790

795

Might have ensued, nor only Paradise
In this commotion, but the starry cope
Of Heaven perhaps, or all the elements
At least had gone to wrack, disturbed and torn
With violence of this conflict, had not soon
The Eternal, to prevent such horrid fray,
Hung forth in, Heaven his golden scales, yet seen
Betwixt Astreal and the Scorpion sign,
Wherein all things created first he weighed,
The pendulous round earth with balanced air
In counterpoise, now ponders all events,
Battles and realms : In these he put two weights,
The sequel each of parting and of fight :
The latter quick up flew, and kicked the beam;
Which Gabriel spying, thus bespake the Fiend:

800

GABRIEL.

806

“ Satan, I know thy strength, and thou know'st mine : Neither our own, but given : For proof look up, And read thy lot in yon celestial sign ; Where thou art weighed, and shown how light, how weak, If thou resist.”—The Fiend looked up, and knew His mounted scale aloft : Nor more ; but fled Murmuring, and with him fled the shades of night.

810

EXAMINATION ON BOOK IV. 1. What various passions does Milton represent as agitating Satan in his DRAMATIC POETRY.

WILLIAM SHAKSPERE.

THE TEMPEST.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

ALONSO, King of Naples.
SEBASTIAN, his Brother.
PROSPERO, the rightful Duke of Milan.
ANTONIO, the usurping Duke of Milan, Brother to Prospero.
FERDINAND, Son to the King of Naples.
GONZALO, an honest old Counsellor of Naples.
ADRIAN,

Lords.
FRANCISCO,
CALIBAN, a savage and deformed Slave.
TRINCULO, a Jester.
STEPHANO, a drunken Butler.
Master of a Ship, Boatswain, and Mariners.
MIRANDA, Daughter to Prospero.
ARIEL, an airy Spirit.

Other Spirits attending on Prospero.
SCENE, the Sea, with a Ship; afterwards an island.

ACT I.

SCENE I. - On a Ship at Sea.- A Storm, with

Thunder and Lightning.

Enter a Shipmaster and a Boatswain.
Master. Boatswain, -
Boats. Here, master : What cheer?

Mast. Good: speak to the mariners: fall to't yarely), or we run ourselves aground : bestir, bestir.

[Exit. Enter Mariners. Boats. Heigh, my hearts; cheerly, cheerly, my hearts ; yare, yare: take in the topsail : tend to the master's whistle.

1 Quickly, nimbly.

cabins : you

Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND,

GONZALO, and others.
Alon. Good boatswain, have a care. Where's the master ?
Play the men.

Boats. I pray now, keep below.
Ant. Where is the master, boson ?

Boats. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour ; keep your

do assist the storm. Gon. Nay, good, be patient.

Boats. When the sea is. Hence! What care these roarers for the name of king ? To cabin : silence; trouble us not.

Gon. Good; yet remember whom thou hast aboard.

Boats. None that I more love than myself. You are a counsellor ; if you can command these elements to silence, and work the peace of the present', we will not hand a rope more; use your authority. If you cannot, -Out of our way,

[Exit. Gon. I have great comfort from this fellow : methinks he hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is perfect gallows. If he be not born to be hanged, our miserable.

[Exeunt. Re-enter Boatswain. Boats. Down with the topmast: yare ; lower, lower ; bring her to try with main-course. [A cry within.] A plague upon this howling!

I say

case is

Enter Mariners, wet.
Mar. All lost! to prayers, to prayers ! all lost

Exeunt. Boats. What, must our mouths be cold ?

Gon. The king and prince at prayers ! let us assist them, For our case is as theirs.

Seb. I am out of patience. Ant. We are merely? cheated of our lives by drunkards.This wide-chapped rascal; Would thou might'st lie drowning, The washing of ten tides !

Gon.

He'll be hanged yet;
Though every drop of water swear against it,
And gape at wid’st to glut him.!

[A confused noise within.] Mercy on us ! We split, we split!— Farewell, my wife and children! Farewell brother! We split, we split, we split!Ant. Let us all sink with the king.

[Exit. Seb. Let us take leave of him.

Exit. Gon. Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground; long heath, brown furze, anything : The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death.

[Exit.

SCENE II.-The Island: before the Cell of Prospero.

Enter PROSPERO and MIRANDA.

Miran. If, by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them :
The sky, it seems, would pour down burning pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer! a brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creature2 in her,
Dashed all to pieces. O, the cry did knock
Against my very heart! Poor souls ! they perished. .
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth, or e'er
It should the good ship so have swallowed, and
The fraughting3 souls within her.
Pros.

Be collected;
No more amazement; tell your piteous heart
There's no harm done.
Miran.

O, woe the day!
Pros.

No harm.
I have done nothing but in care of thee,
(Of thee, my dear one! thee, my daughter!) who
Art ignorant of what thou art, nought knowing
Of whence I am ; nor that I am more better
Than Prospero, master of a full poor cell,
And thy no greater father.

a

-So;

Miran.

More to know
Did never meddle with my thoughts.
Pros.

'Tis time
I should inform thee further. Lend thy hand,
And pluck my magic garment from me.-

[Lays down his Mantle.
Lie there my art. Wipe thou thine eyes ; have comfort.
The direful spectacle of the wreck, which touched
The very virtue of compassion in thee,
I have with such provision in mine art
So safely ordered, that there is no soul
No, not so much perdition as an hair,
Betid to any creature in the vessel
Which thou heard’st cry, which thou saw'st sink. Sit down:
For thou must now know further.
Miran.

You have often
Begun to tell me what I am; but stopped
And left me to a bootless inquisition;
Concluding, -"Stay, not yet."-
Pros.

The hour's now come;
The very minute bids thee ope thine ear;
Obey, and be attentive. Canst thou remember
A time before we came unto this cell ?
I do not think thou canst ; for then thou wast not
Out three years old."
Miran.

Certainly, sir, I can.
Pros. By what? by any other house, or person?
Of any thing the image tell me, that
Hath kept with thy remembrance,
Miran.

'Tis far off;
And rather like a dream, than an assurance
That my remembrance warrants : Had I not
Four or five women once, that tended me?

Pros. Thou hadst, and more, Miranda: But how is it
That this lives in thy mind ? What seest thou else
In the dark backward and abysm of time?
If thou remember'st aught ere thou cam’st here,
How thou cam’st here thou may’st.
Miran.

But that I do not.
Pros. Twelve years since, Miranda, twelve years since,
Thy father was the duke of Milan, and
A prince of power.