SEB. ANT. Foul weather? Very foul. GON. Had I plantation of this isle, my lord,— SEB. traries Execute all things: for no kind of traffick 9 for no kind of traffick 9 Would I admit; no name of magistrate; &c.] Our author has here closely followed a passage in Montaigne's ESSAIES, translated by John Florio, folio, 1603: "It is a nation (would I answer Plato) that hath no kind of trafficke, no knowledge of letters, no intelligence of numbers, no name of magistrate, nor of politic superioritie; no use of service, of riches, or of povertie, no contracts, no successions, no partitions, no occupation, but idle; no respect of kindred but common; no apparel but natural; no use of wine, corne, or metal. The very words that import lying, falshood, treason, dissimulations, covetousness, envie, detraction and pardon, were never heard amongst them."-This passage was pointed out by Mr. Capell, who knew so little of his author as to suppose that Shakspeare had the original French before him, though he has almost literally followed Florio's translation. Montaigne is here speaking of a newly discovered country, which he calls "Antartick France." In the page preceding that already quoted, are these words: "The other testimonie of antiquitie to which some will refer the discoverie is in Aristotle (if at least that little book of unheard-of wonders be his) where he reporteth that certain Carthaginians having sailed athwart the Atlanticke sea, without the strait of Gibraltar, discovered a great fertil ISLAND, all replenished with goodly woods, and deepe rivers, farre distant from any land." Whoever shall take the trouble to turn to the old translation here quoted, will, I think, be of opinion, that in whatsoever Letters should not be known; no use of service, novel our author might have found the fable of The Tempest, he was led by the perusal of this book to make the scene of it an unfrequented island. The title of the chapter, which is—“ Of the Canniballes,"-evidently furnished him with the name of one of his characters. In his time almost every proper name was twisted into an anagram. Thus, "I moyl in law," was the anagram of the laborious William Noy, Attorney General to Charles I. By inverting this process, and transposing the letters of the word Canibal, Shakspeare (as Dr. Farmer long since observed) formed the name of Caliban. MALONE. 1 Letters should not be known; no use of service, Of riches or of poverty; no contracts, Successions; bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none:] The words already quoted from Florio's Translation (as Dr. Farmer observes to me) instruct us to regulate our author's metre as it is now exhibited in the text. Probably Shakspeare first wrote (in the room of partition, which did not suit the structure of his verse) bourn; but recollecting that one of its significations was a rivulet, and that his island would have fared ill without fresh water, he changed bourn to bound of land, a phrase that could not be misunderstood. At the same time he might have forgot to strike out bourn, his original word, which is now rejected; for if not used for a brook, it would have exactly the same meaning as bound of land. There is therefore no need of the dissyllabical assistance recommended in the following note. STEEVEns. And use of service, none; contract, succession, Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none.] The defective metre of the second of these lines affords a ground for believing that some word was omitted at the press. Many of the defects however in our author's metre have arisen from the words of one line being transferred to another. In the present instance the preceding line is redundant. Perhaps the words here, as in many other passages, have been shuffled out of their places. We might read And use of service, none; succession, Contract, bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none. -succession being often used by Shakspeare as a quadrisyllable. It must however be owned, that in the passage in Montaigne's VOL. IV. F No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil: SEB. pure: And yet he would be king on't. ANT. The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning.' GON. All things in common nature should produce Without sweat or endeavour: treason, felony, Essays the words contract and succession are arranged in the same manner as in the first folio. If the error did not happen in this way, bourn might have been used as a dissyllable, and the word omitted at the press might have been none: contract, succession, None; bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none. MALONE. • The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning.] All this dialogue is a fine satire on the Utopian treatises of government, and the impracticable inconsistent schemes therein recommended. WARBURTON. any engine,] An engine is the rack. So, in K. Lear: like an engine, wrench'd my frame of nature "From the fix'd place." It may, however, be used here in its common signification of instrument of war, or military machine. STEEVENS. - all foizon,] Foison, or foizon, signifies plenty, ubertas; not moisture, or juice of grass, as Mr. Pope says. EDWARDS. So, in Warner's Albion's England, 1602, B. XIII. ch. 78: "Union, in breese, is foysonous, and discorde works decay." Mr. Pope, however, is not entirely mistaken, as foison, or fizon, sometimes bears the meaning which he has affixed to it. See Ray's Collection of South and East Country words. STEEVENS. SEB. No marrying 'mong his subjects? ANT. None, man; all idle; whores, and knaves. GON. I would with such perfection govern, sir, To excel the golden age." SEB. ANT. Long live Gonzalo! GON. 'Save his majesty! And, do you mark me, sir? ALON. Pr'ythee, no more: thou dost talk nothing to me. GON. I do well believe your highness; and did it to minister occasion to these gentlemen, who are of such sensible and nimble lungs, that they always use to laugh at nothing. ANT. 'Twas you we laugh'd at. GON. Who, in this kind of merry fooling, am nothing to you: so you may continue, and laugh at nothing still. ANT. What a blow was there given? nature should bring forth, Of its own kind, all foizon, all abundance, To feed my innocent people.] "And if notwithstanding, in divers fruits of those countries that were never tilled, we shall find that in respect of our's they are most excellent, and as delicate unto our taste, there is no reason Art should gain the point of our great and puissant mother, Nature." Montaigne's Essaies, ubi sup. MALONE. • I would with such perfection govern, sir, To excel the golden age.] So Montaigne, ubi supra: "Me seemeth that what in those [newly discovered] nations we see by experience, doth not only EXCEED all the pictures wherewith licentious poesie hath proudly imbellished the GOLDEN AGE, and all her quaint inventions to fain a happy condition of man, but also the conception and desire of philosophy." MALone. 6 GON. You are gentlemen of brave mettle; you would lift the moon out of her sphere, if she would continue in it five weeks without changing. Enter ARIEL invisible, playing solemn musick.” SEB. We would so, and then go a bat-fowling. ANT. Nay, good my lord, be not angry. GON. No, I warrant you; I will not adventure my discretion so weakly. Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy? ANT. Go sleep, and hear us. [All sleep but ALON. SEB. and ANT. ALON. What, all so soon asleep! I wish mine eyes Would, with themselves, shut up my thoughts: I find, They are inclin'd to do so. SEB. Please you, sir, Do not omit the heavy offer of it: ANT. We two, my lord, Will guard your person, while you take your rest, And watch your safety. of brave mettle;] The old copy has-metal. The two words are frequently confounded in the first folio. The epithet, brave, shews clearly, that the word now placed in the text was intended by our author. MALone. 7 Enter Ariel, &c. playing solemn music.] This stage-direction does not mean to tell us that Ariel himself was the fidicen; but that solemn music attended his appearance, was an accompani ment to his entry. STEEVENS. |