Tales from Shakespeare, Charles and Mary Lamb [reading books for 7 year olds TXT] 📗

hey had refused to execute her wicked commands. Thesegentle spirits were ever after obedient to the will of Prospero.Of these Ariel was the chief.

The lively little sprite Ariel had nothing mischievous in hisnature, except that he took rather too much pleasure intormenting an ugly monster called Caliban, for be owed him agrudge because he was the son of his old enemy Sycorax. ThisCaliban, Prospero found in the woods, a strange misshapen thing,far less human in form than an ape: he took him home to his cell,and taught him to speak; and Prospero would have been very kindto him, but the bad nature which Caliban inherited from hismother, Sycorax, would not let him learn anything good or useful:therefore he was employed like a slave, to fetch wood and do themost laborious offices; and Ariel had the charge of compellinghim to these services.

When Caliban was lazy and neglected his work, Ariel (who wasinvisible to all eyes but Prospero's) would come slyly and pinchhim, and sometimes tumble him d