PRO. At least two glaffes: The time 'twixt fix and now, Muft by us both be spent most preciously. ARI. Is there more toil? Since thou doft give me pains, Let me remember thee what thou haft promis'd, PRO. What is't thou can't demand? ARI. How now ? moody? My liberty. PRO. Before the time be out? no more. I pray thee ARI. Remember, I have done thee worthy fervice; Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, ferv'd' Without or grudge, or grumblings: thou didft promise To bate me a full year. PRO. Doft thou forget * 2 Told thee no lies, made no mistakings, ferv'd.-] The old copy has "Told thee no lies, made thee no mistakings, ferv'd-." The repetition of a word will be found a frequent mistake in the ancient editions. RITSON. Doft thou forget-] That the character and conduct of Profpero may be understood, fomething must be known of the system of enchantment, which fapplied all the marvellous found in the romances of the middle ages. This fyftem seems to be founded on the opinion that the fallen fpirits, having different degrees of guilt, had different habitations allotted them at their expulfion, fome being confined in hell, fome (as Hooker, who delivers the opinion of our poet's age, expreffes it,) dispersed in air, fome on earth, fome in water, others in caves, dens, or minerals under the earth. Of thefe, fome were more malignant and mischievous than others. The earthy fpirits feem to have been thought the most depraved, and the aerial the lefs vitiated. Thus Profpero obferves of Ariel: Thou waft a fpirit too delicate To act her earthy and abhorr'd commands. Over these spirits a power might be obtained by certain rites per From what a torment I did free thee? ARI. PRO. Thou doft? and think'ft No. It much, to tread the ooze of the falt deep; ARI. I do not, fir. PRO. Thou lieft, malignant thing! Haft thou forgot The foul witch Sycorax,3 who, with age, and envy, Was grown into a hoop? haft thou forgot her? formed or charms learned. This power was called The black Art, or Knowledge of Enchantment. The enchanter being (as king James obferves in his Demonology) one who commands the devil, whereas the witch ferves him. Those who thought beft of this art, the existence of which was, I am afraid, believed very seriously, held, that certain founds and characters had a phyfical power over fpirits, and compelled their agency; others, who condemned the practice, which in reality was furely never practised, were of opinion, with more reafon, that the power of charms arofe only from compact, and was no more than the fpirits voluntarily allowed them for the feduction of man. The art was held by all, though not equally criminal, yet unlawful, and therefore Cafaubon, speaking of one who had commerce with fpirits, blames him, though he imagines him one of the best kind, who dealt with them by way of command. Thus Profpero repents of his art in the last scene. The spirits were always confidered as in fome measure enflaved to the enchanter, at least for a time, and as ferving with unwillingness; therefore Ariel fo often begs for liberty; and Caliban obferves, that the spirits serve Profpero with no good will, but hate him rootedly. Of these trifles enough. JOHNSON. 3 The foul witch Sycorax,] This idea might have been caught from Dionyfe Settle's Reporte of the Laft Voyage of Capteine Frobisher, 12mo. bl. 1. 1577. He is speaking of a woman found on one of the islands described. "The old wretch, whome diuers of our Saylers fuppofed to be a Diuell, or a Witche, plucked off her bufkins, to fee if fhe were clouen footed, and for her ougly hewe and deformitie, we let her goe." STEEVENS. ARI. No, fir. PRO. Thou haft: Where was fhe born? speak; tell me. ARI. Sir, in Argier.+ PRO. O, was the fo? I must, Once in a month, recount what thou haft been, Which thou forget'ft. This damn'd witch, Sycorax, For mischiefs manifold, and forceries terrible To enter human hearing, from Argier, Thou know'ft, was banith'd; for one thing fhe did, They would not take her life: Is not this true? ARI. Ay, fir. PRO. This blue-ey'd hag was hither brought with child, And here was left by the failors: Thou, my flave, To act her earthy and abhorr'd commands, A dozen years; within which space she died, A freckled whelp, hag-born,) not honour'd with ARI. Yes; Caliban her fon. in Argier.] Argier is the ancient English name for Algiers. See a pamphlet entitled, A true Relation of the Travailes, &c. of William Davies, Barber-furgeon, &c. 1614. In this is a chapter on the description, &c. of Argier." STEEVENS. PRO. Dull thing, I fay fo; he, that Caliban, Whom now I keep in fervice. Thou best know'ft What torment I did find thee in thy groans Did make wolves howl, and penetrate the breasts Of ever-angry bears; it was a torment To lay upon the damn'd, which Sycorax Could not again undo; it was mine art, When I arriv'd, and heard thee, that made gape The pine, and let thee out. ARI. I thank thee, master. PRO. If thou more murmur'ft, I will rend an oak, And peg thee in his knotty entrails, till Thou haft howl'd away twelve winters. ARI. Pardon, master: I will be correfpondent to command, PRO. I will discharge thee. ARI. Do fo; and after two days That's my noble master! What fhall I do? fay what? what shall I do? PRO. Go make thyfelf like to a nymph o' the fea;5 Be fubject to no fight but mine; invifible To every eye-ball elfe. Go, take this shape, 5 to a nymph o' the fea ;] There does not appear to be fufficient caufe why Ariel fhould affume this new fhape, as he was to be invisible to all eyes but those of Profpero. STEEVENS. 6 Be fubject to no fight but mine; invifille To every eye-ball elfe.] The old copy reads "Be fubject to no fight but thine and mine; invifible," &c. But redundancy in the first line, and the ridiculous precaution that Ariel should not be invisible to himfelf, plainly prove that the words-and thine-were the interpolations of ignorance. STEEVENS. Go make thy felf like a nymph o' the fea be fubject To no fight but thine and mine; invifible &c.] The words —“be subject”—having been transferred in the first copy of thie And hither come in't: hence, with diligence. [Exit ARIEL. Awake, dear heart, awake! thou haft flept well; Awake! MIRA. The ftrangeness of your story put Heaviness in me. PRO. Shake it off: Come on; We'll visit Caliban, my flave, who never MIRA. I do not love to look on. PRO. 'Tis a villain, fir, But, as 'tis, play to the latter of thefe lines, by the careleffnéfs of the tranfcriber or printer, the editor of the fecond folio, to fupply the metre of the former, introduced the word to ;-reading, like to a nymph o' the fea.' The regulation that I have made, fhews that the addition, like many others made by that editor, was unneceffary. MALONE. My arrangement of this paffage admits the word to, which, I think, was judiciously restored by the editor of the second folio. STEEVENS. " And hither come in't: hence, with diligence.] The old copy reads "And hither come in't: go, hence with diligence." The tranfcriber or compofitor had caught the word go from the preceding line. RITSON. The ftrangeness-] Why fhould a wonderful ftory produce fleep? I believe experience will prove, that any violent agitation of the mind eafily fubfides in flumber, especially when, as in Profpero's relation, the last images are pleafing. JOHNSON. The poet feems to have been apprehenfive that the audience, as well as Miranda, would fleep over this long but neceffary tale, and therefore ftrives to break it. First, by making Profpero diveft himself of his magic robe and wand: then by waking her attention no less than fix times by verbal interruption: then by varying the action when he rifes and bids her continue fitting and lastly, by carrying on the bufinefs of the fable while Miranda fleeps, by which the is continued on the stage till the poet has occafion for her again. WARNER. : |