PROSPERO Look thou be true; do not give dalliance Too much the rein; the strongest oaths are straw To th’ fire i’ th’ blood. Be more abstemious, Or else good night your vow!

FERDINAND I warrant you, sir, The white cold virgin snow upon my heart Abates the ardour of my liver.

PROSPERO Well! Now come, my Ariel, bring a corollary, Rather than want a spirit; appear, and pertly. No tongue! All eyes! Be silent.

[Soft music] Enter IRIS IRIS Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and pease; Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep, And flat meads thatch’d with stover, them to keep; Thy banks with pioned and twilled brims, Which spongy April at thy hest betrims, To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy broom groves, Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves, Being lass-lorn; thy pole-clipt vineyard; And thy sea-marge, sterile and rocky hard, Where thou thyself dost air-the Queen o’ th’ sky, Whose wat’ry arch and messenger am I, Bids thee leave these; and with her sovereign grace, Here on this grass-plot, in this very place, To come and sport. Her peacocks fly amain.

[JUNO descends in her car] Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain. Enter CERES CERES Hail, many-coloured messenger, that ne’er Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter; Who, with thy saffron wings, upon my flow’rs Diffusest honey drops, refreshing show’rs; And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown My bosky acres and my unshrubb’d down, Rich scarf to my proud earth-why hath thy Queen Summon’d me hither to this short-grass’d green? IRIS A contract of true love to celebrate, And some donation freely to estate On the blest lovers.

CERES Tell me, heavenly bow, If Venus or her son, as thou dost know, Do now attend the Queen? Since they did plot The means that dusky Dis my daughter got, Her and her blind boy’s scandal’d company I have forsworn.

IRIS Of her society Be not afraid. I met her Deity Cutting the clouds towards Paphos, and her son Dove-drawn with her. Here thought they to have done Some wanton charm upon this man and maid, Whose vows are that no bed-rite shall be paid Till Hymen’s torch be lighted; but in vain.

Mars’s hot minion is return’d again; Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows, Swears he will shoot no more, but play with sparrows, And be a boy right out.

[JUNO alights] CERES Highest Queen of State, Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.