A CT IV.

SCENE I.

Prospero's cell.
Enter Profpero, Ferdinand, and Miranda.

PROSPERO.

F I have too austerely punish'd you,

Your compensation makes amends ; for I Have given you here ? a third of mine own life, 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 stood the test. Here, afore heaven, I ratify this my rich gift: 0 Ferdinand, Do not smile at me that I boast her off; For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise, And make it halt behind her.

1 -- a third of mine orun life,] Thus all the impressions in general ; but why is the only a third of his own life? He had no wife living, nor any other child, to rob her of a share in his affection : so that we may reckon her at least half of himself. Nor could he intend, that he loved himself twice as much as he did lier; for he immediately subjoins, that it was the for whom be liv’d. In Othello, when Iago alarms the senator with the loss of his daughter, he tells him,

“ Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul." And dimidium anima mea was the current language with the Latines on such occasions. THEOBALD.

In consequence of this ratiocination Mr. Theobald printed the text, a thread of my own life. I have restored the ancient reading. Prospero, in his reason fubjoined why he calls her the third of his life, seems to allude to some logical distinction of causes, making her the final cause. JOHNSON.

- frangely stood the teft.) Strangely is used by way of commendation, merveilleusement, to a wonder; the sense is the same in the foregoing scene, with obfervation Arange. Johnson.

Fer. I believe it, Against an oracle.

Pro. Then as my 9 gift, and thine own acquisition Worthily purchas'd, take my daughter. But If thou dost break her virgin-knot, before All fanétimonious ceremonies may With full and holy rite be minifter'd, No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall To make this contract grow; but barren hate, Sour-ey'd disdain, and discord, shall bestrew The union of your bed with weeds so loathly, That you shall hate it both : therefore take heed, As Hymen's lamps shall light you.

Fer. As I hope For quiet days, fair issue, and long life, With such love as ’tis now; the murkiest den, The most opportune place, the strong'st suggestion Our worfer Genius can, shall never melt Mine honour into luft; to take away The edge of that days celebration, When I shall think or Phoebus' steeds are founder'd, Or night kept chain'd below.

Pro. Fairiy spoke. Sit then, and talk with her, she is thine own.· What, Ariel; my industrious servant Ariel !-

Enter Ariel.

Ari. What would my potent master? here I am,

Pro. Thou and thy meaner fellows your last service Did worthily perform ; and I must use you In such another trick: go, bring 'the rabble, O’er whom I give thee power, here, to this place ; Incite them to quick motion, for I must Bestow upon

the

eyes of this young couple

- my gift,-] My guest, first folio. JOHNSON.
106 rabble,} The crew of meaner spirits. JOHNSON,

Some

Some vanity of mine art; it is my promise,
And they expect it from me,

Ari. Presently ?
Pro. Ay, with a twink.

Ari. Before you can say, a Come, and go,
And breathe twice; and cry, so, so;
Each one, tripping on his toe,
Will be here with mop and mow.
Do you love me, mafter? no.

Pro. Dearly, my delicate Ariel : do not approach,
Till thou dost hear me call.
Ari. Well, I conceive.

[Exit.
Pro. Look, thou be true; do not give dalliance
Too much the rein; the strongest oaths are straw
To the fire i’the blood : be more abstemious,
Or else, good night, your vow !

Fer. I warrant you, Sir ;
The white, cold, virgin-snow upon my heart
Abates the ardour of my liver.

Pro. Well.
Now come, my Ariel; 3 bring a corollary,
Rather than want a spirit; appear, and pertly.
+ No tongue; all eyes; be silent. [To Ferdinando

[Soft mufick. A masque. Enter Iris. Iris. Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and pease ;

3

Come, and

go
Each one, tripping on his toe,] So Milton,

“ Come, and trip it as you go
“ On the light fantastic toe.”

STEEVENS. · bring a corollary,] That is, bring more than are sufficient, rather than fail for want of numbers. Collorary means furplus. Steevens.

4 No tongue ;-] Those who are present at incantations are obliged to be strictly silent, “else,” as we are afterwards told, " the spell is marred,” Johnson.

Thy

Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
And Aat meads 5 thatch'd with stover, them to keep;
6 Thy banks with pionied, and tulip'd brims,
Which spungy April at thy hest betrims,
To make cold nymphs chaste cřowns ; 7 and thy broom

groves,
Whose shadow the dismissed batchelor loves,
Being lass-lorn ; 8 thy pole-clipt vineyard,
And thy sea-marge, steril, and rocky hard,
Where thou thyself do'ft air ; the queen o'the sky,
Whose watery arch, and messenger, am I,
Bids thee leave these ; and with her sovereign grace,

s-thateh'd with flover,-) Stover is a law word, and fignifies an allowance in food or other neceffaries of life. It is here used for provision in general for animals. STEEVENS.

6 Thy banks with pionied, and tulip'd brims.] The old edition reads pioned and twilled brims, which gave rise to Mr. Holt's conjecture, that the poet originally wrote,

with pioned and tilled brims. Spenser and the author of Mulcases the Turk, a tragedy, 1610, use pioning for digging. It is not therefore difficult to find a meaning

for the word as it stands in the old copy ; and remove a letter from twilled and it leaves us tilled. I am yet, however, in doubt whether we ought not to read lillied brims, as Holland's translation of Pliny's Nat. Hiftory mentions the water-lilly as a preserver of chastity.

In Ovid's Banquet of Sense, by Chapman, 1595, I met with the following stanza in which twill-pants are enumerated among flowers ;

is White and red jasmines, merry, melliphill,

« Fair crown-imperial, emperor of flowers, « Immortal amaranth, white aphrodill,

“ And cup-like twill-pants strew'd in Bacchus bowers." If twill be the ancient name of any flower, the present reading, pionied and twilled, may certainly stand. Twill is also a north country word for the quill on which they wind yarn.

STEEVENS. 1- and thy broom groves,] A grove of broom, I believe, was never heard of, as it is a low shrub and not a tree. Hanmer reads brown groves. STEEVENS,

thy pole-clipt vineyard,] To clip is to twine round or einbrace. The poles are clipt or embraced by the vines.

STEEVENS,

Here

8

Here on this grass-plot, in this very place,
To come and sport: her peacocks Ay amain :
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.

Enter Ceres.
Cer. Hail, many-colourd messenger, that ne'er
Do'st disobey the wife of Jupiter ;
Who, with thy faffron wings, upon my flowers
Diffuseft honey drops, refreshing showers ;
And with each end of thy blue bow do'st crown
9 My bosky acres, and my unshrub'd down,
Rich scarf to my proud earth ; why hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither, ' to this short-grass'd green ?

Iris. A contract of true love to celebrate,
And some donation freely to estate
On the bless'd lovers.

Cer. Tell me, heavenly bow,
If Venus, or her son, as thou do'st know,
Do now attend the queen: fince they did plot
The means, that dusky Dis my daughter got,
Her and her blind boy's scandald company
I have forsworn.

Iris. Of her society
Be not afraid: I met her deity
Cutting the clouds towards Paphos ; and her son
Dove-drawn with her: here thought they to have done
Some wanton charm upon this man and maid,
Whose 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 waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,

}

9 My boky acres,. &c.] Bosky is woody: Bosquet, Fr. Sa Milton,

“ And every hojky bourn from side to fide." Stevens

to this foort-grass'd green?] The old copy reads shortgraz'd green.' Short-graz'd green means grazed so as to be short.

STEEVENS,

Swears