Shakespeare's The Tempest 4.1 - The Masque Scene with Iris, Juno and Ceres

The Tempest

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ACT IV SCENE I	Before PROSPERO'S cell.
[Enter PROSPERO, FERDINAND, and MIRANDA]
PROSPERO	If I have too austerely punish'd you,
	Your compensation makes amends, for I
	Have given you here a third of mine own life,
	Or that for which I live; who once again
	I tender to thy hand: all thy vexations	5
	Were but my trials of thy love and thou
	Hast strangely stood the test here, afore Heaven,
	I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand,
	Do not smile at me that I boast her off,
	For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise	10
	And make it halt behind her.
FERDINAND	I do believe it
	Against an oracle.
PROSPERO	Then, as my gift and thine own acquisition
	Worthily purchased take my daughter: but	15
	If thou dost break her virgin-knot before
	All sanctimonious ceremonies may
	With full and holy rite be minister'd,
	No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall
	To make this contract grow: but barren hate,	20
	Sour-eyed disdain and discord shall bestrew
	The union of your bed with weeds so loathly
	That you shall hate it both: therefore take heed,
	As Hymen's lamps shall light you.
FERDINAND	As I hope	25
	For quiet days, fair issue and long life,
	With such love as 'tis now, the murkiest den,
	The most opportune place, the strong'st suggestion.
	Our worser genius can, shall never melt
	Mine honour into lust, to take away	30
	The edge of that day's celebration
	When I shall think: or Phoebus' steeds are founder'd,
	Or Night kept chain'd below.
PROSPERO	Fairly spoke.
	Sit then and talk with her; she is thine own.	35
	What, Ariel! my industrious servant, Ariel!
[Enter ARIEL]
ARIEL	What would my potent master? here I am.
PROSPERO	Thou and thy meaner fellows your last service
	Did worthily perform; and I must use you
	In such another trick. Go bring the rabble,	40
	O'er whom I give thee power, here to this place:
	Incite them to quick motion; for I must
	Bestow upon the eyes of this young couple
	Some vanity of mine art: it is my promise,
	And they expect it from me.	45
ARIEL	Presently?
PROSPERO	Ay, with a twink.
ARIEL	Before you can say 'come' and 'go,'
	And breathe twice and cry 'so, so,'
	Each one, tripping on his toe,	50
	Will be here with mop and mow.
	Do you love me, master? no?
PROSPERO	Dearly my delicate Ariel. Do not approach
	Till thou dost hear me call.
ARIEL	Well, I conceive.	55
[Exit]
PROSPERO	Look thou be true; do not give dalliance
	Too much the rein: the strongest oaths are straw
	To the fire i' the blood: be more abstemious,
	Or else, good night your vow!
FERDINAND	I warrant you sir;	60
	The white cold virgin snow upon my heart
	Abates the ardour of my liver.
PROSPERO	Well.
	Now come, my Ariel! bring a corollary,
	Rather than want a spirit: appear and pertly!	65
	No tongue! all eyes! be silent.
[Soft music]
[Enter IRIS]
IRIS	Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas
	Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats and pease;
	Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
	And flat meads thatch'd with stover, them to keep;	70
	Thy banks with pioned and twilled brims,
	Which spongy April at thy hest betrims,
	To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy broom -groves,
	Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves,
	Being lass-lorn: thy pole-clipt vineyard;	75
	And thy sea-marge, sterile and rocky-hard,
	Where thou thyself dost air;--the queen o' the sky,
	Whose watery arch and messenger am I,
	Bids thee leave these, and with her sovereign grace,
	Here on this grass-plot, in this very place,	80
	To come and sport: her peacocks fly amain:
	Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.
[Enter CERES]
CERES	Hail, many-colour'd messenger, that ne'er
	Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;
	Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers	85
	Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers,
	And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown
	My bosky acres and my unshrubb'd down,
	Rich scarf to my proud earth; why hath thy queen
	Summon'd me hither, to this short-grass'd green?	90
IRIS	A contract of true love to celebrate;
	And some donation freely to estate
	On the blest lovers.
CERES	Tell me, heavenly bow,
	If Venus or her son, as thou dost know,	95
	Do now attend the queen? Since they did plot
	The means that dusky Dis my daughter got,
	Her and her blind boy's scandal'd company
	I have forsworn.
