The Tempest The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.] · William Shakespeare
ACT I.
_Gon._ I have great comfort from this fellow: methinks he hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is 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 30 is miserable. [_Exeunt._ _Re-enter Boatswain._ _Boats._ Down with the topmast! yare! lower, lower! Bring her to try with main-course. [_A cry within._] A plague upon this howling! they are louder than the weather or our office. 35 _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? _Seb._ A pox o’ your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog! _Boats._ Work you, then. 40 _Ant._ Hang, cur! hang, you whoreson, insolent noise-maker. We are less afraid to be drowned than thou art. _Gon._ I’ll warrant him for drowning; though the ship were no stronger than a nutshell, and as leaky as an unstanched wench. 45 _Boats._ Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her two courses off to sea again; lay her off. _Enter _Mariners_ wet._ _Mariners._ All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost! _Boats._ What, must our mouths be cold? _Gon._ The king and prince at prayers! let’s assist them, 50 For our case is as theirs.
_Seb._ I’m out of patience. _Ant._ We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards: This wide-chapp’d rascal,--would thou mightst lie drowning The washing of ten tides! _Gon._ He’ll be hang’d yet, Though every drop of water swear against it, 55 And gape at widest to glut him. [_A confused noise within:_ “Mercy on us!”-- “We split, we split!”-- “Farewell my wife and children!”-- “Farewell, brother!”-- “We split, we split, we split!”] _Ant._ Let’s all sink with the king. 60 _Seb._ Let’s take leave of him. [_Exeunt Ant. and Seb._ _Gon._ Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze, any thing. The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death. [_Exeunt._ 65 Notes: I, 1.
SC. I. On a ship at sea] Pope. Enter ... Boatswain] Collier MS. adds ‘shaking off wet.’ 3: _Good,_] Rowe. _Good:_ Ff. _Good._ Collier. 7: _till thou burst thy wind_] _till thou burst, wind_ Johnson conj. _till thou burst thee, wind_ Steevens conj. 8: Capell adds stage direction [Exeunt Mariners aloft. 11: _boatswain_] Pope. _boson_ Ff. 11-18: Verse. S. Walker conj. 15: _cares_] _care_ Rowe. See note (I). 31: [Exeunt] Theobald. [Exit. Ff. 33: _Bring her to try_] F4. _Bring her to Try_ F1 F2 F3. _Bring her to. Try_ Story conj. 33-35: Text as in Capell. _A plague_--A cry within. Enter Sebastian, Anthonio, and Gonzalo. _upon this howling._ Ff. 34-37: Verse. S. Walker conj. 43: _for_] _from_ Theobald. 46: _two courses off to sea_] _two courses; off to sea_ Steevens (Holt conj.). 46: [Enter...] [Re-enter... Dyce. 47: [Exeunt. Theobald. 50: _at_] _are at_ Rowe. 50-54: Printed as prose in Ff. 56: _to glut_] _t’ englut_ Johnson conj. 57: See note (II). 59: _Farewell, brother!_] _Brother, farewell!_ Theobald. 60: _with the_] Rowe. _with’_ F1 F2. _with_ F3 F4. 61: [Exeunt A. and S.] [Exit. Ff. 63: _furze_ Rowe. _firrs_ F1 F2 F3. _firs_ F4. _long heath, brown furze_] _ling, heath, broom, furze_ Hanmer.] 65: [Exeunt] [Exit F1, om. F2 F3 F4.]
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