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Swears he will shoot no more, but play with sparrows, And be a boy right out.

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Cer. High queen of ftate,

Great Juno comes; I know her by her gait.

Enter Juno.

Jun. How does my bounteous fifter? Go with me To bless this twain, that they may profperous be, And honour'd in their iffue.

Jun. Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance and increafing,
Hourly joys be ftill upon you!
Funo fings her bleffings on you.

Cer. 3 Earth's increase, and foyfon plenty;
Barns and garners never empty;
Vines, with cluft'ring bunches growing;
Plants, with goodly burden bowing;

High queen of ftate,] Mr. Whalley thinks this paffage in The Tempest,

High queen of fate,

Great Juno comes; I know her by her gait,

a remarkable inftance of Shakespeare's knowledge of ancient poetic ftory; and that the hint was furnished by the Divum incedo Regina of Virgil.

John Taylor, the water-poet, declares, that he never learned his Accidence, and that Latin and French were to him Heathen Greek; yet by the help of Mr. Whalley's argument, I will prove him a learned man, in fpite of every thing he may fay to the contrary: for thus he makes a gallant address his lady; "Most inestimable magazine of beauty! in whom the port and majefty of Juno, the wifdom of Jove's braine-bred girle, "and the feature of Cytherea, have their domeftical habita"tion." FARMER.

66

3 Earth's increase,- -] All the editions, that I have ever feen, concur in placing this whole fonnet to Juno; but very abfurdly, in my opinion. I believe every accurate reader, who is acquainted with poetical hiftory, and the diftinct offices of thefe two goddeffes, and who then feriously reads over our author's lines, will agree with me, that Ceres's name ought to have been placed where I have now prefixed it. THEOBALD.

Spring come to you, at the fartheft,
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun you;
Ceres bleffing fo is on you.

Fer. This is a moft majestic vifion, and * Harmonious charmingly may I be bold To think these spirits?

Pro. Spirits, which by mine art

I have from their confines call'd to enact
My prefent fancies.

Fer. Let me live here ever;

So rare a wonder'd father, and a wife,
Make this place paradise.

Pro. Sweet; now filence:
Juno and Ceres whifper feriously;

There's fomething else to do: hufh, and be mute,
Or elfe our spell is marr'd.

[Juno and Ceres whisper, and fend Iris on employment. Iris. You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the 5 wandring brooks,

With your fedg'd crowns, and ever harmless looks,
Leave your crifp channels, and on this green land
Answer your fummons; Juno does command:
Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
A contract of true love; be not too late.

+ Harmonious charmingly :-] Mr. Edwards would read, Harmonious charming lay:

For though (fays he) the benediction is fung by two goddeffes, it is yet but one lay or hymn. I believe this paffage appears as it was written by the poet, who, for the fake of the verfe, made the words change places; and then the meaning is fufficiently obvious. STEEVENS.

5-wandring brooks,] The modern editors read winding brooks. The old copy-windring. I fuppofe we fhould read wandring, as it is here printed. STEEVENS.

Leave your crifp channels,-] Crifp, i. e. curling, winding. Lat. crifpus. So Hen. IV. Part 1. A&ti. Sc. 4. Hotspur fpeaking of the river Severn,

"And hid his crisped head in the hollow bank." STEEV.

Enter

Enter certain nymphs.

You fun-burn'd ficklemen, of Auguft weary,
Come hither from the furrow, and be merry;
Make holy-day: your rye-straw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing,

Enter certain reapers, properly habited: they join with the nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the end whereof Profpero ftarts fuddenly, and speaks; after which, to a strange, bollow, and confused noise, they vanish heavily.

Pro. [Afide.] I had forgot that foul confpiracy Of the beaft Caliban, and his confederates,

Against my life: the minute of their plot

Is almost come.

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[To the fpirits.] Well done;

avoid :—no more.

Fer. This is most strange; your father's in fome paffion

That works him ftrongly.

