oder dramatische Quelle, die Shakspere benutzt haben könnte, bisher nicht auffinden lassen. Und doch deuten manche Züge in einem deutschen Drama des Shakspere schen Zeitgenossen, des Nürnberger Notars Jacob Ayrer, >die schöne Sidea«<, welche eine auffallende Aehnlichkeit mit einzelnen Zügen in Shakspere's Tempest aufweisen, auf eine gemeinsame, von beiden Dichtern benutzte Quelle hin, sei es nun, dass diese eine jetzt verlorne italienische Novelle, oder, was wahrscheinlicher ist, ein nicht mehr vorhandenes altenglisches Drama war.

Zu A. 1, Sc. 1. Lord Mulgrave's Aufsatz über Shakspere's Anwendung nautischer Ausdrucke lautet im Wesentlichen folgendermassen:

The first scene of The Tempest is a very striking instance of the great accuracy of Shakspeare's knowledge in a professional science, the most difficult to attain without the help of experience. He must have acquired it by conversation with some of the most skilful seamen of that time. No books had then been published on the subject.

The succession of events is strictly observed in the natural progress of the distress described; the expedients adopted are the most proper that could have been devised for a chance of safety and it is neither to the want of skill of the seamen, or the bad qualities of the ship, but solely to the power of Prospero, that the shipwreck is to be attributed.

The words of command are not only strictly proper, but are only such as point the object to be attained, and no superfluous ones of detail. Shakspeare's ship was too well manned to make it necessary to tell the seamen how they were to do it, as well as what they were to do.

He has shown a knowledge of the new improvements, as well as the doubtful points of seamanship; one of the latter he has introduced, under the only circumstance in which it was indisputable.

The events certainly follow too near one another for the strict time of representation: but perhaps, if the whole length of the play was divided by the time allowed by the critics, the portion allotted to this scene might not be too little for the whole. But he has taken care to mark intervals between the different operations by exits.

Zu A. 1, Sc. 2. Schon Farmer machte auf ein im Jahre 1577 erschienenes Reisewerk Eden's History e of Travayle in the West and East Indies aufmerksam, dem Shakspere Einzelnes zur Charakteristik seines Caliban entlehnt haben möchte. Von diesem Buche, in welchem der Dichter auch die Namen mancher Personen seines Tempest gefunden habe, theilt Staunton folgende zwei hierher gehörige Auszüge mit:

Departyng from hence, they sayled to the 49 degree and a halfe under the pole antartike; where being wyntered, they were inforced to remayne there for the space of two monethes: all which time they sawe no man, excepte that one day by chaunce they espyed a man of the stature of a giant, who came to the haven daunsing and singyng, and shortly after seemed to cast dust over his head. The captayne sent one of his men to the shore, with the shyppe boate, who made the lyke signe of peace. The which thyng the giant seeying, was out of feare, and came with the captayne's servaunt, to his presence, into a little ilande. When he sawe the captayne with certayne of his company about him, he was greatly amased, and made signes, holdyng up his hande to heaven, signifying thereby, that our men came

*) The striking the topmasts was a new invention in Shakspeare's time, which he here very properly introduces. Sir Henry Manwaring says, "It is not yet agreed amongst all seamen whether it is better for a ship to hull with her topmast up or down." In the Postscript to the Seaman's Dictionary, he afterwards gives his own opinion: If you have sea-room, it is never good to strike the topmast." Shakspeare has placed his ship in the situation in which it was indisputably right to strike the topmust, when he had not sea-room,