And in her moft unmitigable rage,.
Into a cloven pine; within which rift
Imprifon'd, thou didst painfully remain

A dozen years; within which space she died,

And left thee there; where thou didst vent thy groans,.
As faft as mill-wheels ftrike: Then was this island,
(Save for the fon that fhe did litter here,

A freckled whelp, hag-born) not honour'd with
A human shape.

Ari..

Ves; Caliban her fön.

Pro. Dull thing, I fay fo; he, that Caliban,
Whom now I keep in fervice. Thou best know'fti
What torment I did find thee in thy groans
Did make wolves howl, and penetrate the breasts.
Of ever-angry bears; it was a torment
To lay upon the damn'd, which Sycorax.
Could not again undo; it was mine art,
When Larriv'd, and heard thee, that made gape:
The pine, and let thee out.

Ari.

I thank thee, mafter.
Pro. If thou more murmur'ft, I will rend an oak,,
And peg thee in his knotty entrails, till
Thou haft howl'd away twelve winters.

Ari,

Pardon, mafter::

I will be correfpondent to command,
And do my fpriting gently.

Pro.

I will discharge thee..

Ari

Do fo; and after two days ›

That's my noble master !

What fhall I do? fay what? what fhall I do?

Pro. Go make thyfelf like to a nymph o' the fea ;7

Be fubject to no fight but mine; invisible.

To every eye-ball elfe. Go, take this shape,,

And hither come in't: hence, with diligence. Exil ARIEL,
Awake, dear heart, awake! thou haft flept well;
Awake!

Mira.

to a nymph o' the fea ;] There does not appear to be fufficient caufe why Ariel fhould affume this new fhape, as he was to be invisible to all eyes but those of Profpero, STEEVENS.

Mira. The ftrangeness of your ftory put

Heavinefs in me.

Pro.

We'll visit Caliban, my slave, who never

Yields us kind answer.

Mira.

I do not love to look on.

Pro.

Shake it off: Come on;

"Tis a villain, fir,

But, as 'tis,

We cannot miss him :9 he does make our fire,
Fetch in our wood; and ferves in offices
That profit us. What, ho; flave! Caliban!
Thou earth, thou! fpeak.

Cal. [Within]

4

There's wood enough within. Pro. Come forth, I fay; there's other business for thee: Come forth, thou tortoife! when?

Re-enter ARIEL, like a water-nymph.

Fine apparition! My quaint Ariel,

Hark in thine ear.

Ari.

My lord, it fhall be done.

Pro. Thou poifonous flave, got by the devil himself Upon thy wicked dam, come forth l

Enter CALIBAN.

2

Cal. As wicked dew as e'er my mother brush'd

[Exit.

With

8 The frangeness • -] Why fhould a wonderful ftory produce fleep? I believe experience will prove, that any violent agitation of the mind eafily fubfides in flumber, especially when, as in Profpero's relation, the last images are pleafing. JOHNSON.

The poet feems to have been apprehensive that the audience, as well as Miranda, would fleep over this long but neceffary tale, and therefore ftrives to break it. First, by making Prospero diveft himself of his magic robe and wand; then by waking her attention no less than fix times by verbal interruption: then by varying the action when he rifes and bids her continue fitting: and lastly, by carrying on the bufinefs of the fable while Miranda fleeps, by which the is continued on the stage till the poet has occafion for her again. WARNER.

9 We cannot mifs bim:] That is, we cannot do without him.

M. MASON.

This provincial expreffion is still used in the midland counties.

MALONE.

2 Wicked; having baneful qualities. So Spenfer says, wicked weed; fo, in oppofition, we fay herbs or medicines have virtues. Bacon meations virtuous bezoar, and Dryden virtuous berbs. JOHNSON.

With raven's feather from unwholfome fen,
Drop on you both!3 a fouth-west blow on ye,
And blifter you all o'er!

Pro. For this, be fure, to night thou fhalt have cramps,
Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up; urchins4
Shall, for that vaft of night that they may work,s
All exercife on thee: thou shalt be pinch'd

As thick as honey-combs, each pinch more ftinging
Than bees that made them.

Cal.

I must eat my dinner.
This ifland's mine, by Sycorax my mother,

Which thou tak'ft from me. When thou camest first,

Thou ftrok'dit me, and mad'ft much of me; would't give me

Water with berries in't; and teach me how

To name the bigger light, and how the lefs,

That burn by day and night: and then I lov'd thee,
And fhew'd thee all the qualities o' the ifle,

The freth fprings, brine pits, barren place, and fertile;
Curfed be I that did fo!All the charms

Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
For I am all the fubjects that you have,

Which firft was mine own king: and here you fty me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me

The reft of the island.

