SCENE II.
—Changes to the Rocks, with the arch of Rocks, and calm Sea. Music playing on the Rocks.
Prosp. Neptune, and your fair Amphitrite, rise; Oceanus, with your Tethys too, appear; All ye sea-gods, and goddesses, appear! Come, all ye Tritons; all ye Nereids, come, And teach your saucy element to obey: For you have princes now to entertain, And unsoiled beauties, with fresh youthful lovers.
Neptune, Amphitrite, Oceanus and Tethys, appear in a Chariot drawn with Sea-horses; on each side of the Chariot, Sea-Gods, and Goddesses, Tritons, and Nereids.
Alon. This is prodigious!
Anto. Ah! what amazing objects do we see?
Gonz. This art doth much exceed all human skill.
SONG.
Amph.My lord, great Neptune, for my sake, Of these bright beauties pity take; And to the rest allow Your mercy too. Let this enraged element be still, Let Æolus obey my will: Let him his boisterous prisoners safely keep In their dark caverns; and no more Let them disturb the bosom of the deep, Till these arrive upon their wished-for shore.
Nept. So much my Amphitrite's love I prize, That no commands of her's I can despise. Tethys no furrows now shall wear, Oceanus no wrinkles on his brow, Let your serenest looks appear! Be calm and gentle now.
Nept. and {Be calm, ye great parents of the floods and the springs, Amph. {While each Nereid and Triton plays, revels, and sings.
Ocean.Confine the roaring winds, and we Will soon obey you cheerfully.
Chorus {Tie up the winds, and we'll obey; of Trit. {Upon the floods we'll sing and play, & Ner.{And celebrate a Halcyon day. [Here the Dancers mingle with the Singers, and perform a dance.
Nept.Great nephew, Æolus, make no noise, Muzzle your roaring boys. [Æolus appears.
Amph.Let 'em not bluster to disturb our ears, Or strike these noble passengers with fears.
Nept.Afford 'em only such an easy gale, As pleasantly may swell each sail.
Amph.While fell sea-monsters cause intestine jars, This empire you invade by foreign wars.
Nept.But you shall now be still, And shall obey my Amphitrite's will.
Æolus {You I'll obey, who at one stroke can make, descends{With your dread trident, the whole earth to quake. Come down, my blusterers, swell no more, Your stormy rage give o'er. [Winds from the four corners appear.
Let all black tempests cease, And let the troubled ocean rest: Let all the sea enjoy as calm a peace, As where the halcyon builds her quiet nest. To your prisons below, Down, down you must go: You in the earth's entrails your revels may keep; But no more till I call shall you trouble the deep. [Winds fly down.
Now they are gone, all stormy wars shall cease; Then let your trumpeters proclaim a peace.
Amph.Tritons, my sons, your trumpets sound, And let the noise from neighbouring shores rebound.
Chorus. Sound a calm. Sound a calm. Sound a calm. a calm. Sound a calm.
[Here the Tritons, at every repeat of Sound a calm, changing their figure and postures, seem to sound their wreathed trumpets made of shells.
A symphony of music, like trumpets, to which four Tritons dance.
Nept.See, see, the heavens smile; all your troubles are past, Your joys, by black clouds, shall no more be o'ercast.
Amph.On this barren isle ye shall lose all your fears, Leave behind all your sorrows, and banish your cares.
Both.{And your loves and your lives shall in safety enjoy; {No influence of stars shall your quiet destroy.
Chorus {And your loves, &c. of all.{No influence, &c. [Here the Dancers mingle with the Singers.
Ocean.We'll safely convey you to your own happy shore, And your's and your country's soft peace will restore.
Tethys.To treat you, blest lovers, as you sail on the deep, The Tritons and sea-nymphs their revels shall keep.
Both.{On the swift dolphins' backs they shall sing and shall play; {They shall guard you by night, and delight you by day.
ChorusOn the swift, &c. of all.And shall guard, &c. [Here the Dancers mingle with the Singers.
[A dance of twelve Tritons.
Mir. What charming things are these?
Dor. What heavenly power is this?
Prosp. Now, my Ariel, be visible, And let the rest of your aërial train Appear, and entertain them with a song, And then farewell, my long-loved Ariel.