Pro. My brother and thy uncle, call'd Antonio,—
I pray thee, mark me,—that a brother should
Be so perfidious!—he whom next thyself, 68
Of all the world I lov'd, and to him put
The manage of my state: as at that time.
Through all the signiories it was the first, 71
And Prospero the prime duke, being so reputed
In dignity, and for the liberal arts,
Without a parallel: those being all my study,
The government I cast upon my brother,
And to my state grew stranger, being transported 76
And rapt in secret studies. Thy false uncle—
Dost thou attend me?
Mira. Sir, most heedfully.
Pro. Being once perfected how to grant suits,
How to deny them, who t' advance, and who 80
To trash for over-topping; new created
The creatures that were mine, I say, or chang'd 'em,
Or else new form'd 'em: having both the key
Of officer and office, set all hearts i' the state 84
To what tune pleas'd his ear; that now he was
The ivy which had hid my princely trunk,
And suck'd my verdure out on 't.—Thou attend'st not.
Mira. O, good sir! I do.
Pro. I pray thee, mark me. 88
I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated
To closeness and the bettering of my mind
With that which, but by being so retir'd, 91
O'erpriz'd all popular rate, in my false brother
70 as . . . time: then
71 signiories: principalities
76 state: position as duke
77 secret: magical
81 trash for over-topping: check for outrunning [their privileges]
82 or: either
83 key: used punningly in the ordinary sense and as meaning tuning key
87 on 't: of it
90 closeness: retirement
91, 92 Cf. n.
