PRO. How now? moody? What is't thou can'st demand? ARI. My liberty. PRO. Before the time be out? no more. I pray thee ARI. Remember, I have done thee worthy service; Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, ferv'd Without or grudge, or grumblings: thou didst promife To bate me a full year. has PRO. Doft thou forget * Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, ferv'd -) The old copy " Told thee no lies, made thee no mistakings, ferv'd -." The repetition of a word will be found a frequent miflake in the ancient editions. RITSON. 9 Dost thou forget -) That the character and conduct of Profpero may be understood, something must be known of the system of enchantment, which supplied all the marvellous found in the romances of the middle ages. This system seems to be founded on the opinion that the fallen spirits, having different degrees of guilt, had different habitatious allotted them at their expulfion, some being confined in hell, some (as Hooker, who delivers the opinion of our poet's age, expresses it) dispersed in air, fome on earth, some in water, others in caves, dens, or minerals under the earth, Of these, some were more malignant and mischievous than others. The earthy fpirits feem to have been thought the most depraved, and the aerial the least vitiated. Thus Profpero observes of Ariel s Thou wast a spirit too delicate To act her earthy and abhorr'd commands. Over these spirits a power might be obtained by certain rites performed or charms learned. This power was called The black Art, or Knowledge of Enchantment. The enchanter being (as king James observes in his Demonology) one who commands the devil, whereas the witch ferves him. Those who thought beft of this art, the exiftence of which was, I am afraid, believed very ferioufly, held, that certain founds and characters had a phyfical power over spirits, and compelled their agency; others, who condemned the practice, which in reality was surely never pradised, were of opinion, with more reason, that the power of charms arose only from compact, From what a torment I did free thee? ARI. PRO. Thou dost; and think'st No. It much, to tread the ooze of the salt deep; To run upon the sharp wind of the north; To do me business in the veins o' the earth, When it is bak'd with froft. ARI. I do not, fir. PRO. Thou lieft, malignant thing! Hast thou forgot The foul witch Sycorax, who, with age, and envy, Was grown into a hoop? hast thou forgot her? ARI. No, fir. PRO. Thou hast: Where was she born? speak; tell me. ARI. Sir, in Argier." and was no more than the spirits voluntarily allowed them for the sedution of man. The art was held by all, though not equally criminal, yet unlawful, and therefore Cafaubon, speaking of one who had commerce with spirits, blames him, though he imagines him one of the best kind, who dealt with them by way of command. Thus Profpero repents of his art in the last scene. The spirits were always confidered as in some measure enflaved to the enchanter, at least for a time, and as ferving with unwillingness; therefore Ariel so often begs for liberty; and Caliban observes, that the spirits ferve Profpero with no good will, but hate him rootedly. these trifles enough. JOHNSON. Of • The foul witch Sycorax, ) This idea might have been caught from Dionyfe Settle's Reporte of the last Voyage of Captaine Frobisher, 12m0. bl. 1. 1577. He is speaking of a woman found on one of the iflands defcribed, "The old wretch, whome diuers of our Saylers supposed to be a Diuell, or a Witche, plucked off her buskius, to see if the were clouen-footed, and for her oughly hewe and deformitie, we let her goe. " 3 STEEVENS. in Argier.) Argier is the ancient English name for Algiers. See a pamphlet entitled, "A true Relation of the Travailes, &c. of William Davies, barber-furgeon, " &c. 1614. In this is a chapter on the description, &c. of Argier." STEEVENS. i i PRO. O, was she so? I must, PRO. This blue-ey'd hag was hither brought And here was left by the failors: Thou, my flave, ARI. Yes; Caliban her fon. PRO. Dull thing, I say fo; he, that Caliban, ۱۰ ARI. I thank thee, master. PRO. If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak, And peg thee in his knotty entrails, till Thou hast howl'd away twelve winters, ARI. Pardon, master: I will be correspondent to command, And do my spriting gently. I will discharge thee. Do fo; and after two days That's my noble master ! What shall I do? say what? what shall I do? PRO. Gomake thyself like to a nymph o' the sea; Be subject to no fight but mine; invisible To every eye-ball else.' Go, take this shape, And hither come in't: hence, with diligence." 4 5 Exit ARIEL. to a nymph o' the sea;) There does not appear to be sufficient cause why Ariel should assume this new shape, as he was to be invifible to all eyes but those of Profpero. STEEVENS. $ Be Subject to no fight but mine; invisible To every eye-ball elfe.) The old copy reads Be subject to no fight butthine and mine: invisible," &c. But redundancy in the first line, and the ridiculous precaution. that Ariel should not be invisible to himself, plainly prove that the were the interpolations of ignorance. words To no and thine mine; , STEEVENS. Go make thyself like a nymph o' the sea: be subject fight but thine and invisible, &c.) The words « be subject... having been transferred in the first copy of this play to the latter of these lines, by the carelesiness of the transcriber or printer, the editor of the second folio to supply the metre of the former, introduced the word to; - reading, like to a nymph o' the fea." The regulation that I have made, shews that the addition, like many others made by that editor, was unnecessary. MALONE. My arrangement of this passage, admits the word to, which, I think, was judiciously restored by the editor of the second folio. STEEVENS. 6 And hither come in't: hence with diligence.) The old copy reads And hither come in't go, hence with diligence." The transcriber or compofitor had caught the word go from the preceding line. RITSON. VOL. IV. D 1 Awake, dear heart, awake! thou hast slept well; Awake! MIRA. The strangeness of your story put Heaviness in me. PRO. Shake it off: Come on; We'll vifit Caliban, my flave, who never MIRA. I do not love to look on. PRO. 'Tis a villain, fir, But, as 'tis, We cannot miss him: he does make our fire, That profit us. What, ho! slave! Caliban ! CAL. (Within) There's wood enough within. for thee: Come forth, thou tortoise! when?" The Strangeness -) Why should a wonderful story produce leep? I believe experience will prove, that any violent agitation of the mind easily fubfides in slumber, especially when, as in Prof. pero's relation, the last images are pleasing. JOHNSON. The poet seems to have been apprehensive that the audience, as well as Mirauda, would fleep over this long but necessary tale, and theretore strives to break it. First, by making Profpero divest himself of his magic robe and wand; then by waking her attention no less than fix times by verbal interruption: then by varying the adion when he rises and bids her continue fitting: and lastly, by carrying on the business of the fable while Miranda fleeps, by which she is continued on the ftage till the poet has occafiou tor her again. WARNER. 8 We cannot miss him:) That is, we cannot do without him. M. MASON. This provincial expreffion is still used in the midland counties. MALONE. 9 Come forth, thou tortoise! when? This interrogation, indicative of impatience in the highest degree, occurs alfo in K. Richard II. A& I. fc. i: «When, Harry? See note on this paflage. |