The Tempest

The Tempest

ACT I SCENE I	On a ship at sea: a tempestuous noise
	of thunder and lightning heard.
	Enter a Master and a Boatswain
Master	Boatswain!
Boatswain	Here, master: what cheer?
Master	Good, speak to the mariners: fall to't, yarely,	5
	or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir.
	Exit
	Enter Mariners
Boatswain	Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts!
	yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the
	master's whistle. Blow, till thou burst thy wind,
	if room enough!	10
	Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND,GONZALO, and others
ALONSO	Good boatswain, have care. Where's the master?
	Play the men.
Boatswain	I pray now, keep below.
ANTONIO	Where is the master, boatswain?
Boatswain	Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your	15
	cabins: you do assist the storm.
GONZALO	Nay, good, be patient.
Boatswain	When the sea is. Hence! What cares these roarers
	for the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not.
GONZALO	Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard.	20
Boatswain	None that I more love than myself. You are a
	counsellor; if you can command these elements to
	silence, and work the peace of the present, we will
	not hand a rope more; use your authority: if you
	cannot, give thanks you have lived so long, and make	25
	yourself ready in your cabin for the mischance of
	the hour, if it so hap. Cheerly, good hearts! Out
	of our way, I say.
	Exit
GONZALO	I have great comfort from this fellow: methinks he
	hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is	30
	perfect gallows. Stand fast, good Fate, to his
	hanging: make the rope of his destiny our cable,
	for our own doth little advantage. If he be not
	born to be hanged, our case is miserable.
	Exeunt
	Re-enter Boatswain
Boatswain	Down with the topmast! yare! lower, lower! Bring	35
	her to try with main-course.
	A cry within
	A plague upon this howling! they are louder than
	the weather or our office.
	Re-enter SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, and GONZALO
	Yet again! what do you here? Shall we give o'er
	and drown? Have you a mind to sink?	40
SEBASTIAN	A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous,
	incharitable dog!
Boatswain	Work you then.
ANTONIO	Hang, cur! hang, you whoreson, insolent noisemaker!
	We are less afraid to be drowned than thou art.	45
GONZALO	I'll warrant him for drowning; though the ship were
	no stronger than a nutshell and as leaky as an
	unstanched wench.
Boatswain	Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her two courses off to
	sea again; lay her off.	50
	Enter Mariners wet
Mariners	All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost!
Boatswain	What, must our mouths be cold?
GONZALO	The king and prince at prayers! let's assist them,
	For our case is as theirs.
SEBASTIAN	I'm out of patience.	55
ANTONIO	We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards:
	This wide-chapp'd rascal--would thou mightst lie drowning
	The washing of ten tides!
GONZALO	He'll be hang'd yet,
	Though every drop of water swear against it	60
	And gape at widest to glut him.
	A confused noise within: 'Mercy on us!'--'We split, we split!'--'Farewell, my wife andchildren!'--'Farewell, brother!'--'We split, we split, we split!'
ANTONIO	Let's all sink with the king.
SEBASTIAN	Let's take leave of him.
	Exeunt ANTONIO and SEBASTIAN
GONZALO	Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an
	acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze, any	65
	thing. The wills above be done! but I would fain
	die a dry death.
	Exeunt