I fear, a madness held me: this must crave (An if this be not all) a most strange story. 8 Thy dukedom I refign, and do intreat, Thou pardon me my wrongs.

fpero

Be living and be here?

Pro. First, noble friend,

But how should Pro

Let me embrace thine age; whofe honour cannot
Be meafur'd or confin'd.

Gon. Whether this be,
Or be not, I'll not fwear.

Pro. You do yet tafte

Some fubtilties o' the ifle, that will not let you Believe things certain :-welcome, my friends all:But you, my brace of lords, were I fo minded,

[Afide to Seb. and Ant. I here could pluck his highnefs' frown upon you, And juftify you traitors; at this time

I'll tell no tales.

Seb. The devil speaks in him.

Pro. No:

[Afide.

For you, most wicked Sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault; all of them; and require
My dukedom of thee, which, perforce, I know,
Thou must restore.

Alon. If thou be'ft Profpero,

Give us particulars of thy prefervation :

How thou haft met us here, who three hours fince
Were wreck'd upon this fhore; where I have loft,
How fharp the point of this remembrance is!
My dear fon Ferdinand.

Pro. 9 I am woe for't, Sir.

Alon.

Thy dukedom I refign,] The dutchy of Milan being through the treachery of Anthonio made fendatory to the crown of Naples, Alonzo promifes to refign his claim of fovereignty for the future. STEEVENS.

I am woe for't, Sir.] i. e. I am forry for it. To woe, is

often

Alon. Irreparable is the lofs; and Patience

Says, it is paft her cure.

Pro. I rather think,

You have not fought her help; of whose soft grace,
For the like lofs, I have her fovereign aid,
And reft myself content.

Alon. You the like lofs?

Pro. As great to me, as late; and, fupportable To make the dear lofs, have I means much weaker Than you may call to comfort you; for I Have loft my daughter.

Alon. A daughter?

O heavens! that they were living both in Naples, The king and queen there! that they were, I wish, Myself were mudded in that oozy bed,

Where my fon lies.

fon lies. When did you lofe your daughter?

Pro. In this laft tempeft. I perceive, these lords At this encounter do fo much admire,

That they devour their reafon; and scarce think,
Their eyes do offices of truth, their words
Are natural breath: but, howfoe'er have
you
Been joftled from your fenfes, know for certain,
That I am Profpero, and that very duke
Which was thrust forth of Milan; who moft ftrangely
Upon this fhore, where you were wreck'd, was landed
To be the lord on't. No more yet of this;
For 'tis a chronicle of day by day,

Not a relation for a breakfaft, nor

Befitting this first meeting. Welcome, Sir;
This cell's my court: here have I few attendants,
And fubjects none abroad. Pray you, look in;

often used by old writers to fignify to be forry. So Chauger. See The Court of Love, p. 36.

66.

-I wolde be wo,

"That I prefume to her to writin fo." STEEVENS. As great to me, as late;-] My lofs is as great as yours, and has as lately happened to me, JOHNSON,

My

My dukedom fince you have given me again,
I will requite you with as good a thing;
At least, bring forth a wonder to content ye,
As much as me my dukedom.

The entrance of the cell opens, and difcovers Ferdinand and Miranda playing at chefs.

Mira. Sweet lord, you play me false.

Fer. No, my dearest love,

I would not for the world.

2

Mira. Yes, for a score of kingdoms. You should wrangle,

And I would call it fair play.

Alon. If this prove

A vision of the island, one dear fon

Shall I twice lofe.

Seb. A moft high miracle!

Fer. Though the feas threaten, they are merciful: I have curs'd them without cause.

Alon. Now all the bleffings

Of a glad father compass thee about!

Arife, and fay how thou cam'ft here,

Mira. O! wonder!

[Ferd. kneels.

How many goodly creatures are there here?
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!

Pro. 'Tis new to thee.

Alon. What is this maid, with whom thou waft at play?

2 Yes, for a score of kingdoms.-] I take the fenfe to be only this: Ferdinand would not, he fays, play her false for the world; yes, answers fhe, I would allow you to do it for fomething lefs than the world, for twenty kingdoms, and I wish you well enough to allow you, after a little wrangle, that your play was fair. So likewife Dr. Gray. JOHNSON.

I would recommend another punctuation, and then the sense would be as follows:

Yes, for a fcore of kingdoms you should wrangle,
And I would call it fair play. STEEVENS.

Your

Your eld❜ft acquaintance cannot be three hours:
Is fhe the goddess that hath fever'd us,
And brought us thus together?
Fer. Sir, fhe's mortal;

But, by immortal Providence, fhe's mine.
I chofe her, when I could not ask my father
For his advice; nor thought, I had one: fhe
Is daughter to this famous duke of Milan,
Of whom so often I have heard renown,
But never faw before; of whom I have
Receiv'd a fecond life; and fecond father
This lady makes him to me.
Alon. I am hers:

But, oh, how oddly will it found, that I
Muft afk my child forgiveness!

Pro. There, Sir, stop;

Let us not burden our remembrance with

An heavinefs that's gone.

Gon. I have inly wept,

Or fhould have spoke ere this. Look down, you'gods, And on this couple drop a bleffed crown;

For it is you, that have chalk'd forth the way

Which brought us hither!

Alon. I fay, Amen, Gonzalo !

Gon. Was Milan thruft from Milan, that his iffue

Should become kings of Naples? O, rejoice
Beyond a common joy, and fet it down.

With gold on lafting pillars: in one voyage
Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis;
And Ferdinand, her brother, found a wife,
Where he himself was loft; Profpero his dukedom,
In a poor ifle; and all of us, ourselves,

3 When no man was his own.

Alon. Give me your hands:

Let grief and forrow ftill embrace his heart,

That doth not wish you joy!

Gon. Be't fo, Amen!

3 When no man was his own.] For when perhaps should be read where. JOHNSON.

Re-enter

Re-enter Ariel, with the Mafter and Boatswain amazedly

following.

O look, Sir, look, Sir, here are more of us!
I prophefy'd, if a gallows were on land,

This fellow could not drown. Now, blafphemy,
That fwear'ft grace o'erboard, not an oath on fhore?
Haft thou no mouth by land? What is the news?

Boats. The best news is, that we have fafely found Our king and company: the next, our fhip, Which but three glaffes fince we gave out fplit,' Is tight and yare, and bravely rigg'd, as when We first put out to fea.

Ari. Sir, all this fervice Have I done fince I went.

Pro. My trickfy spirit!

}

[Afide.

Alon. These are not natural events; they strengthen, From strange to stranger. Say, how came you hither? Boats. If I did think, Sir, I were well awake, I'd strive to tell you. We were dead asleep, And (how we know not) all clapp'd under hatches, Where, but even now, with strange and several noifes Of roaring, fhrieking, howling, gingling chains, And more diverfity of founds, all horrible, We were awak'd; ftraightway, at liberty: Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld Our royal, good, and gallant fhip; our mafter Cap'ring to eye her: on a trice, fo please you, Even in a dream were we divided from them, And were brought moping hither.

Ari. Was't well done?

Pro. Bravely, my diligence. Thou fhalt

be free.

Alon. This is as ftrange a maze as e'er men trod; And there is in this bufinefs more than pature

Was ever conduct of: fome oracle

Muft rectify our knowledge.

Pro. Sir, my liege,

Do