Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits, and Are melted into air, into thin air; And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on; and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex’d; Bear with my weakness; my old brain is troubled; Be not disturb’d with my infirmity.

If you be pleas’d, retire into my cell And there repose; a turn or two I’ll walk To still my beating mind.

FERDINAND, MIRANDA We wish your peace. Exeunt PROSPERO Come, with a thought. I thank thee, Ariel; come. Enter ARIEL ARIEL Thy thoughts I cleave to. What’s thy pleasure? PROSPERO Spirit, We must prepare to meet with Caliban. ARIEL Ay, my commander. When I presented ‘Ceres.’ I thought to have told thee of it; but I fear’d Lest I might anger thee.

PROSPERO Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets? ARIEL I told you, sir, they were red-hot with drinking; So full of valour that they smote the air For breathing in their faces; beat the ground For kissing of their feet; yet always bending Towards their project. Then I beat my tabor, At which like unback’d colts they prick’d their ears, Advanc’d their eyelids, lifted up their noses As they smelt music; so I charm’d their cars, That calf-like they my lowing follow’d through Tooth’d briers, sharp furzes, pricking goss, and thorns, Which ent’red their frail shins. At last I left them I’ th’ filthy mantled pool beyond your cell, There dancing up to th’ chins, that the foul lake O’erstunk their feet.

PROSPERO This was well done, my bird. Thy shape invisible retain thou still.

The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither For stale to catch these thieves. ARIEL I go, I go.

Exit PROSPERO A devil, a born devil, on whose nature Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains, Humanely taken, all, all lost, quite lost; And as with age his body uglier grows, So his mind cankers. I will plague them all, Even to roaring.

Re-enter ARIEL, loaden with glistering apparel, &c. Come, hang them on this line.

[PROSPERO and ARIEL remain, invisible] Enter CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO, all wet CALIBAN Pray you, tread softly, that the blind mole may not Hear a foot fall; we now are near his cell. STEPHANO Monster, your fairy, which you say is a harmless fairy, has done little better than play’d the Jack with us.

TRINCULO Monster, I do smell all horse-piss at which my nose is in great indignation.