Types of Children's Literature: A Collection of the World's Best Literature for Children, For Use in Colleges, Normal Schools and Library Schools
General
Types of Children's Literature: A Collection of the World's Best Literature for Children, For Use in Colleges, Normal Schools and Library Schools
Children's literature
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.
"O 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 to 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 rilled Antonio with shame and remorse that he 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account