But knowledge to their eyes, her ample page, And froze the genial current of the soul. Many of the principles of natural philosophy, were well known to the ancients, but the darkness and barbarism, which prevailed over Europe during the middle ages, threw the knowledge of those principles into obscurity, till the revival of learning again developed them. The elements of science in modern times, are, therefore, now so well understood, that to every well informed mind, those supernatural powers,(') in the credence of which the energies of man for ages were paralyzed, have entirely vanished, and are looked upon in no other light, than the mere creation, of disordered imaginations. Our immortal poet, though he has in the Tempest, and other plays, brought forward those agencies, to give effect to the scenes which he drew, well knew that they did not exist in nature;—his great and comprehensive mind, extended far beyond the prejudices of his time, for, when alluding to the Ghost of Hamlet, he very beautifully says-it was seen "in the mind's eye," an observation closely corresponding with the philosophy of the present day. Dr. Hibbert, in a work of great merit, entitled "A Theory of Apparitions," has satisfactorily illustrated, that many of those appearances, are often to be referred to disease; the morbid feelings of the brain, creating under particular circumstances, those phenomena, which have frequently led men, of otherwise shrewd, and accurate intelligence, to offer what they have considered, the most undoubted testimony, in behalf of supernatural existencies. The age in which Shakspere lived, though it can boast of a Bacon as a philosopher, and a Spenser as a poet, was overwhelmed with the darkest ignorance; indeed, we may form some idea, of the state of knowledge, among the people in general, when we know that James the First,(2) as an author, advocated the belief of witchcraft; a circumstance, which perhaps, tended in some degree, to give to the superstitions of this country, that peculiar character, which, during the whole of the seventeenth century, unhappily disgraced its annals. Even the judges of the land, among whom was the celebrated Sir Matthew Hale, at that period condemned people to be burned alive, for what was denominated the crime of sorcery: among the thousands who suffered for these alleged crimes, we find it recorded in the criminal trials for Scotland, (3) that one Margaret Laing, was burnt for being a witch, and having carnal knowledge with the devil! an accusation, corresponding with the same kind of superstition, which gave to Shakspere the idea, that Sycorax, the mother of Caliban, had been guilty of the same crime; for Prospero observes, when accosting Caliban Come forth, thou poisonous slave, Got by the devil himself upon thy wicked dam! Witchcraft and sorcery can be traced to very remote periods, as many of the superstitions of the middle ages, had their origin in the mythology of the ancients; the character of them, undergoing in different countries, great changes. Tacitus informs us, that among the German tribes, sorcery held such a sway over this barbarous people, that the supposed possessors of it, rose to the highest rank in their councils, and even obtained a share in the direction of their armies: in latter times it lost that influence, and while it formed a source of romance, and fiction to the poet, it unfortunately gave birth to laws, which, originating out of ignorance, and cruelty, produced among mankind, the most direful consequences. To pursue this theme further, would only create to the reflecting mind, sensations of no satisfactory nature; for, whether we direct our attention, in these rude ages, to the general events of life, or to the records of legislation, connected with the history of kings, and courts, we find mankind sunk, and degraded, by the withering powers of superstition. The dawn of science, and literature, however, appeared amidst (what has been termed) "the glories of the maiden reign," and emanations of great brilliancy, about this period, began to dispel those mists, which had so long enveloped in darkness the human mind. Men prompted to intellectual exertion, by the revival of letters, and agitated by the religious revolutions of the timesthe splendour of the poet, with the deep thought of the philosopher, were excited into action, whilst the drama, awakening from its slumbers, possessed, in no small degree, in giving to the struggle, between ignorance and knowledge, that character, which led Dr. Johnson, justly to say When learning's triumph, o'er her barb'rous foes, Our illustrious bard, therefore, under circumstances quite uncongenial to the more advanced periods of literature, wrote for a people, emerging from the barbarism of former ages, and adapting his dramas to the spirit of the times, the efforts of his sublime and noble genius, gave to the world, the splendid, romantic, and beautiful play of the Tempest. It is admitted by all commentators upon the writings of Shakspere, that this drama, was among the last of our author's productions, though no one, has been able positively, to discover, the romance upon which it is founded.(4) In the composition of the Tempest, Shakspere seems to have been well aware, of the advantages, which the ancient poets, derived from popular superstition, and in the exertions of his poetic genius, he has boldly called forth the magic spells, of that supernatural power, so peculiar to the credulity of the age, in which he lived;-amidst the most exquisite beauties of classic literature, he leads us into all the romance of poetic fable, and manages his scenery with such skill and judgment, as to give to fictitious existence, the air and appearance of reality it is in the perusal of this remarkable production, that we for a time, forget the influence of reason and philosophy, and willingly give ourselves up, to all the pleasures of the sweetest delusion. Prospero, the leading character of the play, is endowed with the power of a magician, and in the possession of a mind, enriched by wisdom and great learning, he is enabled to accomplish those virtuous ends, which his exalted and generous views so nobly contemplated. The incidents are interwoven with the powers of enchantment; but the development of the plot, displays one of the most impressive, and affecting lessons of moral feeling, that is to be found, in the whole range of dramatic poetry. The story of this drama, is founded upon certain circumstances, connected with the life of Prospero, Duke of Milan; Anthonio his brother, usurping the dukedom, by the instigation of Alonzo, king of Naples, Prospero, with his daughter Miranda, are compelled to seek refuge in an uninhabited island. After a residence there of twelve years, Prospero, by the powers of his magic, raises a storm, whereby Anthonio, the usurper, with Alonzo, Ferdinand his son, and Sebastian his brother, with other attendants, are shipwrecked upon the island during the tempest. By a concatenation of strange and interesting events, Prospero is enabled to bring within his reach Anthonio, and the rest |