Mira. Never till this day

Saw I him touch'd with anger fo diftemper'd.
Pro. You do look, my fon, in a mov'd sort,
As if you were difmay'd: be cheerful, Sir:
Our revels now are ended: thefe our actors,
As I foretold you, were all fpirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabrick of this vifion,
The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The folemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all, which it inherit, fhall diffolve;
And, like this infubftantial pageant faded,

2

* Leave not a rack behind! We are fuch stuff

As

Leave not a rack behind!—] “The winds" (fays lord Bacon) "which move the clouds above, which we call the "rack, and are not perceived below, pafs without noife."

The

As dreams are made on; and our little life

Is rounded with a fleep.

3 Sir, I am vex'd;

Bear with my weakness; my old brain is troubled:

Be not disturb'd with my infirmity.

If thou be pleas'd, retire into my cell,

And there repofe; a turn or two I'll walk,
To ftill my beating mind.

The word is common to many authors contemporary with Shakespeare. So in the Faithful Shepherdess:

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-fhall I ftray

"In the middle air, and stay

"The failing rack.".

Sir T. H. inftead of rack, reads arbitrarily track. To rack, in this fenfe, is fometimes used as a verb. So in the old play of The Raigne of King Edward III. 1596.

3

" - -like inconftant clouds,

"That, rack'd upon the carriage of the winds,

"Encrease and die.".

-Sir, I am vex'd;

STEEVENS.

Bear with my weakness; my old brain is troubled:] Profpero here difcovers a great emotion of anger on his fudden recollection of Caliban's plot. This appears from the admirable reflection he makes on the infignificancy of human things. For thinking men are never under greater depreffion of mind than when they moralize in this manner; and yet, if we turn to the occafion of his diforder, it does not appear, at first view, to be a thing capable of moving one in Profpero's circumftances. The plot of a contemptible favage and two drunken failors, all of whom he had abfolutely in his power. There was then no apprehenfion of danger. But if we look more nearly into the cafe, we fhall have reason to admire our author's wonderful knowledge of nature. There was fomething in it with which great minds are moft deeply affected, and that is, the fenje of ingratitude. He recalled to mind the obligations this Caliban lay under for the inftructions he had given him, and the conveniencies of life he had taught him to ufe. But these reflexions on Caliban's ingratitude would naturally recall to mind his brother's; and then these two working together, were very capable of producing all the diforder of paffion here reprefented.That these two, who had received at his hands the two beft gifts mortals are capable of, when rightly employed, regal power, and the ufe of reafon; that thefe, in return, fhould confpire against the life of the donor, would furely afflict a generous mind to its utmoft bearing. WARBURTON.

Fer.

Fer. Mira. We wish you peace.

[Exeunt Fer. and Mira.

Pro. Come with a thought I thank :

Ariel, come.

you:

Profpero comes forward from the cell; enter Ariel to bim.

Ari. Thy thoughts I cleave to; what's thy pleasure? Pro. Spirit,

We must prepare 4 to meet with Caliban.

Ari. Ay, my commander: when I prefented Ceres, I thought to have told thee of it; but I fear'd, Left I might anger thee.

Pro. Say again, where didft thou leave these varlets? Ari. I told you, Sir, they were red hot with drinking;

So full of valour, that they fmote the air
For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
For kiffing of their feet; yet always bending
Towards their project. Then I beat my tabor,
At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd their ears,
5 Advanc'd their eye-lids, lifted up their nofes,
As they smelt mufick; fo I charm'd their ears,
That, calf-like, they my lowing follow'd through
Tooth'd-

-to meet with Caliban.] To meet with is to countera&t̃ ; to play ftratagem against ftratagem.-The parfon knows the temper of every one in his boufe, and accordingly either meets with their vices, or advances their virtues.

HERBERT'S Country Parfen.

JOHNSON.

5 Thus Drayton, in his Court of Fairie of Hobgoblin caught

in a Spell:

"But once the circle got within,

"The charms to work do straight begin,

"And he was caught as in a gin:
"For as he thus was bufy,

"A pain he in his head-piece feels,

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Against a ftubbed tree he reels,

"And up went poor Hobgoblin's heels:
"Alas, his brain was dizzy.

"At

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