Tales from Shakespeare | Page 7

such fine men, having seen only him and Caliban. I tell you, foolish girl,
most men as far excel this as he does Calliban." This he said to prove
his daughter's constancy; and she replied:
"My affections are most humble. I have no wish to see a goodlier man."
"Come on, young man," said Prospero to the prince; "you have no
power to disobey -me."
"I have not indeed," answered Ferdinand; and not knowing that it was
by magic he was deprived of all power of resistance,
they were going to eat, he appeared visible before them in the shape of
a harpy, a voracious monster with wings, and the feast vanished away.
Then, to their utter amazement, this seeming harpy spoke to them,
reminding them of their cruelty in driving Prospero from his dukedom,
and leaving him and his infant daughter to perish in the sea, saying, that
for this cause these terrors were suffered to afflict them.
The King of Naples, and Antonio the false brother, repented the
injustice they had done to Prospero; and Ariel told his master he was
certain their penitence was sincere, and that he, though a spirit, could
not but pity them.
"Then bring them hither, Ariel," said Prospero: "if you, who are but a
spirit, feel for their distress, shall not I, who am a human being like
themselves, have compassion on them? Bring them quickly, my dainty
Ariel."
Ariel soon returned with the king, Antonio, and old Gonzalo in their
train, who had followed him, wondering at the wild music he played in
the air to draw them on to his master's presence. This Gonzalo was the
same who had so kindly provided Prospero formerly with books and
provisions, when his wicked brother left him, as he thought, to perish in
an open boat in the sea.
Grief and terror had so stupefied their senses that they did not know

Prospero. He first discovered himself to the good old Gonzalo, calling
him the preserver of his life; and then his brother and the king knew
that he was the injured Prospero.
Antonio, with tears and sad words of sorrow and true repentance,
implored his brother's forgiveness, and the king expressed his sincere
remorse for having assisted Antonio to depose his brother: and
Prospero forgave them; and, upon their engaging to restore his
dukedom, he said to the King of Naples, "I have a gift in store for you,
too"; and, opening a door, showed him his son Ferdinand playing at
chess with Miranda.
Nothing could exceed the joy of the father and the son at this
unexpected meeting, for they each thought the other drowned in the
storm.
"Oh wonder!" said Miranda, "what noble creatures these are! It must
surely be a brave world that has such people in it."
The King of Naples was almost as much astonished at the beauty and
excellent graces of the young Miranda as his son had been. "Who is this
maid?" said he; "she seems the goddess that has parted us, and brought
us thus together."
"No, sir," answered Ferdinand, smiling to find his father had fallen into
the same mistake that he had done when he first saw Miranda, "she is a
mortal, but by immortal Providence she is mine; I chose her when I
could not ask you, my father, for your consent, not thinking you were
alive. She is the daughter this Prospero, who is the famous Duke of
Milan, of whose renown I have heard so much, but never saw him till
now: of him I have received a new life: he has made himself to me a
second father, giving me this dear lady."
"Then I must be her father," said the king; "but, oh, how oddly will it
sound, that I must ask my child forgiveness."
"No more of that," said Prospero: "let us not remember our troubles
past, since they so happily have ended." And then Prospero embraced
his brother, and again assured him of his forgiveness; and said that a
wise overruling Providence had permitted that he should be driven
from his poor dukedom of Milan, that his daughter might inherit the
crown of Naples, for that by their meeting in this desert island it had
happened that the king's son had loved Miranda.
These kind words which Prospero spoke, meaning to comfort his

brother, so filled Antonio with shame and remorse that be wept and
was unable to speak; and the kind old Gonzalo wept to see this joyful
reconciliation, and prayed for blessings on the young couple.
Prospero now told them that their ship was safe in the harbor, and the
sailors all on board her, and that he and his daughter would accompany
them home the next morning. "In the mean time," says he, "partake