And obfervation ftrange, my meaner ministers
Their feveral kinds have done : my high charms work,
And thefe, mine enemies, are all knit up

In their distractions: they now are in my power;

And in these fits I leave them, whilft I vifit

Young Ferdinand (whom they fuppofe is drown'd,)
And his and my lov'd darling.

Exit PROSPERO from above.

Gon. I' the name of fomething holy, fir, why ftand you, In this ftrange ftare?

Alon.

O, it is monftrous! monstrous !
Methought, the billows fpoke, and told me of it;
The winds did fing it to me; and the thunder,
That deep and dreadful organ-pipe, pronounc'd
The name of Profper; it did bafs my trefpafs.7
Therefore my fon i'the ooze is bedded; and
I'll feek him deeper than e'er plummet founded.
And with him there lie mudded.

Seb.

I'll fight their legions o'er.

Ant.

[Exit.

But one fiend at a time,

I'll be thy fecond.

Exeunt SEB, and ANT.

Gon. All three of them are defperate; their great guilt, Like poifon given to work a great time after, Now 'gins to bite the fpirits:-I do beseech you That are of fuppler joints, follow them fwiftly, And hinder them from what this ecstacy 9

May

To do any thing with good life, is ftill a provincial expreffion in the Weft of England, and fignifies, to do it with the full bent and energy of mind:" And obfervation ftrange," is with fuch minute attention to the orders given, as to excite admiration. HENLEY.

6 Have discharged the feveral functions allotted to their different

natures.

7 The deep pipe told it me in a rough bafs found. JOHNSON.

8 The natives of Africa have been fuppofed to be poffeffed of the fecret how to temper poisons with fuch art as not to operate till feveral years after they were adminiftered. Their drugs were then as certain in their effect, as fubtle in their preparation. STEEVENS.

9 Ecftacy meant not anciently, as at prefent, rapturous pleasure, but alienation of mind, Mr. Locke has not inelegantly styled it dreaming with our eyes open.

3

Enter PROSPERO, FERDINAND, and MIRANDA.
Pro. If I have too aufterely punish'd you,
Your compenfation makes amends; for I
Have given you here a thread of mine own life,2
Or that for which I live; whom once again
I tender to thy hand all thy vexations

:

Were but my trials of thy love, and thou

Haft ftrangely ftood the teft: 3 here, afore Heaven,
I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand,

Do not smile at me, that I boast her off,

For thou fhalt find the will outftrip all praise,
And make it halt behind her.

Fer.

Against an oracle.

I do believe it,

Pro. Then, as my gift, and thine own acquifition
Worthily purchas'd, take my daughter: But

If thou doft break her virgin knot + before
All fanctimonious ceremonies may

With full and holy right be minifter'd,
No fweet afperfion 5 fhall the heavens let fall
To make this contract grow; but barren hate,
Sour ey'd difdain, and difcord, shall beftrew

The

2 "A thrid of mine own life" is a fibre or a part of my own life, Prof. pero confiders himself as the flock or parent-tree, and his daughter as a fibre or portion of himfelf, and for whofe benefit he himself lives. STEEVENS,

3 Strangely is ufed by way of commendation, merveilleusement, to a wonder; the fame is the fenfe in the foregoing fcenes. JOHNSON.

4 This, and the paffage in Pericles Prince of Tyre, are manifeft allufions to the zones of the ancients, which were worn as guardians of chastity by marriageable young women. HENLEY.

5 Afperfion is here ufed in its primitive fenfe of Sprinkling. At prefent it is expreffive only of calumny and detraction. STEEVENS.

The union of your bed with weeds fo loathly,
That you fhall hate it both: therefore take heed,
As Hymen's lamps fhall light you.

Fer.

For quiet days, fair iffue, and long life,

As I hope

With fuch love as 'tis now; the murkieft den,
The most opportune place, the ftrong'ft fuggeftion
Our worfer Genius can, fhall never melt

Mine honour into luft; to take away

The edge of that day's celebration,

When I fhall think, or Phoebus' steeds are founder'd,
Or night kept chain'd below.

Pro.

Fairly fpoke:
Sit then, and talk with her, fhe is thine own.-
What, Ariel; my industrious fervant Ariel!

Enter ARIEL.

Ari. What would my potent master? here I am.
Pro. Thou and thy meaner fellows your laft fervice
Did worthily perform; and I muft ufe you
In fuch another trick: go, bring the rabble,"
O'er whom I give thee power, here, to this place:
Incite them to quick motion; for I muft
Beftow upon the eyes of this young couple
Some vanity of mine art; it is my promise,
And they expect it from me.

