Act 2, Scene 2: Another part of the island

SCENE II. Another part of the island.

    Enter CALIBAN with a burden of wood. A noise of thunder heard

CALIBAN

    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.

TRINCULO

    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 lazy 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 opinion; 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

STEPHANO

    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
    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

CALIBAN

    Do not torment me: Oh!

STEPHANO

    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.

CALIBAN

    The spirit torments me; Oh!

STEPHANO

    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.

CALIBAN

    Do not torment me, prithee; I'll bring my wood home faster.

STEPHANO

    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 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.

CALIBAN

    Thou dost me yet but little hurt; thou wilt anon, I
    know it by thy trembling: now Prosper works upon thee.

STEPHANO

    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.

TRINCULO

    I should know that voice: it should be--but he is
    drowned; and these are devils: O defend me!

STEPHANO

    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.

TRINCULO

    Stephano!

STEPHANO

    Doth thy other mouth call me? Mercy, mercy! This is
    a devil, and no monster: I will leave him; I have no
    long spoon.

TRINCULO

    Stephano! If thou beest Stephano, touch me and
    speak to me: for I am Trinculo--be not afeard--thy
    good friend Trinculo.

STEPHANO

    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?

TRINCULO

    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!

STEPHANO

    Prithee, do not turn me about; my stomach is not constant.

CALIBAN

    [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.

STEPHANO

    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.

CALIBAN

    I'll swear upon that bottle to be thy true subject;
    for the liquor is not earthly.

STEPHANO

    Here; swear then how thou escapedst.

TRINCULO

    Swum ashore. man, like a duck: I can swim like a
    duck, I'll be sworn.

STEPHANO

    Here, kiss the book. Though thou canst swim like a
    duck, thou art made like a goose.

TRINCULO

    O Stephano. hast any more of this?

STEPHANO

    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?

CALIBAN

    Hast thou not dropp'd from heaven?

STEPHANO

    Out o' the moon, I do assure thee: I was the man i'
    the moon when time was.

CALIBAN

    I have seen thee in her and I do adore thee:
    My mistress show'd me thee and thy dog and thy bush.

STEPHANO

    Come, swear to that; kiss the book: I will furnish
    it anon with new contents swear.

TRINCULO

    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!

CALIBAN

    I'll show thee every fertile inch o' th' island;
    And I will kiss thy foot: I prithee, be my god.

TRINCULO

    By this light, a most perfidious and drunken
    monster! when 's god's asleep, he'll rob his bottle.

CALIBAN

    I'll kiss thy foot; I'll swear myself thy subject.

STEPHANO

    Come on then; down, and swear.

TRINCULO

    I shall laugh myself to death at this puppy-headed
    monster. A most scurvy monster! I could find in my
    heart to beat him,--

STEPHANO

    Come, kiss.

TRINCULO

    But that the poor monster's in drink: an abominable monster!

CALIBAN

    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.

TRINCULO

    A most ridiculous monster, to make a wonder of a
    Poor drunkard!

CALIBAN

    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?

STEPHANO

    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 Trinculo, we'll fill him by
    and by again.

CALIBAN

    [Sings drunkenly]
    Farewell master; farewell, farewell!

TRINCULO

    A howling monster: a drunken monster!

CALIBAN

    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!

STEPHANO

    O brave monster! Lead the way.

    Exeunt

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