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The Tempest

Act II, Scene 2

 

Another part of the island
 
[Enter CALIBAN, with a burden of wood. A noise of thunder heard]
 
CALIBAN.
       ,     2    ,             2       ,    ,      ,
      All the in|fections | that the / sun sucks | up
      <-          T     T     T         ,         ,          ,        2->
        From || bogs, fens, flats,| on Pro|sper fall,| and make || him
           ,     ,           ,           x        ,
      By inch-|meal a | disease:| His spirits | hear me,
           ,        ,            ,            ,            ,
      And yet | I needs | must curse.| But they'll | nor pinch,
         ,              ,        ,       ,          2      ,
      Fright me | with urch|in-shows,| pitch me | in the mire,
            ,         ,        ,    ,               ,
      Nor lead | me like | a fire|brand, in | the dark
       ,           ,        ,        ,          ,
      Out of | my way,| unless | he bid | 'em; but
           ,        x      ,          ,     ,
      For eve|ry trifle,| are they | set u|pon me,
           ,            ,          ,           x       ,
      Sometime | like^apes,| that mow | and chatter | at me,
           ,       ,         ,            ,      ,
      And aft|er bite | me: then | like^hedge-|hogs, which^
       ,    ,                 ,         ,          ,
      Lie tumb/ling in | my bare|foot* way,| and mount
               ,               ,    ,         ,        ,
      Their pricks | at my / foot-fall:| sometime | am I
            ,           ,        ,           ,        ,
      All wound | with ad|ders, who | with clov|en tongues
           ,        ,     ,         ,        ,
      Do hiss | me in|to mad|ness: Lo,| now lo,
 
[Enter TRINCULO]
             ,          x         ,     ,    2      ,
      Here comes | a spirit | of his,| and to tor|ment me
            ,         ,         ,               ,    ,
      For bring|ing wood | in slow|ly. I'll / fall flat;
            ,          ,         ,
      Perchance | he will | not mind | me.   \\
 
TRINCULO.
Here's neither bush nor shrub to bear off any weather at all: and another storm brewing, I hear it sing in the wind: yond same black cloud, yond huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor: If it should thunder, as it did before, I know not where to hide my head: yond same cloud cannot choose but fall by pailfuls. What have we here, a man, or a fish? dead or alive? A fish, he smells like a fish: a very ancient and fish-like smell: a kind of, not of the newest Poor-John. A strange fish: Were I in England now (as once I was) and had but this fish painted; not a holiday fool there but would give a piece of silver: there, would this monster, make a man: any strange beast there, makes a man: when they will not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, they will lay out ten to see a dead Indian: Legged like a man; and his fins like arms: warm of my troth: I do now let loose my opinion; hold it no longer; this is no fish, but an islander, that hath lately suffered by thunderbolt: Alas, the storm is come again: My best way is to creep under his gaberdine: there is no other shelter hereabout: misery acquaints a man with strange bed-fellows: I will here shroud till the dregs of the storm be past.
 
[Enter STEPHANO singing; a bottle in his hand]
 
STEPHANO.
          ,          ,        ,        ,
      I shall | no more | to sea,| to sea,
             ,        ,        ,      oo
      Here shall | I die | a-shore. |
 
      This is  a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's funeral: well, here's my comfort.
 
[Drinks]
 
           ,      2      ,      2      ,       2    ,
      The mast|er, the swab|ber, the boat|swain and I,
           ,        ,          ,    oo
      The gun|ner, and | his mate |
              ,     ,          ,  3  3       ,  2
      Loved^Mall,| Meg, and | Marian, and | Margery,
            ,      2     ,           ,    oo
      But none | of us cared | for Kate.|
           ,       2     ,         2    ,    oo
      For she | had a tongue | with a tang,|
             ,      2    ,      ,    __
      Would cry | to a sail|or go | hang:
       ,    ,              ,         ,             ,
      She loved | not the sav|or of tar | nor of pitch,
 
             ,               ,                 ,              ,
      Yet a tail|or might scratch | her where ere | she did itch,
                 ,    ,           x           ,
      Then to / sea boys,| and let her | go hang.
 
This is a scurvy tune too: but here's my comfort.  [Drinks]
 
CALIBAN.
Do not torment me: Oh.
 
STEPHANO.
What's the matter?
Have we devils here?
Do you put tricks upon us with savages, and men of Ind? Ha? I have not 'scaped drowning, to be afeard now of your four legs: for it hath been said; as proper a man as ever went on four legs, cannot make him give ground: and it shall be said so again, while Stephano breathes at nostrils.
 
CALIBAN.
The spirit torments me: Oh.
 
STEPHANO.
This is some monster of the isle, with four legs; who hath got (as I take it) an ague: Where the devil should he learn our language? I will give him some relief if it be but for that: if I can recover him, and keep him tame, and get to Naples with him, he's a present for any emperor that ever trod on neat's-leather.
 
CALIBAN.
Do not torment me prithee: I'll bring my wood home faster.
 
STEPHANO.
He's in his fit now; and does not talk after the wisest. He shall taste of my bottle: if he have never drunk wine afore, it will go near to remove his fit: If I can recover him, and keep him tame, I will not take too much for him: he shall pay for him that hath him, and that soundly.
 
CALIBAN.
Thou dost me yet but little hurt; thou wilt anon, I know it by thy trembling: now Prosper works upon thee.
 
