(Who had no doubt ſome noble creature in her)
Daſh'd all to peeces : O the cry did knocke
A gainſt my very heart: poore ſoules, they periſh'd.
Had I byn any God of power, I would
Haue ſuncke the Sea within the Earth, or ere
It ſhould the good Ship ſo haue ſwallow'd, and
The fraughting Soules within her.
Proſ. Be collected.
No more amazement: Tell, your pitteous heart
there’s no harme done.
Mira. O woe,the day.
Proſ. No harme:
I haue done nothing.but in care of thee
(Of thee my deere one; thee my daughter) who
Art ignorant of what thou art. naught knowing
Of whence I am : nor that I am more better
Then Proſpero, Maſter of a full poore cell,
And thy no greater Father.
Mira. More to know
Did neuer medic with my thoughts.
Proſ 'Tis time
I ſhould informe thee farther: Lend thy hand
And plucke my Magick garment from me: So,
Lye there my Art: wipe thou thine eyes, haue comfort,
The direfull ſpectacle of the wracke which couch'd
The very vertue of compaſſion in thee:
I haue with ſuch prouiſion in mine Art
So ſafely ordered,that there is no ſoule
No not ſo much perdition as an hayre
Betid to any creature in the veſſell
Which thou heardſt cry, which thou ſaw'ſt ſinke: Sit downe,
For thou muſt now know farther.
Mira. You haue often
Begun to cell me what I am but ſtopt
And leſt me to a booteleſſe Inquiſttion,
Concluding, ſtay: not yet.
Proſ. The howr's now come
The very minute byds thee ope thine eare,
Obey and be attentiue. Canſt thou remember
A time before we came vnto this Cell ?
I doe not thinke thou canſt,for then thou was't not
Out three yeeres old.
Mira. Certainely Sir, I can.
Proſ. By what ? by any other houſe,or perſon ?
Of any thing the Image, tell me, that
Hath kept with thy remembrance.
Mira. 'Tis farre off:
And rather like a dreame,then an aſſurance
That my remembrance warrants : Had I not
Fowre,or five women once,that tended me?
Proſ. Thou hadſt; and more Miranda: But how is it
that this liues in thy minde? What ſeeſt thou els
In the dark-backward and Abilme of Time ?
Yſ thou remembreſt ought ere thou cam'ſt here,
How thou cam'ſt here thou maiſt.
Mira. But that I doe not.
Pros. Twelue yere ſince (Miranda) twelue yere ſince,
Thy father was the Duke of Millame and
A Prince of power.
Mira. Sir, are not you my Father?
Proſ. Thy Mother was a peece of vertue, and
She ſaid thou waſt my daughter; and thy father
Was Duke of Millame,and his onely heire,
And Princcſſe; no worſe Iſſued.
Mira. O the heauens,
What fowle play had we that we came from thence ?
Or bleſſed was't we did ?
Proſ. Both.both my Girle.
By fowle-play (as thou ſaiſt) were we heau'd thence.
But bleſſedly holpe hither.
Mira. O my heart bleeds
To thinkeoth' teene that I haue turn'd you to,
Which is from my remembrance, pleaſe you,farther;
Proſ. My brother and thy vncle, call'd Anthonio:
I pray thee marke me, that a brother ſhould
Be ſo perſidious: he, whom next thy ſelfe
Of all the world I lou'd and to him put
The mannage of my ſtate, as at that time
Through all the ſignorics it was the firſt,
And Proſpero, prime Duke, being
o reputed
In dignity ; and for the liberall Artes,
Without a paralell; thoſe being all my ſtudie,
The Goucrnment I caſt vpon my brother,
And to my State grew ſtranger, being tranſported
And rapt in ſecrct ſtudies, thy falſe vncle
(D'ſt thou attend me ?)
Mira. Sir, moſt heedefully.
Proſ. Being once perfected how to graunt ſuites,
how to deny them : who t'aduance, and who
To craſh for ouer-topping; new created
The creatures chat were mine, I ſay, or chang'd 'em,
Or els new form'd 'em ; hauing both the key.
Of Officer,and office, ſet all hearts i'th ſtate
To what tune pleas'd his care,chat now he was
The Iuy which had hid my princely Trunck,
And ſuckt my verdure out on't: Thou attend'd not ?
Mira. O good Sir, I doe.
Proſ. I pray thee marke me:
I thus neglecing worldly ends, all dedicated
To cloſenes, and the bettering of my mind
with that, which but by being ſo retir'd
Ore-priz’d all popular rateiin my falſe brother
Awak'd an euill nature, and my cruſt
Like a good parent, did beget of him
A falſehood in it's concrarie, as great
As my truſt was,w hich had indeede no limit,
A confidence ſans bound. He being thus Lorded,
Not onely with what my reuenew yeeldcd,
But what my power might els exact. Like one
Who hauing into truth,by telling of it,
Made ſuch a ſynner of his memorie
To credite his owne lie,he did belceue
He was indeed the Duke, out o'th' Subſtitution
And executing th'outward face of Roialtic
With all prerogatiue thence his Ambition growing:
Do'ſt thou heare?
Mira. Your tale, Sir, would cure deafeneſſe.
Proſ. To haue no Schreene between this patt he plaid.
And him he plaid it for, he needes will be
Abſolute Millainc, Me (poore man) my Libratie
Was Dukedome large enough : of temporall roaltiet
He thinks me now incapable. Confederates
(ſo drie he was for Sway) with King of Naples
To giue him Annuall tribute, doe him homage
Subject his Coronet,to his Crowpe and bend
The Dukedom yet vnbow'd (alas poore Millaine)
To moſt ignoble ſtooping.
Mira. Oh the hcauens:
Proſ. Marke his condition,and th'euent, then tell me
If this might be a brother.
Mira. I ſhould ſinne
To think but Nobile of my Grand-mother,
