Four legs and two voices: a most delicate monster! His forward voice now is to speak well of his friend; his backward voice is to utter foul speeches and to detract. If all the wine in my bottle will recover him, I will help his ague. Come. Amen! I will pour some in thy other mouth.
– William Shakespeare
The Tempest, Act 2, Scene 2. A drunken Stephano provides some comic relief as he reacts to the four-legged, two-voiced "monster" of Caliban and Trinculo hiding under Caliban’s cloak. The forward voice is that of Trinculo speaking well of Stephano. The backward voice is Caliban shouting curses and abuse. Stephano goes to pour some wine into Caliban’s mouth.