One thing or other. When thou couldft not, favage, natures Could not abide to be with; therefore waft thou Who hadit deferv'd more than a prifon Cal. You taught me language, and my profit on't Is, I know how to curfe: the red plague rid you, For learning me your language! 5 When thou DIDST not, Savage, KNOW thy own meaning, but would gabble like A thing most brutish, I endow'd thy purposes. With words to make them known.] The benefit which Profpero here upbraids Caliban with having beftowed, was teaching him language. He fhews the greatnefs of this benefit by marking the inconvenience Caliban lay under for want of it. What was the inconvenience? This, that he did not know his own meaning. But fure a Brute, to which he is compared, doth know its own meaning, that is, knows what it would be at. This, indeed, it cannot do, it cannot bew its meaning to others. And this certainly is what Profpero would say, When thou COULDST not, Savage, SHEW thy own meaning, The following words makes it evident, but would gabble like A thing moft brutish. And when once [ew] was corrupted to [know] the tranfcribers would of courfe change [could] into [didf] to make it agree with the other falfe reading. There is indeed a Senfe in which Know thy own meaning may be well applied to a brute. For it may fignify the not having any reflex knowledge of the operations of its own mind, which, it would feem, a Brute hath not. Tho' this, I fay, may be applied to a brute, and confequently to Caliban, and tho' to remedy this brutality be a nobler benefit than even the teaching language; yet fuch a fenfe would be impertinent and abfurd in this place, where only the benefit of language is talked of by an exact and learned Speaker. Besides, Profpero exprefly fays, that Caliban had purposes; which, in other words, is that he did know his own meaning. C 3 Pro. Pro. Hag-feed, hence! Fetch us in fewel, and be quick (thou wert' beft) What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps; Cal. No, 'pray thee. I must obey; his art is of fuch pow'r, And make a vaffal of him. Pro. So, flave, hence! SCENE [Exit Caliban. V. Enter Ferdinand; and Ariel invisible, playing ARIEL'S SONG. Come unto thefe yellow fands, And then take bands: Curt'fied when you have, and kift (The wild waves whift ;) Foot it featly bere and there, And, fweet Sprites, the burthen bear. Burthen, difperfedly. Hark, bark, bough-waugh: the watch-dogs bark, Baugh-waugh. Ari. Hark, bark, I hear The ftrain of ftrutting chanticlere Cry, Cock-a-doodle-do. Fer. Where fhould this Mufick be, i'th' air, or It founds no more: and, fure, it waits upon This musick crept by me upon the waters; No, it begins again. ARIEL'S SONG. • Full fathom five thy father lies, But 6 Full fathom five thy father lies, &c.] Gildon, who has pretended to criticife our Author, would give this up as an infufferable and fenfelefs piece of trifling. And I believe this is the general opinion concerning it. But a very unjust one. Let us confider the bufiness Ariel is here upon, and his manner of executing it. The Commiflion Profpero had intrufted to him, in a whisper, was plainly this; to conduct Ferdinand to the fight of Miranda, and to difpofe him to the quick fentiments of love, while he, on the other hand, prepared his daughter for the fame impreffions. Ariel fets about his bufinefs by acquainting Ferdinand, in an extraordinary manner, with the afflictive news of his father's death. A very odd Apparatus, one would think, for a love-fit. And yet as odd as it appears, the Poet has fhewn in it the finest conduct for carrying on his plot. Profpero had faid, I find my Zenith doth depend upon A moft aufpicious farr; whofe influence In confequence of this his prefcience, he takes advantage of every favourable circumftance that the occafion offers. The principal affair is the Marriage of his daughter with young Ferdinand. But to fecure this point it was neceffary they should be contracted before the affair came to Alonzo the Father's knowledge. For Profpero was ignorant how this form and shipwreck, caufed by him, would work upon Alonzo's temper. It might either foften him, or increase his averfion for Profpero as the author. On the other hand, to engage Ferdinand, without the confent of his Father, was difficult. For not to speak of his Quality, where fuch engagements are not made without the confent of the Sovereign, Ferdinand is reprefented (to fhew it a Match worth the feeking) of a most C 4 pious But doth fuffer a fea-change, Hark, now I hear them, ding-dong, bell. [Burthen: ding-dong. Fer. The ditty does remember my drown'd father; This is no mortal business, nor no found That the earth owns: I hear it now above me, Pro. 7 The fringed curtains of thine eyes advance, And fay, what thou feeft yond. Mira. pious temper and difpofition, which would prevent his contracting himself without his Father's knowledge. The Poet therefore, with the utmost address, has made Ariel perfuade him of his Father's death to remove this Remora, which might otherwise have either ftop'd, and retarded beyond the time of action, or quite fpoiled the whole Plot. 7 The fringed curtains of thine eyes advance, And fay, what thou feeft yond. ] The Daughters of Profpero, as they are drawn by Dryden, feem rather to have had their Education in a Court or a Playhoufe, than under the fevere precepts of a Philofopher in a Defert. But the Miranda of Shakespear is truly what the Poet gives her out. And his art in preferving the unity of her character is wonderful. We must remember what was faid in the foregoing note of Profpero's intention to make his Daughter fall in love at fight. And notwithstanding what the wits may fay, or the Pretty-fellows think, on this occafion, it was no fuch eafy matter to bring this naturally about. Thofe who are the leaft acquainted with human nature know of what force inftitution and education are to curb and even deface the very ftrongeft paffions and affections. She had been brought up under the rough difcipline of ftoical Morality, and misfortunes generally harden the morality of virtuous men into Stoicifm. Such a one was Profpero. And he tells us, that his daughter fully anfwered the care he bestowed upon her. So that there would be fome difficulty for nature to regain its inAuence fo fuddenly as the Plot required. The Poet, therefore, with infinite addrefs, caufes her to be foftened by the tender story her father told her of his misfortunes. For pity preceeds love. and Mira. What is't, a fpirit? Lord, how it looks about! believe me, Sir, Pro. No, wench, it eats, and fleeps, and hath fuch fenfes As we have, fuch. This gallant, which thou feeft, A goodly perfon. He hath loft his fellows, Mira. I might call him A thing divine; for nothing natural Pro. It goes on, I fee, [Afide. As my foul prompts it. Spirit, fine fpirit, I'll free thee Within two days for this. Fer. Moft fure, the Goddess On whom these ayres attend! vouchfafe, my pray'r May know, if you remain upon this Island; and facilitates its entrance into the mind. But this was, evidently, infufficient. Therefore, to make the way the eafier, fhe is fuppofed to be under the influence of her Father's charm, which was to diffolve, as it were, the rigid chains of virtue and obedience. This is infinuated to the Audience when Profpero, before he begins his ftory, fays to her, Lend thy hand And pluck this magick garment from me. The touch communicated the charm, and its efficacy was to lay her to fleep. This is the reason that Profpero so often questions her, as he proceeds in his ftory, whether he was attentive: being apprehenfive the charm might operate too quick, even before he had ended his relation. Without this interpretation his frequent repetition will appear extremely cold, and abfurd. For the fame reafon, likewise, he fays, in conclufion, 8 Thou art inclin'd to fleep. 'Tis a good dulnefs, And give it way: I know thou can'ft not chufe. vouchsafe my pray'r May know,- ]For, I may know. Extremely poetical; and most expreffive of the humility of the Speaker. And |