IRIS	Of her society	100
	Be not afraid: I met her deity
	Cutting the clouds towards Paphos and her son
	Dove-drawn with her. Here thought they to have done
	Some wanton charm upon this man and maid,
	Whose vows are, that no bed-right shall be paid	105
	Till Hymen's torch be lighted: but vain;
	Mars's hot minion is returned again;
	Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,
	Swears he will shoot no more but play with sparrows
	And be a boy right out.	110
CERES	High'st queen of state,
	Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.
[Enter JUNO]
JUNO	How does my bounteous sister? Go with me
	To bless this twain, that they may prosperous be
	And honour'd in their issue.	115
[They sing:]
JUNO	Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
	Long continuance, and increasing,
	Hourly joys be still upon you!
	Juno sings her blessings upon you.
CERES	Earth's increase, foison plenty,	120
	Barns and garners never empty,
	Vines and clustering bunches growing,
	Plants with goodly burthen bowing;
	Spring come to you at the farthest
	In the very end of harvest!	125
	Scarcity and want shall shun you;
	Ceres' blessing so is on you.
FERDINAND	This is a most majestic vision, and
	Harmoniously charmingly. May I be bold
	To think these spirits?	130
PROSPERO	Spirits, which by mine art
	I have from their confines call'd to enact
	My present fancies.
FERDINAND	Let me live here ever;
	So rare a wonder'd father and a wife	135
	Makes this place Paradise.
[ Juno and Ceres whisper, and send Iris on employment ]
PROSPERO	Sweet, now, silence!
	Juno and Ceres whisper seriously;
	There's something else to do: hush, and be mute,
	Or else our spell is marr'd.	140
IRIS	You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the windring brooks,
	With your sedged crowns and ever-harmless looks,
	Leave your crisp channels and on this green land
	Answer your summons; Juno does command:
	Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate	145
	A contract of true love; be not too late.
[Enter certain Nymphs]
	You sunburnt sicklemen, of August weary,
	Come hither from the furrow and be merry:
	Make holiday; your rye-straw hats put on
	And these fresh nymphs encounter every one	150
	In country footing.
[ Enter certain Reapers, properly habited: they join with the Nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the end whereof PROSPERO starts suddenly, and speaks; after which, to a strange, hollow, and confused noise, they heavily vanish ]
PROSPERO	[Aside] I had forgot that foul conspiracy
	Of the beast Caliban and his confederates
	Against my life: the minute of their plot
	Is almost come.	155
[To the Spirits]
	Well done! avoid; no more!
FERDINAND	This is strange: your father's in some passion
	That works him strongly.
MIRANDA	Never till this day
	Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.	160
PROSPERO	You do look, my son, in a moved sort,
	As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir.
	Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
	As I foretold you, were all spirits and
	Are melted into air, into thin air:	165
	And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
	The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
	The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
	Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve
	And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,	170
	Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
	As dreams are made on, and our little life
	Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex'd;
	Bear with my weakness; my, brain is troubled:
	Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:	175
	If you be pleased, retire into my cell
	And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk,
	To still my beating mind.
MIRANDA	We wish your peace.
[Exeunt]
PROSPERO	Come with a thought I thank thee, Ariel: come.	180
[Enter ARIEL]
ARIEL	Thy thoughts I cleave to. What's thy pleasure?
PROSPERO	Spirit,
	We must prepare to meet with Caliban.
ARIEL	Ay, my commander: when I presented Ceres,
	I thought to have told thee of it, but I fear'd	185
	Lest I might anger thee.
PROSPERO	Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets?
ARIEL	I told you, sir, they were red-hot with drinking;
	So fun of valour that they smote the air
	For breathing in their faces; beat the ground	190
	For kissing of their feet; yet always bending
	Towards their project. Then I beat my tabour;
	At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd
	their ears,
	Advanced their eyelids, lifted up their noses	195
	As they smelt music: so I charm'd their ears
	That calf-like they my lowing follow'd through
	Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes, pricking goss and thorns,
	Which entered their frail shins: at last I left them
	I' the filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell,	200
	There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake
	O'erstunk their feet.
