On a ship at sea; a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning
heard
[Enter a SHIPMASTER and a BOATSWAIN] MASTER Boatswain!
BOATSWAIN Here, master; what cheer?
MASTER Good! Speak to th' mariners; fall to't yarely, or
we run ourselves aground; bestir, bestir.
[Exit] [Enter MARINERS] BOATSWAIN Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts!
yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to th' master's
whistle. Blow till thou burst thy wind, if room enough.
[Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND
GONZALO, and OTHERS] ALONSO Good boatswain, have care. Where's the master?
Play the men.
BOATSWAIN I pray now, keep below.
ANTONIO Where is the master, boson?
BOATSWAIN Do you not hear him? You mar our labour;
keep your cabins; you do assist the storm.
GONZALO Nay, good, be patient.
BOATSWAIN When the sea is. Hence! What cares these
roarers for the name of king? To cabin! silence! Trouble
us not.
GONZALO Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard.
BOATSWAIN None that I more love than myself. You are
counsellor; if you can command these elements to
silence, and work the peace of the present, we will not
hand a rope more. Use your authority; if you cannot, give
thanks you have liv'd so long, and make yourself ready
in your cabin for the mischance of the hour, if it so
hap.-Cheerly, good hearts!-Out of our way, I say.
Exit GONZALO 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 hang'd, our
case is miserable.
[Exeunt] [Re-enter BOATSWAIN] BOATSWAIN Down with the topmast. Yare, lower, lower!
Bring her to try wi' th' maincourse.
[A cry within] A
plague upon this howling! They are louder than the
weather or our office.
[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?
SEBASTIAN A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous,
incharitable dog!
BOATSWAIN Work you, then.
ANTONIO Hang, cur; hang, you whoreson, insolent noisemaker;
we are less afraid to be drown'd than thou art.
GONZALO I'll warrant him for drowning, though the ship were
no stronger than a nutshell, and as leaky as an unstanched
wench.
BOATSWAIN 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!
[Exeunt] BOATSWAIN What, must our mouths be cold?
GONZALO The King and Prince at prayers!
Let's assist them,
For our case is as theirs.
SEBASTIAN I am out of patience.
ANTONIO We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards.
This wide-chopp'd rascal-would thou mightst lie drowning
The washing of ten tides!
GONZALO He'll be hang'd yet,
Though every drop of water swear against it,
And gape at wid'st 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!] ANTONIO Let's all sink wi' th' King.
SEBASTIAN Let's take leave of him.
[Exeunt ANTONIO and SEBASTIAN] GONZALO 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
dry death.
[Exeunt]