter CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO, all wet.

Cal. Pray you, tread softly, that the blind mole may

not

Hear a foot fall: we now are near his cell.

For STALE to catch these thieves.] Stale, in fouling, is used for bait or decoy. A more full explanation of the use of the word will be found in Vol. v. P. 295.

-loaden with glistering apparel,] The old stage-direction. It may be observed, that in this play the stage-directions are more particular, and correct, than in, perhaps, any other.

Ste. Monster, your fairy, which, you say, is a harmless fairy, has done little better than played the Jack with us".

Trin. Monster, I do smell all horse-piss, at which my nose is in great indignation.

Ste. So is mine.

Do you hear, monster?

should take a displeasure against you; look you,— Trin. Thou wert but a lost monster.

Cal. Good my lord, give me thy favour still. Be patient, for the prize I'll bring thee to

If I

Shall hood-wink this mischance: therefore, speak softly; All's hush'd as midnight yet.

Trin. Ay, but to lose our bottles in the pool,

Ste. There is not only disgrace and dishonour in that, monster, but an infinite loss.

is

Trin. That's more to me than my wetting: yet this your harmless fairy, monster.

Ste. I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er ears for my labour.

Cal. Pr'ythee, my king, be quiet. Seest thou here, This is the mouth o' the 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.

Ste. Give me thy hand. I do begin to have bloody thoughts.

Trin. O king Stephano! O peer! O worthy Stephano! look, what a wardrobe here is for thee!

Cal. Let it alone, thou fool: it is but trash.

Trin. O, ho, monster! we know what belongs to a frippery':-O king Stephano!

Ste. Put off that gown, Trinculo: by this hand, I'll have that gown.

7

played the Jack with us.] i. e. the Jack o' lantern, by leading them

we know what belongs to a FRIPPERY:] A frippery (observes Steevens) was a shop where old clothes were sold. Fripperie, Fr. Birchin-lane was formerly the great mart for second-hand clothes.

Trin. Thy grace shall have it.

Cal. The dropsy drown this fool! what do you mean, To doat 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.

Ste. 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.

Trin. Do, do we steal by line and level, and't like your grace.

Ste. 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 garment for't.

Trin. Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and away with the rest.

Cal. I will have none on't: we shall lose our time, And all be turn'd to barnacles, or to apes

With foreheads villainous low.

Ste. Monster, lay-to your fingers: help to bear this away, where my hogshead of wine is, or I'll turn you out of my kingdom. Go to; carry this.

Trin. And this.

Ste. Ay, and this.

[A noise of hunters heard. Enter divers Spirits, in shape of hounds, and hunt them about; PROSPERO and ARIEL setting them on.]

8

Pro. Hey, Mountain, hey!

Ari. Silver! there it goes, Silver!

Let't alone,] Printed in the old copies "Let's alone." In the original MS. it probably stood "Let't alone ;" an abbreviation for the sake of the verse. We have had "Let it alone" just before, but there four syllables were required by the measure, and not three syllables, as in the present instance. Steevens understands "Let's alone" to mean, "Let us do the murder without this fool's aid."