Cover art for The Tempest, Act 4 by Masterworks of Brit Lit
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The Tempest, Act 4 Lyrics

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
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
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
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
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;
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!
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;
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;
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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!
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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:
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
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:
If you be pleased, retire into my cell
And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk
To still my beating mind
FERDINAND MIRANDA
We wish your peace
Exeunt

PROSPERO
Come with a thought I thank thee, Ariel: come
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
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
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
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
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
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;
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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:
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
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
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!
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
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
Follow, and do me service

Exeunt

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