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. CAL. Do not torment me, pr'ythee! I'll bring my wood home faster. STE. 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. CAL. Thou dost me yet but little hurt; thou wilt anon, I know it by thy trembling: now Prosper works upon thee. STE. 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. TRIN. I should know that voice: it should bebut he is drowned; and these are devils:-0! defend me! STE. 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: Amen!] Perhaps a warning to the monster to stint his draught. I have no long spoon.] An allusion which we have had Come ;-Amen! I will pour some in thy other mouth. TRIN. Stephano, STE. Doth thy other mouth call me? Mercy! mercy! This is a devil, and no monster: I will leave him: I have no long spoon.b TRIN. Stephano!-if thou beest Stephano, touch me, and speak to me; for I am Trinculo,-be not afeard,-thy good friend Trinculo. STE. 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 camest thou to be the siege of this moon-calf? can he vent Trinculos? TRIN. I took him to be killed with a thunderstroke-but art thou not drowned, Stephano? I hope now, thou art 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! STE. Pr'ythee, do not turn me about; my stomach is not constant. CAL. [Aside.] These be fine things, an if they That's a brave god, and bears celestial liquor: STE. How didst thou 'scape? How camest thou before, in "The Comedy of Eriors," Act IV. Sc. 3, to the ancient proverb, "He who eats with the devil hath need of a long spoon." hither? swear by this bottle, how thou camest 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. CAL. [Aside.] I'll swear upon that bottle, to be thy true subject; for the liquor is not earthly. STE. Here; swear then how thou escapedst. TRIN. Swam ashore, man, like a duck; I can swim like a duck, I'll be sworn. STE. Here, kiss the book. Though thou canst swim like a duck, thou art made like a goose. TRIN. O Stephano, hast any more of this? STE. The whole butt, man; my cellar is in a rock by the sea-side, where my wine is hid.-How now, moon-calf? how does thine ague? CAL. Hast thou not dropped from heaven? STE. Out o' the moon, I do assure thee: I was the man i' the moon when time was. CAL. I have seen thee in her, and I do adore thee; My mistress show'd me thee, and thy dog and thy bush. STE. Come, swear to that; kiss the book:-I will furnish it anon with new contents:-swear. TRIN. By this good light, this is a very shallow monster-I afeard of him!-a very weak mon a Young scamels-] So the old text, but perhaps corruptly, since the word has not been found in any other author. Theobald changed it to shamois. and suggested stanirls, that is, young hawks, and sea-malis, or sea-mells. b No scrape trencher.-] The old text has," Nor scrape trenchering." but, as Mr. Dyce observes, "That 'trenchering' is an error of the printer (or transcriber), occasioned by the preceding words, 'firing' and 'requiring,' is beyond a doubt." e Hey-day! hey-day!] This appears to have been a familiar burden. Thus, in Ben Jonson's "Cynthia's Revels," Act II. Sc. 1: "Come follow me, my wags, and say, as I say. Enter MIRANDA, and PROSPERO following. MIRA. Alas, now! pray you, Work not so hard; I would the lightning had Burnt up those logs that you are enjoin'd to pile! Pray, set it down, and rest you: when this burns, 'T will weep for having wearied you. My father Is hard at study; pray, now, rest yourself; He's safe for these three hours. FER. O most dear mistress, The sun will set before I shall discharge What I must strive to do. If you'll sit down MIRA. I'll bear your logs the while: pray give me that; I'll carry it to the pile. my father, I have broke your 'hest to say so! Admir'd Miranda ! I do not know So perfect and so peerless, are created -The jewel in my dower,-I would not wish 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 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. MIRA. Do you love me? Fair encounter Of two most rare affections! Heavens rain grace On that which breeds between 'em! Wherefore weep you FER. ? MIRA. 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 b You may deny me; but I'll be your servant, Whether you will or no. FER. And I thus humble ever. My mistress, dearest ! when I do it," Mr. Holt White suggests, "Most busiest when I do it;" and Mr. Collier's annotator, "Mest busy,-blest when I do it." Whatever may have been the word for which "lest" was misprinted, "Most busy" and that word bore reference, unquestionably, not to Ferdinand's task, but to the sweet thoughts by which it was relieved. We have substituted felt as a likely word to have been mis-set "lest;" but are in doubt whether still, in its old sense of ever, always, is not preferable,"Most busy still, when I do it." b Fellow-] That is, companion, pheer. |