SCENE II
Another part of the island.Enter CALIBAN with a burden of food.
A noise of thunder heard.
Cal.
All the infections that the sun sucks up
From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him
By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me
And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,
Fright me with urchin-shows, pitch me i' the mire,
Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark
Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but
For every trifle are they set upon me;
Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me.
And after bite me, then like hedgehogs which
Lie tumbling in my barefoot way and mount
Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I
All wound with adders who with cloven tongues
Do hiss me into madness.
Enter TRINCULO.
Lo, now, lo!
Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me
For bringing wood in slowly. I'll fall flat;
Perchance he will not mind me.
Trin.
Here's neither bush nor shrub, to
bear off any weather at all, and another storm
brewing; I hear it sing i' 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 o' my troth! I do now let loose
my opinions; hold it no longer: this is no fish,
but an islander, that hath lately suffered by a
thunderbolt. [Thunder.] Alas, the storm is
come again! my best way is to creep under
his gaberdine; there is no other shelter hereabouts:
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.
Ste.
I shall no more to sea, to sea,
Here shall I die ashore--
This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's
funeral: well, here's my comfort. [Drinks.
[Sings.
The master, the swabber, the boatswain and I,
The gunner and his mate (51)
Loved Mall, Meg and Marian and Margery,
But none of us cared for Kate;
For she had a tongue with a tang,
Would cry to a sailor, Go hang!
She loved not the savour of tar nor of pitch,
Yet a tailor might scratch her where'er she did itch:
Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang!
This is a scurvy tune too: but here's my comfort. [Drinks.
Cal.
Do not torment me: Oh!
Ste.
What's the matter? Have we devils
here? Do you put tricks upon 's 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's nostrils.
Cal.
The spirit torments me; Oh!
Ste.
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.
Cal.
Do not torment me, prithee; 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. (90)
Trin.
I should know that voice: it should
be--but he is drowned; and these are devils:
O 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. Come. Amen! I will pour some
in thy other mouth. (100)
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.
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? (112)
Trin.
I took him to be killed with a thunder-stroke.
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.
Prithee, do not turn me about; my
stomach is not constant. (120)
Cal.
[Aside]
These be fine things, an if they be not sprites.
That's a brave god and bears celestial liquor.
I will kneel to him.
Ste.
How didst thou 'scape? How camest
thou hither? swear by this bottle how thou
camest hither. I escaped upon a butt of sack
which the sailors heaved o'erboard, by this
bottle! which I made of the bark of a tree
with mine own hands since I was cast ashore. (129)
Cal.
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.
Swum 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 dropp'd 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 monster! The man i' the moon! A
most poor credulous monster! Well drawn,
monster, in good sooth!
Cal.
I'll show thee every fertile inch o' th' island;
And I will kiss thy foot: I prithee, be my god.
Trin.
By this light, a most perfidious and
drunken monster! when 's god's asleep, he'll
rob his bottle.
Cal.
I'll kiss thy foot; I'll swear myself thy subject.
Ste.
Come on then; down, and swear.
Trin.
I shall laugh myself to death at this
puppy-headed monster. A most scurvy monster!
I could find in my heart to beat him,-- (161)
Ste.
Come, kiss.
Trin.
But that the poor monster's in
drink: an abominable monster!
Cal.
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. (169)
Trin.
A most ridiculous monster, to make (170)
a wonder of a poor drunkard!
Cal.
I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow;
And I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts;
Show thee a jay's nest and instruct thee how
To snare the nimble marmoset; I'll bring thee
To clustering filberts and sometimes I'll get thee
Young scamels from the rock. Wilt thou go with me?
Ste.
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 (181)
Trinculo, we'll fill him by and by again.
Cal.
[Sings drunkenly]
Farewell, master; farewell, farewell!
Trin.
A howling monster; a drunken
monster!
Cal.
No more dams I'll make for fish; Nor fetch in firing
At requiring;
Nor scrape trencher, nor wash dish:
'Ban, 'Ban, Cacaliban
Has a new master: get a new man.
freedom, hey-day! hey-day, freedom! freedom,
hey-day, freedom! (192)
Ste.
O brave monster! Lead the way. [Exeunt.