SCENE I. On a ship at sea; a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard.
Enter a Shipmaster and a Boatswain severally.
MASTER
Boatswain!
BOATSWAIN
Here, master: what cheer?
MASTER
Good! Speak to the 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 roomopen water affording a ship enough space to manoeuvre safely. 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 a 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 lived 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 gallowsA thorough rogue deserving to be hanged..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.
Exeunta stage direction meaning that two or more characters leave the stage..
Re-enter Boatswain.
BOATSWAIN
Down with the topmast! yare! lower, lower! Bring her to tryto bring a ship into a position with little sail set so that it can endure a storm. wi’ th’ maincourseThe mainsail of a ship..
A cry within.
BOATSWAIN
A plague upon this howling! They are louder than the weather or our office.
Enter Sebastian, Antonio and Gonzalo.
BOATSWAIN
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 drowned 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-holdinto a position close to the wind, with the ship sailing as nearly against it as possible., a-hold! Set her two coursesone of the principal lower sails of a square-rigged ship.: 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-chapp’d rascal—would thou might’st lie drowningThe 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.
GONZALO
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.
Exit.
SEBASTIAN
Let’s take leave of him.
Exit.
GONZALO
Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground. Long heath, brown furze, anything. The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death.