auty and
excellent graces of the young Miranda as his son had been.
"Who is this maid?" said he; "she seems the goddess that has parted us,
and brought us thus together."
"No, sir," answered Ferdinand, smiling to find his father had fallen
into the same mistake that he had done when he first saw Miranda, "she
is a mortal, but by immortal Providence she is mine; I chose her when I
could not ask you, my father, for your consent, not thinking you were
alive. She is the daughter to this Prospero, who is the famous duke of
Milan, of whose renown I have heard so much, but never saw him till now:
of him I have received a new life: he has made himself to me a second
father, giving me this dear lady."
"Then I must be her father," said the king; "but oh! how oddly will it
sound, that I must ask my child forgiveness."
"No more of that," said Prospero: "let us not remember our troubles
past, since they so happily have ended."
And then Prospero embraced his brother, and again assured him of his
forgiveness; and said that a wise overruling Providence had permitted
that he should be driven from his poor dukedom of Milan, that his
daughter might inherit the crown of Naples, for that by their meeting in
this desert island, it had happened that the king's son had loved
Miranda.
These kind words which Prospero spoke, meaning to comfort his brother,
so filled Antonio with shame and remorse, that he wept and was unable to
speak; and the kind old Gonzalo wept to see this joyful reconciliation,
and prayed for blessings on the young couple.
Prospero now told them that their ship was safe in the harbor, and the
sailors on board her, and that he and his daughter would accompany them
home the next morning. "In the meantime," said he, "partake of such
refreshments as my poor cave affords; and for your evening's
entertainment I will relate the history of my life from my first landing
in this desert island." He then called for Caliban to prepare some food,
and set the cave in order; and the company were astonished at the
uncouth form and savage appearance of this ugly monster, who (Prospero
said) was the only attendant he had to wait upon him.
Before Prospero left the island, he dismissed Ariel from his service, to
the great joy of that lively little spirit; who, though he had been a
faithful servant to his master, was always longing to enjoy his free
liberty, to wander uncontrolled in the air, like a wild bird, under
green trees,
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