STEPHANO.
Come on your ways: open your mouth: here is that which will give language to you cat; Open your mouth; this will shake your shaking, I can tell you, and that soundly: you cannot tell who's your friend; open your chaps again.
 
TRINCULO.
I should know that voice:
it should be,
but he is drowned; and these are devils; O defend me.
 
STEPHANO.
Four legs and two voices; a most delicate monster: his forward voice now is to speak well of his friend; his backward voice, is to utter foul speeches, and to detract: If all the wine in my bottle will recover him, I will help his ague. Come: Amen, I will pour some in thy other mouth.
 
TRINCULO.
Stephano.
 
STEPHANO.
Doth thy other mouth call me? Mercy, mercy: This is a devil, and no monster: I will leave him, I have no long spoon.
 
TRINCULO.
Stephano: If thou beest Stephano, touch me, and speak to me: for I am Trinculo; be not afeared, thy good friend Trinculo.
 
STEPHANO.
If thou beest Trinculo: come forth: I'll pull thee by the lesser legs: if any be Trinculo's legs, these are they: Thou art very Trinculo indeed: How camst thou to be the siege of this moon-calf? Can he vent Trinculos?
 
TRINCULO.
I took him to be killed with a thunderstroke; but art thou not drowned Stephano: I hope now thou are not drowned: Is the storm overblown? I hid me under the dead moon-calf's gaberdine, for fear of the storm: And art thou living Stephano? O Stephano, two Neapolitans 'scaped?
 
STEPHANO.
Prithee do not turn me about, my stomach is not constant.
 
CALIBAN.
These be fine things, and if they be not sprites: that's a brave god, and bears celestial liquor: I will kneel to him.
 
STEPHANO.
How didst thou 'scape?
How camst thou hither?
Swear by this bottle how thou camst hither: I escaped upon a butt of sack, which the sailors heaved overboard, by this bottle which I made of the bark of a tree, with mine own hands, since I was cast ashore.
 
CALIBAN.
I'll swear upon that bottle, to be thy true subject, for the liquor is not earthly.
 
STEPHANO.
Here: swear then how thou escapedst.
 
TRINCULO.
Swum ashore (man) like a duck: I can swim like a duck I'll be sworn.
 
STEPHANO.
Here, kiss the book.
Though thou canst swim like a duck, thou art made like a goose.
 
TRINCULO.
O Stephano, hast any more of this?
 
STEPHANO.
The whole butt (man) my cellar is in a rock by the seaside, where my wine is hid:
How now moon-calf, How does thine ague?
 
CALIBAN.
Hast thou not dropped from heaven?
 
STEPHANO.
Out of the moon I do assure thee. I was the Man in the Moon, when time was.
 
CALIBAN.
I have seen thee in her: and I do adore thee: my mistress showed me thee, and thy dog, and thy bush.
 
STEPHANO.
Come, swear to that: kiss the book: I will furnish it anon with new contents: swear.
 
TRINCULO.
By this good light, this is a very shallow monster: I afeard of him? A very weak monster:
The Man in the Moon?
A most poor credulous monster:
Well drawn monster, in good sooth.
 
CALIBAN.
I'll show thee every fertile inch of the island: And I will kiss thy foot: I prithee be my god.
 
TRINCULO.
By this light, a most perfidious, and drunken monster, when his god's asleep he'll rob his bottle.
 
CALIBAN.
I'll kiss thy foot. I'll swear myself thy subject.
 
STEPHANO.
Come on then: down and swear.
 
TRINCULO.
I shall laugh myself to death at this puppy-headed monster: a most scurvy monster: I could find in my heart to beat him,
 
STEPHANO.
Come, kiss.
 
TRINCULO.
But that the poor monster's in drink:
An abominable monster.
 
CALIBAN.
I'll show thee the best springs: I'll pluck thee berries: I'll fish for thee; and get thee wood enough. A plague upon the tyrant that I serve;
I'll bear him no more sticks, but follow thee, thou wondrous man.
 
TRINCULO.
A most ridiculous monster, to make a wonder of a poor drunkard.
 
CALIBAN.
I prithee let me bring thee where crabs grow; and I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts; show thee a jay's nest, and instruct thee how to snare the nimble marmozet: I'll bring thee to clustering filberts, and sometimes I'll get thee young scamels from the rock: wilt thou go with me?
 
STEPHANO.
I prithee now lead the way without any more talking. Trinculo, the king, and all our company else being drowned, we will inherit here: Here; bear my bottle: Fellow Trinculo; we'll fill him by and by again.
 
CALIBAN.
Farewell, master; farewell, farewell! [Sings drunkenly]
 
TRINCULO.
A howling monster: a drunken monster.
 
CALIBAN.
       ,          ,           ,          ,
      No more | dams I'll | make for | fish,
      <-         ,         ,        ,      ,
        Nor || fetch in | firing,| at re|quiring,
       T     T      T     2     ,           ,
      Nor scrape trench|ering, nor | wash^dish;
      ___   ___       ,    ,
      Ban | Ban | Ca-Cal|iban
       ,   2       ,        ,   2      ___
      Has a new | master,| Get a new | man.
 
      Freedom, high-day, high-day freedom, freedom high-day, freedom.
 
STEPHANO.
O brave monster; lead the way.
 
[Exeunt]

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