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This phrase forms a part of a long and somewhat tedious speech by Prospero in Act V Scene one of The Tempest, by Shakespeare. He starts out by addressing various groups of fairies, and one group is addressed as follows: "ye that on the sands with printless foot do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him when he comes back".

Neptune is the Roman God of the sea; the sea ebbs and comes back twice every day. These are called the tides. These fairies, who are so light their feet don't make footprints, run around "on the sands" of the ocean, chasing the sea when the tide is out (ebbing Neptune) and running from it ("fly" means to run away) when it comes back.

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14y ago

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