Gon. I do well believe your Highness, and did it to minister occasion to these gentlemen, who are of such senfible and nimble lungs, that they always use to laugh at nothing

Ant. 'Twas you we laugh’d at.
Gon. Who, in this kind

of merry fooling, am nothing to you: so you may continue, and laugh at nothing still.

Ant. What a blow was there given? : Seb. An it had not fallen flat-long.

Gon. You are gentlemen of brave metal ; you would lift the moon out of her sphere, if she would continue in it five weeks without changing.

[Enter Ariel playing solemn mufick. Seb. We would so, and then go a bat-fowling. Ant. Nay, good my lord be not angry.

Gon. No I warrant you, I will not adventure my difcretion so weakly: will you laugh me aseep, for I am very heavy?

Ant. Go Neep, and hear us.

Alon. What all fo foon asleep? I wish mine eyes
Would with themselves shut up my thoughts: Í find
They are inclin’d to do so.

Seb. Please you, Sir,
Do not omit the heavy offer of it:
It seldom visits forrow; when it doth,
It is a comforter.

Ant. We two, my lord,
Will guard your person, while

you

take And watch your safety. Alon. Thank you: wond'rous heavy.

[All sleep but Seb. and Ant. Seb. What a strange drowsiness possesses them? Ant. It is the quality o'th' climate.

Seb. Why
Doth it not then our eye-lids fink? I find not
Myself dispos'd to sleep.

Ant. Nor I, my spirits are nimble :
They fell together all as by consent,

They

your rest,

They dropt as by a thunder-stroke. What might?
Worthy Sebastian -O, what might ? — no more.
And yet methinks I see it in thy face,
What thou should'st be: th’occasion speaks thee, and
My strong imagination fees a crown
Dropping upon thy head.

Seb. What, art thou waking?
Ant. Do you not hear me speak ?

Seb. I do, and surely
It is a sleepy language, and thou speak'st
Out of thy sleep : what is it thou didst say ?
This is a strange repose, to be asleep
With
eyes

wide open : standing, speaking, moving;
And
yet

so fast alleep.
Ant. Noble Sebastian,
Thou let'st thy fortune seep, die rather ; wink'st
Whilst thou art waking.

Seb. Thou dost snore distinctly;
There's meaning in thy snores.

Ant. I am more serious than my custom. You
Must be so, if you heed me; which to do,
S'Troubles thee not.

Seb. Well: I am standing water.
Ant. I'll teach you how to flow.

Seb. Do so : to ebb
Hereditary Noth instructs me.

Ant. Oh!
If you but knew how you the purpose cherish,
Whilst thus you mock it ; how in stripping it
You more invest it! ebbing men, indeed,
Most often do so near the bottom run,
By their own fear or soth.

Seb. Pr’ythee say on,
The setting of thine eye and cheek proclaim
A matter from thee; and a birth, indeed,
Which throes thee much to yield.
Ant. :'Why then thus Sir :

Although 9 Trebbles thee o'er. 1 Thus Sis:

Although this lord of weak remembrance ; this
Who shall be of as little memory
When he is earth’d, hath here almost persuaded
(For he's a spirit of persuasion, only
Professes to persuade) the King his son's alive;
'Tis as impossible that he's undrown'd,
As he that neeps here, swims.

Seb. I have no hope
That he's undrown'd.

Ant. O, out of that no hope, What great hope have you? no hope that way, is Another way so high an hope, that even Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond, But 2 / drops' discovery there. Will you grant, with me, That Ferdinand is drown'd?

Seb. He's gone.

Ant. Then tell me
Who's the next heir of Naples ?

Seb, Claribel.

Ant. She that is Queen of Tunis; she that dwells
Ten leagues beyond man's life ; she that from Naples
Can have no a Note unless the fun were post,
(The man i'th' moon's too flow) 'till new-born chins
Be rough and razorable ; she 3 ' from whom
We were sea-swallow'd, tho' some, cast again,
May by that destiny perform an act
Whereof what's past is prologue, what to come
Is yours and my discharge

Seb. What stuff is this? how say you ?
'Tis true, my brother's daughter's Queen of Tunis,
So is she heir of Naples, 'twixt which regions
There is some space.

Ant. A space whose ev'ry cubit
Seems to cry out, 4 'how shalt thou, Claribel,
Measure it back to Naples ? Keep in Tunis,

And (a) No advices by letter.

2 doubt
3 for . . . old edit. Theob. emend.
4

how shall that Claribel?
Measure us back

And let Sebastian wake. Say, this were death
That now hath seiz'd them, why they were no worse
Than now they are: there be that can rule Naples
As well as he that Neeps; lords that can prate
As amply, and unnecessarily,
As this Gonzalo; I myself could make
A Chough of as deep chat

. O, that you bore
The mind that I do, what a Neep were this
For your advancement! do you understand me?

Seb. Methinks I do.

Ant. And how does your content
Tender your own good fortune ?

Seb. I remember
You did fupplant your brother Profpro.

Ant. True :
And look how well my garments sit upon me,
Much feater than before. My brother's servants
Were then my fellows, now they are my men.

Seb. But for your conscience.

Ant. Ay, Sir ; where lyes that ?
If 'twere a kybe, 'twould put me to my slipper :
But I feel not this deity in my bosom. :
Ten consciences that s'ftood' 'twixt me and Milan,
6 'Candy'd were they, wou'd melt ere they molested."
Here lyes your brother
No better than the earth he lyes upon,
If he were that which now he's like, that's dead ;
Whom I with this obedient steel, three inches of it,
Can lay to bed for ever ; you, doing thus,
To the perpetual wink for ay might put
This ancient Morsel, this Sir Prudence, who
Should not upbraid our course. For all the rest,
Thry'll take suggestion, as a cat laps milk;
They'll tell the clock to any business that
We say befits the hour.

Seb. Thy case, dear friend,
Shall be my precedent: as thou got'st Milan,

I'll

5 ftand

6 Candy'd be they, and melt, ere they molest!

I'll come by Naples. Draw thy sword, one stroke
Shall free thee from the tribute which thou pay'st,
And I the King shall love thee.

Ant. Draw together:
And when I rear my hand, do you the like
To fall it on Gonzalo.
Seb. But one word.

Enter Ariel with Musick and Song.
Ari. My master through his art foresees the danger
That you, his friend, are in; and sends me forth
(For else his project dies) to keep ? 'you' living.

[Sings in Gonzalo's Ear,
While you here do snoaring lye,
Open-ey'd conspiracy

His time doth take :
If of life you keep a care,
Shake off Number, and beware

Awake! awake!
Ant. Then let us both be sudden.
Gon. Now, good angels preserve the King!

[They wake. Alon. Why how now ho? awake! why are you drawn? Wherefore this ghastly looking?

Gon. What's the matter?

Seb. While we stood here securing your repose, Ev'n now we heard a hollow burst of bellowing Like bulls, or rather lions ; did't not wake you? It strook mine ear most terribly.

Alon. I heard nothing.

Ant. 0, 'twas a din to fright a monster's ear ;
To make an earthquake : sure it was the roar
Of a whole herd of lions.

Alon. Heard you this?

Gon. Upon mine honour, Sir, I heard a humming,
And that a strange one too, which did awake me.
I shak'd you, Sir, and cry'd; as mine eyes open’d,

I saw

7 them