William Shakespeare - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Burnt up those logs that you are enjoin’d to pile!

Pray, set it down and rest you: when this burns,

‘Twill weep for having wearied you. My father

Is hard at study; pray, now, rest yourself:

He’s safe for these three hours.

FERDINAND.

O most dear mistress,

The sun will set, before I shall discharge

What I must strive to do.

MIRANDA.

If you’ll sit down,

I’ll bear your logs the while. Pray give me that;

I’ll carry it to the pile.

FERDINAND.

No, precious creature:

I had rather crack my sinews, break my back,

Than you should such dishonour undergo,

While I sit lazy by.

MIRANDA.

It would become me

As well as it does you: and I should do it

With much more ease; for my good will is to it,

And yours it is against.

PROSPERO.

[Aside] Poor worm! thou art infected:

This visitation shows it.

MIRANDA.

You look wearily.

FERDINAND.

No, noble mistress; ‘tis fresh morning with me

When you are by at night. I do beseech you—

Chiefly that I might set it in my prayers—

What is your name?

MIRANDA.

Miranda—O my father!

I have broke your hest to say so.

FERDINAND.

Admir’d Miranda!

Indeed, the top of admiration; worth

What’s dearest to the world! Full many a lady

I have ey’d with best regard, and many a time

The harmony of their tongues hath into bondage

Brought my too diligent ear: for several virtues

Have I lik’d several women; never any

With so full soul but some defect in her

Did quarrel with the noblest grace she ow’d,

And put it to the foil: but you, O you!

So perfect and so peerless, are created

Of every creature’s best.

MIRANDA.

I do not know

One of my sex; no woman’s face remember,

Save, from my glass, mine own; nor have I seen

More that I may call men than you, good friend,

And my dear father: how features are abroad,

I am skill-less of; but, by my modesty,—

The jewel in my dower,—I would not wish

Any companion in the world but you;

Nor can imagination form a shape,

Besides yourself, to like of. But I prattle

Something too wildly, and my father’s precepts

I therein do forget.

FERDINAND.

I am, in my condition,

A prince, Miranda; I do think, a king;—

I would not so!—and would no more endure

This wooden slavery than to suffer

The flesh-fly blow my mouth.—Hear my soul speak:—

The very instant that I saw you, did

My heart fly to your service; there resides,

To make me slave to it; and for your sake

Am I this patient log-man.

MIRANDA.

Do you love me?

FERDINAND.

O heaven! O earth! bear witness to this sound,

And crown what I profess with kind event,

If I speak true: if hollowly, invert

What best is boded me to mischief! I,

Beyond all limit of what else i’ the world,

Do love, prize, honour you.

MIRANDA.

I am a fool

To weep at what I am glad of.

PROSPERO.

[Aside] Fair encounter

Of two most rare affections! Heavens rain grace

On that which breeds between them!

FERDINAND.

Wherefore weep you?

MIRANDA.

At mine unworthiness, that dare not offer

What I desire to give; and much less take

What I shall die to want. But this is trifling;

And all the more it seeks to hide itself,

The bigger bulk it shows. Hence, bashful cunning!

And prompt me, plain and holy innocence!

I am your wife, if you will marry me;

If not, I’ll die your maid: to be your fellow

You may deny me; but I’ll be your servant,

Whether you will or no.

FERDINAND.

My mistress, dearest;

And I thus humble ever.

MIRANDA.

My husband, then?

FERDINAND.

Ay, with a heart as willing

As bondage e’er of freedom: here’s my hand.

MIRANDA.

And mine, with my heart in’t: and now farewell

Till half an hour hence.

FERDINAND.

A thousand thousand!

[Exeunt FERDINAND and MIRANDA severally.]

PROSPERO.

So glad of this as they, I cannot be,

Who are surpris’d withal; but my rejoicing

At nothing can be more. I’ll to my book;

For yet, ere supper time, must I perform

Much business appertaining.

[Exit]

SCENE II. Another part of the island

[Enter CALIBAN, with a bottle, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO.]

STEPHANO. Tell not me:—when the butt is out we will drink water; not a drop before: therefore bear up, and board ‘em.—Servant-monster, drink to me.

TRINCULO. Servant-monster! The folly of this island! They say there’s but five upon this isle; we are three of them; if th’ other two be brained like us, the state totters.

STEPHANO. Drink, servant-monster, when I bid thee: thy eyes are almost set in thy head.

TRINCULO. Where should they be set else? He were a brave monster indeed, if they were set in his tail.

STEPHANO. My man-monster hath drown’d his tongue in sack: for my part, the sea cannot drown me; I swam, ere I could recover the shore, five-and-thirty leagues, off and on, by this light. Thou shalt be my lieutenant, monster, or my standard.

TRINCULO.

Your lieutenant, if you list; he’s no standard.

STEPHANO.

We’ll not run, Monsieur monster.

TRINCULO. Nor go neither: but you’ll lie like dogs, and yet say nothing neither.

STEPHANO. Moon-calf, speak once in thy life, if thou beest a good moon-calf.

CALIBAN.

How does thy honour? Let me lick thy shoe.

I’ll not serve him: he is not valiant.

TRINCULO. Thou liest, most ignorant monster: I am in case to justle a constable. Why, thou deboshed fish thou, was there ever man a coward that hath drunk so much sack as I to-day? Wilt thou tell a monstrous lie, being but half fish and half a monster?

CALIBAN.

Lo, how he mocks me! wilt thou let him, my lord?

TRINCULO. ‘Lord’ quoth he!—That a monster should be such a natural!

CALIBAN.

Lo, lo again! bite him to death, I prithee.

STEPHANO. Trinculo, keep a good tongue in your head: if you prove a mutineer, the next tree! The poor monster’s my subject, and he shall not suffer indignity.

CALIBAN. I thank my noble lord. Wilt thou be pleas’d to hearken once again to the suit I made to thee?

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

[Enter ARIEL, invisible]

CALIBAN. As I told thee before, I am subject to a tyrant, sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of the island.

ARIEL.

Thou liest.

CALIBAN.

Thou liest, thou jesting monkey, thou;

I would my valiant master would destroy thee;

I do not lie.

STEPHANO. Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in his tale, by this hand, I will supplant some of your teeth.

TRINCULO.

Why, I said nothing.

STEPHANO.

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

CALIBAN.

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,—

STEPHANO.

That’s most certain.

CALIBAN.

Thou shalt be lord of it and I’ll serve thee.

STEPHANO. How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to the party?

CALIBAN.

Yea, yea, my lord: I’ll yield him thee asleep,

Where thou may’st knock a nail into his head.

ARIEL.

Thou liest: thou canst not.

CALIBAN.

What a pied ninny’s this! Thou scurvy patch!—

I do beseech thy greatness, give him blows,

And take his bottle from him: when that’s gone