Ari.

Pro. Ay, with a twink.

Prefently?

Ari. Before you can fay, Come, and go, And breathe twice; and cry, fo, foi

Each one tripping on his toe,

Will be here with mop and mowe:

Do

you love me, mafter? no.

Pro. Dearly, my delicate Ariel: Do not approach, Till thou doft hear me call.

Well I conceive. Exit.

Ari.
Pro. Look, thou be true; do not give dalliance
Too much the reign; the strongest oaths are ftraw
To the fire i'the blood: be more abftemious,

6 The crew of meaner fpirits. JOHNSON.

Or

Or elfe, good night, your vow!

Fer.

I warrant you, fir;

The white-cold virgin fnow upon my heart
Abates the ardour of my liver.

Pro.

Well.

Now come, my Ariel; bring a corollary,"
Rather than want a fpirit; appear, and pertly,-
No tongue ; all eyes; be filent.

A Mafque. Enter IRIS.

Soft mufick

Iris. Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and pease;
Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
And flat meads thatch'd with ftover," them to keep;
Thy banks with peonied and lilied brims,
Which fpungy April at thy heft betrims,

To make cold nymphs chafte crowns; and thy broom groves,
Whofe fhadow the difmiffed bachelor loves,

Being lafs-lorn; thy pole-clipt vineyard ;3
And thy fea-marge, fteril, and rocky hard,
Where thou thyfelf doft air: The queen o' the fky,
Whofe watery arch, and meffenger, am I,
Bids thee leave thefe; and with her fovereign grace,
Here on this grafs-plot, in this very place,
To come and fport: her peacocks fly amain,
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.

Enter CERES.

Cer. Hail, many-colour'd meffenger, that ne'er Doft difobey the wife of Jupiter;

Who, with thy faffron wings, upon my flowers

Diffufeft

7 That is, bring more than are fufficient, rather than fail for want of numbers. Corollary means furplus. STEEVENS.

8 Those who are prefent at incantations are obliged to be strictly filent, "elfe" as we are afterwards told," the fpell is marred."

JOHNSON.

9 Stover (in Cambridgeshire and other counties) fignifies hay made of coarfe, rank grafs, fuch as even cows will not eat while it is green. Stover is likewife ufed as thatch for cart-lodges, and other buildings that deferve but rude and cheap coverings. STEEVENS

2 Lafs-lorn is forfaken of his miftrefs.

STEEVENS.

3 To clip is to twine around or embrace. The oles are clip'd or em braced by the vines. STEEVENS,

Diffuseft honey drops, refreshing showers;
And with each end of thy blue bow doft crown
My bofky acres, and my unshrubbd'd down,
Rich fcarf to my proud earth; Why hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither, to this fhort-grafs'd green ?s
Iris. A contract of true love to celebrate;

And fome donation freely to eftate

On the blefs'd lovers.

Cer.

Tell me, heavenly bow,

If Venus, or her fon, as thou doft know,
Do now attend the queen? fince they did plot
The means, that dusky Dis my daughter got,
Her and her blind boy's fcandal'd company
I have forfworn.

Iris.

Of her fociety

Be not afraid I met her deity

Cutting the clouds towards Paphos; and her fon
Dove-drawn with her: here thought they to have done
Some wanton charm upon this man and maid,

Whofe vows are, that no bed-right shall be paid
Till Hymen's torch be lighted: but in vain;
Mars's hot minion is return'd again;

Her wafpifh-headed fon has broke his arrows,

Swears he will shoot no more, but play with fparrows,
And be a boy right out.

Cer.

Higheft queen of ftate,6

Great Juno comes; I know her by her gait,

4 Bofky acres are fields divided from each other by hedge-rows.

STEEVENS.

5 The old copy reads short-gras'd green. Short-grazed green means grazed fo as to be short. STEEVENS.

Mr. Whalley thinks this paffage a remarkable inftance of Shakefpeare's knowledge of ancient poetic ftory; and that the hint was furnished by the Divum incedo Regina of Virgil. John Taylor, the water. poet, declares, that he never learned his Accidence, and that Latin and French were to him Heathen Greek; yet, by the help of Mr. Whalley's argument, I will prove him a learned man, in fpite of every thing he may fay to the contrary: for thus he makes a gallant addrefs his lady; "Most inestimable magazine of beauty! in whom the port and majesty of Juno, the wisdom of Jove's brain-bred girl, and the feature of Cytherea, have their domestical habitation." FARMER.

Enter