Pro.

Under King Henry VI. the parliament petitioned against hops, as a wicked weed. STEEVENS.

3 It was a tradition, that Lord Falkland, Lord C. J. Vaughan, and Mr. Selden, concurred in obferving, that Shakspeare had not only found out a new character in his Caliban, but had alfo devised and adapted a new manner of language for that character. WARBURTON.

Whence the critics derived the notion of a new language appropria ted to Caliban, I cannot find. they certainly mistook brutality of fentiment for uncouthness of words. Caliban had learned to speak of Profpero, and his daughter; he had no names for the fun and moon before their arrival, and could not have invented a language of his own, without more understanding than Shakspeare has thought it proper to beftow upon him. His diction is indeed fomewhat clouded by the gloominess of his temper, and the malignity of his purposes; but let any other being entertain the fame thoughts, and he will find them eafily iffue in the fame expreffions. JOHNSON.

4 i. e. hedgehogs; and perhaps here put for fairies. STEEVENS. 5 The vaft of night means the night which is naturally empty and deferted, without action; or when all things lying in fleep and filence, makes the world appear one great uninhabited waffe. STEVENS.

bost, Whot. in "Was t"d'"pace" are

Vast popond to

Pro.

Thou moft lying flave,

Whom ftripes may move, not kindness: I have us'd thee,
Filth as thou art, with human care; and lodg'd thee
In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate
The honour of my child.

Cal. Oho, Oho!'wou'd it had been done!
Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled elfe
This ifle with Calibans.

Which any print of goodnefs will not take,
Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,

Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour
One thing or other : when thou didst not, favage,
Know thine own meaning, but would'st gabble like
A thing moft brutish, I endow'd thy purposes

With words that made them known: But thy vile race,3
Though thou didst learn, had that in't which good natures
Could not abide to be with; therefore waft thou
Defervedly confin'd into this rock,

Who hadit deferv'd more than a prifon.

Cal. You taught me language; and my profit on't Is, I know how to curfe: The red plague rid you," For learning me your language!

Pro.

Hag-feed, hence! Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, th' wert best,

Το

O bo, O bo!] This favage exclamation was originally and conftantly appropriated by the writers of our ancient Mysteries and Moralities, to the devil; and has, in this inftance, been transferred to his defcendant Caliban. STEEVENS.

7 By this expreffion, however defective, the poet feems to have meant-When thou didft utter founds, to which thou hadst no determinate meaning: but the following expreffion of Mr. Addifon, in his 389th Spectator, concerning the Hottentots, may prove the best comment on this paffage; "having no language among them but a confufed gabble, which is neither well understood by themselves, or others." STEEVENS.

8 Race, in this place, feems to fignify original difpofition, inborn qualities. In this fenfe we still fay-The race of wine. STEEVENS. Race and racinefs in wine, fignifies a kind of tartnefs. BLACKSTONE. 9 I fuppofe from the redness of the body, univerfally inflamed.

JOHNSON.

The eryfipelas was anciently called the red plague. STEEVENS.
The word rid, which has been explained, means to deftroy. MALONE.

To answer other bufinefs. Shrug'ft thou, malice ?
If thou neglect'ft, or doft unwillingly

What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps
Fill all thy bones with akes; make thee roar,
That beasts shall tremble at thy din.

Cal.

No, 'pray thee!
I must obey: his art is of fuch power,
It would control my dam's god Setebos,
And make a vaffal of him.

Pro.

[Afide.

So, flave; hence!

[Exit CALIBAN,

Re-enter ARIEL invisible, playing and finging;

FERDINAND following him.
ARIEL'S Song.

Come unto thefe yellow funds,

And then take hands:

Court'fied when you have, and kifs'd,
(The wild waves whift )3

Foot it featly here and there;

And fweet Sprites the burden bear

Hark, bark!

Fer. Where fhould this mufick be? i'the air, or the earth? It founds no more:-and fure, it waits upon

2

Some

-my dam's god Setebos,] A gentleman of great merit, Mr. Warner, has obferved on the authority of John Barbot, that "the Patagons are reported to dread a great horned devil, called Setebos." -It may be afked, however, how Shakespeare knew any thing of this, as Barbot was a voyager of the prefent century?-Perhaps he had red Eden's Hiftory of Travayle, 1577, who tells us, p. 434, that the giantes, when they found themfelves fettered, roared like bulls, and cried upon Setebos to help them."-The metathefis in Caliban from Canibal is evident.

FARMER. 3 As was anciently done at the beginning of fome, dances. STEEVENS.