Online Book Reader

Home Category

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [1196]

By Root 21914 0

That shall be by and by; I remember the story.

TRINCULO.

The sound is going away; let's follow it, and after do our work.

STEPHANO.

Lead, monster; we'll follow. I would I could see

this taborer; he lays it on.

TRINCULO.

Wilt come? I'll follow, Stephano. Exeunt

SCENE 3

Another part of the island

Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO, ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and

OTHERS

GONZALO.

By'r lakin, I can go no further, sir;

My old bones ache. Here's a maze trod, indeed,

Through forth-rights and meanders! By your patience,

I needs must rest me.

ALONSO.

Old lord, I cannot blame thee,

Who am myself attach'd with weariness

To th' dulling of my spirits; sit down and rest.

Even here I will put off my hope, and keep it

No longer for my flatterer; he is drown'd

Whom thus we stray to find, and the sea mocks

Our frustrate search on land. Well, let him go.

ANTONIO.

[Aside to SEBASTIAN] I am right glad that he's so out of hope.

Do not, for one repulse, forgo the purpose

That you resolv'd t' effect.

SEBASTIAN.

[Aside to ANTONIO] The next advantage

Will we take throughly.

ANTONIO.

[Aside to SEBASTIAN] Let it be to-night;

For, now they are oppress'd with travel, they

Will not, nor cannot, use such vigilance

As when they are fresh.

SEBASTIAN.

[Aside to ANTONIO] I say, to-night; no more.

Solemn and strange music; and PROSPERO on the

top, invisible. Enter several strange SHAPES,

bringing in a banquet; and dance about it with

gentle actions of salutations; and inviting the

KING, etc., to eat, they depart

ALONSO.

What harmony is this? My good friends, hark!

GONZALO.

Marvellous sweet music!

ALONSO.

Give us kind keepers, heavens! What were these?

SEBASTIAN.

A living drollery. Now I will believe

That there are unicorns; that in Arabia

There is one tree, the phoenix' throne, one phoenix

At this hour reigning-there.

ANTONIO.

I'll believe both;

And what does else want credit, come to me,

And I'll be sworn 'tis true; travellers ne'er did lie,

Though fools at home condemn 'em.

GONZALO.

If in Naples

I should report this now, would they believe me?

If I should say, I saw such islanders,

For certes these are people of the island,

Who though they are of monstrous shape yet, note,

Their manners are more gentle-kind than of

Our human generation you shall find

Many, nay, almost any.

PROSPERO.

[Aside] Honest lord,

Thou hast said well; for some of you there present

Are worse than devils.

ALONSO.

I cannot too much muse

Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound, expressing,

Although they want the use of tongue, a kind

Of excellent dumb discourse.

PROSPERO.

[Aside] Praise in departing.

FRANCISCO.

They vanish'd strangely.

SEBASTIAN.

No matter, since

They have left their viands behind; for we have stomachs.

Will't please you taste of what is here?

ALONSO.

Not I.

GONZALO.

Faith, sir, you need not fear. When we were boys,

Who would believe that there were mountaineers,

Dewlapp'd like bulls, whose throats had hanging at 'em

Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men

Whose heads stood in their breasts? which now we find

Each putter-out of five for one will bring us

Good warrant of.

ALONSO.

I will stand to, and feed,

Although my last; no matter, since I feel

The best is past. Brother, my lord the Duke,

Stand to, and do as we.

Thunder and lightning. Enter ARIEL, like a harpy;

claps his wings upon the table; and, with a quaint

device, the banquet vanishes

ARIEL.

You are three men of sin, whom Destiny,

That hath to instrument this lower world

And what is in't, the never-surfeited sea

Hath caus'd to belch up you; and on this island

Where man doth not inhabit-you 'mongst men

Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad;

And even with such-like valour men hang and drown

Their proper selves.

[ALONSO, SEBASTIAN etc., draw their swords]

You fools! I and my fellows

Are ministers of Fate; the elements

Of whom your swords are temper'd may as well

Wound the loud winds, or with bemock'd-at stabs

Kill the still-closing

Return Main Page Previous Page Next Page

®Online Book Reader