PROSPERO	This was well done, my bird.
	Thy shape invisible retain thou still:
	The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither,	205
	For stale to catch these thieves.
ARIEL	I go, I go.
[Exit]
PROSPERO	A devil, a born devil, on whose nature
	Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains,
	Humanely taken, all, all lost, quite lost;	210
	And as with age his body uglier grows,
	So his mind cankers. I will plague them all,
	Even to roaring.
[Re-enter ARIEL, loaden with glistering apparel, &c]
	Come, hang them on this line.
[ PROSPERO and ARIEL remain invisible. Enter CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO, all wet ]
CALIBAN	Pray you, tread softly, that the blind mole may not	215
	Hear a foot fall: we now are near his cell.
STEPHANO	Monster, your fairy, which you say is
	a harmless fairy, has done little better than
	played the Jack with us.
TRINCULO	Monster, I do smell all horse-piss; at	220
	which my nose is in great indignation.
STEPHANO	So is mine. Do you hear, monster? If I should take
	a displeasure against you, look you,--
TRINCULO	Thou wert but a lost monster.
CALIBAN	Good my lord, give me thy favour still.	225
	Be patient, for the prize I'll bring thee to
	Shall hoodwink this mischance: therefore speak softly.
	All's hush'd as midnight yet.
TRINCULO	Ay, but to lose our bottles in the pool,--
STEPHANO	There is not only disgrace and dishonour in that,	230
	monster, but an infinite loss.
TRINCULO	That's more to me than my wetting: yet this is your
	harmless fairy, monster.
STEPHANO	I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er ears
	for my labour.	235
CALIBAN	Prithee, my king, be quiet. Seest thou here,
	This is the mouth o' the cell: no noise, and enter.
	Do that good mischief which may make this island
	Thine own for ever, and I, thy Caliban,
	For aye thy foot-licker.	240
STEPHANO	Give me thy hand. I do begin to have bloody thoughts.
TRINCULO	O king Stephano! O peer! O worthy Stephano! look
	what a wardrobe here is for thee!
CALIBAN	Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash.
TRINCULO	O, ho, monster! we know what belongs to a frippery.	245
	O king Stephano!
STEPHANO	Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this hand, I'll have
	that gown.
TRINCULO	Thy grace shall have it.
CALIBAN	The dropsy drown this fool I what do you mean	250
	To dote thus on such luggage? Let's alone
	And do the murder first: if he awake,
	From toe to crown he'll fill our skins with pinches,
	Make us strange stuff.
STEPHANO	Be you quiet, monster. Mistress line,	255
	is not this my jerkin? Now is the jerkin under
	the line: now, jerkin, you are like to lose your
	hair and prove a bald jerkin.
TRINCULO	Do, do: we steal by line and level, an't like your grace.
STEPHANO	I thank thee for that jest; here's a garment for't:	260
	wit shall not go unrewarded while I am king of this
	country. 'Steal by line and level' is an excellent
	pass of pate; there's another garment for't.
TRINCULO	Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and
	away with the rest.	265
CALIBAN	I will have none on't: we shall lose our time,
	And all be turn'd to barnacles, or to apes
	With foreheads villanous low.
STEPHANO	Monster, lay-to your fingers: help to bear this
	away where my hogshead of wine is, or I'll turn you	270
	out of my kingdom: go to, carry this.
TRINCULO	And this.
STEPHANO	Ay, and this.
[ A noise of hunters heard. Enter divers Spirits, in shape of dogs and hounds, and hunt them about, PROSPERO and ARIEL setting them on ]
PROSPERO	Hey, Mountain, hey!
ARIEL	Silver I there it goes, Silver!	275
PROSPERO	Fury, Fury! there, Tyrant, there! hark! hark!
[ CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO, are driven out ]
	Go charge my goblins that they grind their joints
	With dry convulsions, shorten up their sinews
	With aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted make them
	Than pard or cat o' mountain.	280
ARIEL	Hark, they roar!
PROSPERO	Let them be hunted soundly. At this hour
	Lie at my mercy all mine enemies:
	Shortly shall all my labours end, and thou
	Shalt have the air at freedom: for a little	285
	Follow, and do me service.
[Exeunt]