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ACT IV. SCENE I.

Profpero's cell.

Enter Profpero, Ferdinand, and Miranda.

PROSPER O.

F I have too aufterely punish'd you,

Your compenfation makes amends; for I Have given you here 7 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 ftood the teft. Here, afore heaven, I ratify this my rich gift: O Ferdinand,

Do not smile at me that I boast her off;

For thou fhalt find fhe will outftrip all praise,
And make it halt behind her.

7

a third of mine own life,] Thus all the impreffions 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 fo that we may reckon her at least half of himself. Nor could he intend, that he loved himself twice as much as he did her; for he immediately fubjoins, that it was he for whom be liv'd. In Othello, when Iago alarms the fenator with the lofs of his daughter, he tells him,

"Your heart is burst, you have loft half your foul." And dimidium anima mea was the current language with the Latines on fuch occafions. THEOBALD.

In confequence of this ratiocination Mr. Theobald printed. the text, a thread of my own life. I have reftored the ancient reading. Profpero, in his reafon fubjoined why he calls her the third of his life, feems to allude to fome logical distinction of caufes, making her the final caufe. JOHNSON.

- ftrangely flood the teft.] Strangely is ufed by way of commendation, merveilleufement, to a wonder; the fenfe is the fame in the foregoing fcene, with obfervation ftrange. JOHNSON.

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Fer. I believe it,

Against an oracle.

Pro, Then as my 9 gift, and thine own acquifition Worthily purchas'd, take my daughter. But

If thou doft break her virgin-knot, before
All fanctimonious ceremonies may

With full and holy rite be minister'd,

No fweet afperfion shall the heavens let fall
To make this contract grow; but barren hate,
Sour-ey'd difdain, and difcord, fhall beftrew
The union of your bed with weeds fo loathly,
That you fhall hate it both therefore take heed,
As Hymen's lamps fhall light you.

Fer. As I hope

For quiet days, fair iffue, and long life,

With fuch love as 'tis now; the murkieft den,
The most opportune place, the ftrong'st fuggeftion
Our worfer Genius can, fhall never melt

Mine honour into luft; to take away

The edge of that days celebration,

When I fhall think or Phoebus' steeds are founder'd, Or night kept chain'd below.

Pro. Fairly fpoke.

-

Sit then, and talk with her, fhe is thine own.-
What, Ariel, my induftrious fervant Ariel!-

Enter Ariel.

I

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 fuch 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 Beftow upon the eyes of this young couple

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my gift,—] My gueft, first folio. JOHNSON.
the rabble,] The crew of meaner fpirits. 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 fay, 2 Come, and go, And breathe twice; and cry, fo, 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 doft 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 ftraw
To the fire i'the blood: be more abftemious,
Or elfe, good night, your vow!-

Fer. I warrant you, Sir;

The white, cold, virgin-fnow upon my heart
Abates the ardour of my liver.

Pro. Well.

Now come, my Ariel; 3 bring a corollary, Rather than want a fpirit; appear, and pertly. 4 No tongue; all eyes; be filent.

Amafque. Enter Iris.

[To Ferdinand. [Soft mufick.

Iris. Ceres, moft bounteous lady, thy rich leas Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and pease;

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

"Come, and trip it as you go

"On the light fantastic toe.'

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STEEVENS.

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

No tongue;-] Those who are prefent at incantations are obliged to be ftrictly filent," elfe," as we are afterwards told, the fpell is marred," JOHNSON.

Thy

Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
And flat meads 5 thatch'd with ftover, them to keep;
6 Thy banks with pionied, and tulip'd brims,
Which spungy April at thy heft betrims,

To make cold nymphs chafte crowns; 7 and thy broom groves,

Whose fhadow the difmiffed batchelor loves,
Being lafs-lorn; thy pole-clipt vineyard,
And thy fea-marge, fteril, and rocky hard,
Where thou thyfelf do'ft air; the queen o' the sky,
Whose watery arch, and meffenger, am I,

Bids thee leave thefe; and with her fovereign grace,

5-thatch'd with ftover,-] Stover is a law word, and fignifies an allowance in food or other neceffaries of life. It is here ufed for provifion in general for animals. STEEVENS.

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

with pioned and tilled brims.

Spenfer and the author of Mulcaffes the Turk, a tragedy, 1610, ufe pioning for digging. It is not therefore difficult to find a meaning for the word as it ftands 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 tranflation of Pliny's Nat. Hiftory mentions the water-lilly as a preferver of chastity.

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

White and red jafmines, merry, melliphill,

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

"And cup-like twill-pants ftrew'd in Bacchus bowers." If twill be the ancient name of any flower, the prefent reading, pionied and twilled, may certainly ftand. Twill is alfo a north country word for the quill on which they wind yarn. STEEVENS. 7—and thy broom groves,] A grove of broom, I believe, was never heard of, as it is a low fhrub and not a tree. Hanmer reads brown groves. STEEVENS,

8

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

STEEVENS,

Here

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

Enter Ceres.

Cer. Hail, many-colour'd meffenger, that ne'er
Do'ft difobey the wife of Jupiter;

Who, with thy faffron wings, upon my flowers
Diffuseft honey drops, refreshing fhowers;
And with each end of thy blue bow do'ft crown
9 My bofky acres, and my unfhrub'd down,
Rich fcarf to my proud earth; why hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither, to this fhort-grafs'd green?
Iris. A contract of true love to celebrate,
And some donation freely to eftate
On the blefs'd lovers.

I

Cer. Tell me, heavenly bow,

If Venus, or her fon, as thou do'ft know,
Do now attend the queen: fince they did plot
The means, that dufky Dis my daughter got,
Her and her blind boy's fcandal'd company
I have forfworn.

Iris. Of her fociety

Be not afraid I met her deity

Cutting the clouds towards Paphos; and her fon
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 fhall be paid
Till Hymen's torch be lighted; but in vain:
Mars's hot minion is return'd again,

Her wafpifh-headed fon has broke his arrows,

My bofky acres, &c.] Bofky is woody. Bofquet, Fr. Sq Milton,

1

And every bosky bourn from fide to fide," STEEVENS, -to this fhort-grafs'd green?] The old copy reads fhort graz'd green. Short-graz'd green means grazed fo as to be fort.

STEEVENS.

Swears

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