Cal. I thank my noble lord.

Wilt thou be pleased

To hearken once again the suit + I made thee?

Ste. Marry will I: kneel and repeat it; I will stand, and so shall Trinculo.

Enter ARIEL, invisible.

Cal. As I told thee

Before, I am subject to a tyrant;

8

A sorcerer, that by his cunning hath
Cheated me of this island.

Ari.

Thou liest.

Cal. Thou liest, thou jesting monkey, thou;
I would, my valiant master would destroy thee:
I do not lie.

Ste. Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in his tale, by this hand, I will supplant some of your teeth. Trin. Why, I said nothing.

Ste. Mum then, and no more. [To CALIBAN.] Proceed.

Cal. I say, by sorcery he got this isle ;
From me he got it. If thy greatness will
Revenge it on him-for, I know, thou dar'st;

But this thing dare not.

Ste. That's most certain.

Cal. Thou shalt be lord of it, and I'll serve thee. Ste. How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to the party?

Cal. Yea, yea, my lord; I'll yield him thee asleep, Where thou may'st knock a nail into his head.

Ari. Thou liest, thou canst not.

Cal. What a pied ninny's this??

8

Thou scurvy

a tyrant;] Tyrant is here employed as a trisyllable.

9 What a pied ninny's this?] It should be remembered that Trinculo is no sailor, but a jester; and is so called in the ancient dramatis

I do beseech thy greatness, give him blows,
And take his bottle from him: when that's gone,

He shall drink nought but brine; for I'll not shew him
Where the quick freshes are.

Ste. Trinculo, run into no further danger: interrupt the monster one word further, and, by this hand, I'll turn my mercy out of doors, and make a stock-fish of thee.

Trin. Why, what did I? I did nothing; I'll go further off.

Ste. Didst thou not say, he lied?

Ari. Thou liest.

Ste. Do I so? take thou that. [Strikes him.] As you like this, give me the lie another time.

Trin. I did not give the lie:- Out o' your wits, and hearing too?

A pox o' your bottle! this can sack,

A murrain on your monster, and

and drinking do.
the devil take your fingers!

Cal. Ha, ha, ha!

Ste. Now, forward with your tale. Pr'ythee stand

further off.

Cal. Beat him enough: after a little time,

I'll beat him too.

Ste. Stand further. - Come, proceed.

Cal. Why, as I told thee, 'tis a custom with him I'the afternoon to sleep: there thou may'st brain him, Having first seiz'd his books; or with a log

Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,
Or cut his wezand with thy knife: Remember,

persona. He therefore wears the party-coloured dress of one of these characters. STEEVENS.

Dr. Johnson observes, that Caliban could have no knowledge of the striped coat usually worn by fools; and would therefore transfer this speech to Stephano. But though Caliban might not know this circumstance, Shakspeare did. Surely he who has given to all countries and all ages the manners of his own, might forget himself here, as well as in other places. MALONE.

First to possess his books; for without them
He's but a sot, as I am 1, nor hath not
One spirit to command: They all do hate him,
As rootedly as I: Burn but his books;

He has brave utensils, (for so he calls them,)
Which, when he has a house, he'll deck withal.
And that most deeply to consider, is

The beauty of his daughter; he himself
Calls her a nonpareil: I ne'er saw woman,†
But only Sycorax my dam, and she;
But she as far surpasseth Sycorax,

As greatest does least.

Ste. Is it so brave a lass?

Cal. Ay, lord; she will become thy bed, I warrant, And bring thee forth brave brood.

Ste. Monster, I will kill this man: his daughter and I will be king and queen; (save our graces!) and Trinculo and thyself shall be viceroys: Dost thou like the plot, Trinculo?

Trin. Excellent.

Ste. Give me thy hand; I am sorry I beat thee: but, while thou livest, keep a good tongue in thy head. Cal. Within this half hour will he be asleep; Wilt thou destroy him then?

1

Ste.

Ay, on mine honour.

Ari. This will I tell my master.

Cal. Thou mak'st me merry: I am full of pleasure;

Remember,

First to possess his books; for without them

He's but a sot, as I am,] In the old romances the sorcerer is always furnished with a book, by reading certain parts of which he is enabled to summon to his aid whatever dæmons or spirits he has occasion to employ. When he is deprived of his book, his power ceases. Our author might have observed this circumstance much insisted on in the Orlando Innamorato of Boyardo; and also in Harrington's translation of the Orlando Furioso, 1591.

"I never saw a woman," - MALONE.

Let us be jocund: Will you troll the catch 2
You taught me but while-ere?

Ste. At thy request, monster, I will do reason, any reason: Come on, Trinculo, let us sing.

[Sings.

Flout 'em, and skout 'em; and skout 'em, and

flout 'em ;

Thought is free.

Cal. That's not the tune.

[ARIEL plays the tune on a tabor and pipe.

Ste. What is this same?

Trin. This is the tune of our catch, played by the picture of No-body.3

Ste. If thou beest a man, shew thyself in thy likeness: if thou beest a devil, take't as thou list.

Trin. O, forgive me my sins!

Ste. He that dies, pays all debts: I defy thee:

Mercy upon us!

Cal. Art thou afeard?4

Ste. No, monster, not I.

Cal. Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,

Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments

Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices,
That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds, methought, would open, and shew riches

2 Will you troll the catch-] To troll a catch, is to dismiss it trippingly from the tongue.

3 This is the tune of our catch, played by the picture of No-body.] A ridiculous figure, sometimes represented on signs, but the allusion is here to the print of No-body, prefixed to the anonymous comedy of " No-body and Some-body;" without date, but printed before the year 1600.

afeard?] To affear is an obsolete verb, with the same meaning as to affray. Between aferde and afraide in the time of Chaucer, there might have been some nice distinction, which is at present lost. STEEVENS.

Ready to drop upon me; that, when I wak'd,
I cry'd to dream again.

Ste. This will prove a brave kingdom to me, where I shall have my musick for nothing.

Cal. When Prospero is destroyed.

Ste. That shall be by and by: I remember the story. Trin. The sound is going away: let's follow it, and after, do our work.

Ste. Lead, monster; we'll follow. I would, I could see this taborer: he lays it on.

Trin. Wilt come? I'll follow, Stephano. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Another part of the Island.

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

Gon. 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.

Alon.

Old lord, I cannot blame thee, Who am myself attach'd with weariness,

To the 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.

5 Wilt come? I'll follow, Stephano.] The first words are addressed to Caliban, who, vexed at the folly of his new companions idly running after the musick, while they ought only to have attended to the main point, the dispatching Prospero, seems, for some little time, to have staid behind. HEATH.

The words - Wilt come? should be added to Stephano's speech. I'll follow, is Trinculo's answer. RITSON.

6 By'r lakin,] i. e. The diminutive only of our lady, i. e. ladykin. STEEVENS.

7 Our frustrate search-] Frustrate for frustrated.