Letters fhould not be known; no use of service, Succeffions; bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none: 4 No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil: No occupation; all men idle, all; And women too; but innocent and pure: SEB. : And yet he would be king on't. 4 Letters fhould not be known; no use of fervice, Of riches or of poverty; no contracts, Succeffions; bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none:] The words already quoted from Florio's Tranflation (as Dr. Farmer observes to me) inftruct us to regulate our author's metre as it is now exhibited in the text. Probably Shakspeare firft wrote (in the room of partition, which did not fuit the ftructure of his verfe) bourn; but recollecting that one of its fignifications was a rivulet, and that his island would have fared ill without fresh water, he changed bourn to bound of land, a phrafe that could not be misunderstood. At the fame time he might have forgot to ftrike out bourn, his original word, which is now rejected; for if not used for a brook, it would have exactly the fame meaning as bound of land. There is therefore no need of the diffyllabical affiftance recommended in the following note. STEEVENS. And ufe of fervice, none; contract, fucceffion, Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none.] The defective metre of the fecond of thefe lines affords a ground for believing that fome word was omitted at the prefs. Many of the defects however in our author's metre have arifen from the words of one line being transferred to another. In the prefent inftance the ceding line is redundant. Perhaps the words here, as in many other paffages, have been fhuffled out of their places. We might read— And use of fervice, none; fucceffion, pre Contract, bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none. fucceffion being often ufed by Shakspeare as a quadrifyllable. It muft however be owned, that in the paffage in Montaigne's Effays the words contract and fucceffion are arranged in the fanie manner as in the first folio. If the error did not happen in this way, bourn might have been ufed as a diffyllable, and the word omitted at the prefs might have been none: -contract, fucceffion, None; bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none. MALONE. ANT. The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning. GON. All things in common nature should pro- Without sweat or endeavour: treason, felony, SEB. No marrying 'mong his fubjects? ANT. None, man: all idle; whores, and knaves. GON. I would with fuch perfection govern, fir, To excel the golden age. 8 5 The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning.] All this dialogue is a fine fatire on the Utopian treatifes of government, and the impracticable inconfiftent schemes therein recommended. WARBURTON, -any engine,] An engine is the rack. So, in K. Lear: It may, however, be used here in its common fignification of inftrument of war, or military machine. STEEVENS. 7-all foizon,] Foifon, or foizan, fignifies plenty, ubertas; not moisture, or juice of grafs, as Mr. Pope fays. EDWARDS. So, in Warner's Albion's England, 1602, B. XIII. Ch. 78: "Union, in breefe, is fayfonous, and difcorde works decay." Mr. Pope, however, is not entirely mistaken, as foifon, or fizan, fometimes bears the meaning which he has affixed to it. See Ray's Collection of South and East Country words. STEEVENS. nature should bring forth, Of its own kind, all foizon, all abundance, To feed my innocent people.]" And if notwithstanding, in divers fruits of those countries that were never tilled, we shall find that in refpect of our's they are moft excellent, and as delicate unto our taste, there is no reafon Art should gain the point of our great and puissant mother, Nature." Montaigne's Essaies, ubi fup. MALONE. I would with fuch perfecim govern, fir, SEB. ANT. Long live Gonzalo ! GON. 'Save his majesty! And, do you mark me, fir? ALON. Pr'ythee, no more; thou doft talk nothing to me. GON. I do well believe your highnefs; and did it to minifter occafion to these gentlemen, who are of fuch fenfible and nimble lungs, that they always ufe to laugh at nothing. ANT. 'Twas you we laugh'd at. GON. Who, in this kind of merry fooling, am nothing to you: so you may continue, and laugh at nothing still. ANT. What a blow was there given? SEB. An it had not fallen flat-long. GON. You are gentlemen of brave mettle; you would lift the moon out of her sphere, if fhe would continue in it five weeks without changing. Enter ARIEL invifible, playing folemn mufick.* SEB. We would fo, and then go a bat-fowling. ANT. Nay, good my lord, be not angry. feemeth that what in thofe [newly difcovered] nations we fee by experience, doth not only EXCEED all the pictures wherewith licen tious poefie hath proudly imbellished the GOLDEN AGE, and all her quaint inventions to fain a happy condition of man, but also the conception and defire of philofophy." MALONE. 9 of brave mettle;] The old copy has-metal. The two words are frequently confounded in the firft folio. The epithet, brave, fhews clearly, that the word now placed in the text was intended by our author. MALONE. * Enter Ariel, &c. playing folemn mufic.] This ftage-direction does not mean to tell us that Ariel himself was the fidicen; but that folemn mufic attended his appearance, was an accompaniment to his entry. STEEVENS. GON. No, I warrant you; I will not adventure my difcretion fo weakly. Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy? ANT. Go fleep, and hear us. [All fleep but ALON. SEB. and Ant. ALON. What, all fo foon asleep! I wish mine eyes Would, with themselves, fhut up my thoughts: I find, you, fir, Do not omit the heavy offer of it: Will guard your perfon, while you take your reft, And watch your fafety. ALON. Thank you: Wond'rous heavy.[ALONSO fleeps. Exit ARIEL. SEB. What a ftrange drowsiness poffeffes them? Why SEB. Myfelf difpos'd to fleep. ANT. Nor I; my fpirits are nimble. What They fell together all, as by confent; might, Worthy Sebastian?-O, what might?-No more:And yet, methinks, I fee it in thy face, What thou fhould'ft be: the occafion fpeaks thee; and My ftrong imagination fees a crown SEB. What, art thou waking? ANT. Do you not hear me speak? SEB. I do; and, furely, It is a fleepy language; and thou speak'st With eyes wide open; ftanding, fpeaking, moving, ANT. Noble Sebaftian, Thou let'ft thy fortune fleep-die rather; wink'st Whiles thou art waking. SEB. Thou doft fnore diftinctly; There's meaning in thy fnores. ANT. I am more ferious than my cuftom: you Must be so too, if heed me; which to do, Trebles thee o'er.' SEB. Well; I am standing water. ANT. I'll teach you how to flow. SEB. I am more ferious than my cuftom: you Do fo: to ebb, Trebles thee o'er.] This paffage is reprefented to me as an obfcure one. The meaning of it feems to be- You must put on more than your usual seriousness, if you are difpofed to pay a proper attention to my propofal; which attention if you bestow, it will in the end make you thrice what Sebaftian is already brother to the throne; but, being made a king by Antonio's contrivance, would be (according to our author's idea of greatness) thrice the man he was before. In this fenfe he would be trebled o'er. So, in Pericles, 1609: 66 the mafter calls, "And trebles the confufion." you are. Again, in The Two Noble Kinfmen, 1634: 66 -thirds his own worth." STEEVENS. Again, in the Merchant of Venice: 66 Yet, for you, "I would be trebled twenty times myself." MALONE. |