among pleasant fruits, and sweet-smelling flowers. "My
quaint Ariel," said Prospero to the little sprite when he made him free,
"I shall miss you; yet you shall have your freedom." "Thank you, my dear
master," said Ariel; "but give me leave to attend your ship home with
prosperous gales, before you bid farewell to the assistance of your
faithful spirit; and then, master, when I am free, how merrily I shall
live!" Here Ariel sang this pretty song:

"Where the bee sucks there suck I;
In a cowslip's bell I lie:
There I couch when owls do cry.
On the bat's back I do fly
After summer merrily.
Merrily, merrily shall I live now
Under the blossom that hangs on the bough."

Prospero then buried deep in the earth his magical books and wand, for
he was resolved never more to make use of the magic art. And having thus
overcome his enemies, and being reconciled to his brother and the king
of Naples, nothing now remained to complete his happiness, but to
revisit his native land, to take possession of his dukedom, and to
witness the happy nuptials of his daughter and Prince Ferdinand, which
the king said should be instantly celebrated with great splendor on
their return to Naples. At which place, under the safe convoy of the
spirit Ariel, they, after a pleasant voyage, soon arrived.

[Illustration]

THE TEMPEST

_By_ WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

Having read Lamb's version of the story, we are ready for the play as
Shakespeare wrote it. To begin with, we will read it through from
beginning to end with as little hesitation and delay as possible. We
shall not expect to understand it all, and will pass over the more
difficult passages without attempting to master them. If at times we are
unable to go on intelligently, we will look at the notes at the bottom
of the pages and get the help we need. This reading, however, is
intended merely to give us a general idea of the play. We are spying out
the land as a general might do it, trying to see what kind of a country
we are invading, and to locate the places where we are liable to meet
with resistance. We will stop a moment now and then to shudder at
Caliban, to admire Prospero, to love the sweet Miranda or to laugh at
the nonsense of the jester and the drunken butler, but we will hasten on
to the end nevertheless, knowing that we will become better acquainted
with the people at another time.

Having finished the play, we will