GON. And were the king of it, What would I do? SEB. 'Scape being drunk, for want of wine. GON. I' the commonwealth I would by con traries Execute all things: for no kind of traffick Would I admit; no name of magiftrate, &c.) Our author has here closely followed a paffage in Montaigne's ESSAIES, tranflated 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 magiftrate, nor of politick fuperioritie; no ufe of fervice, of riches, or of povertie, no contracts, no fucceffions, no partitions, no occupation, but idle: no respect of kindred but common; no apparel but natural; no ufe of wine, corne, or metal. The very words that import lying, falshood, treason, diffimulations, covetousness, envie, detraction and pardon, were never heard amongst them.” - This paffage was pointed out by Mr. Capel who knew fo little of his author as to suppose that Shakspeare had the original French before him, though he has almoft literally followed Florio's tranflation. - 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 teftimonie of antiquitie to which fome will refer the discoverie is in Ariftotle (if at least that little book of unheard-of wonders be his) where he reporteth that certain Carthaginians having failed athwart the Atlanticke fea, without the ftrait of Gibraltar, discovered a great fertil ISLAND, all replenished with goodly woods, and deepe rivers, farre diftant from any land.” Whoever shall take the trouble to turn to the old tranflation here quoted, will, I think, be of opinion, that in whatfoever novel our author might have found the fable of The Tempeft, he was led by the perufal of this book to make the fcene of it an unfrequented ifland. 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 procefs, and tranfpofing the letters of the word Canibal, Shakspeare (as Dr. Farmer long fince obferved) formed the name of Caliban. MALONE. Letters fhould not be known; no use of service, SEB. pure: And yet he would be king on't. 4 Letters fhould not be known: no use of fervice, Of riches or of poverty; no contracts, Succeffions; bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none:) The words already quoted from Florio's Tranflation (as Dr. Farmer obferves to me) inftru& 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 fuit the ftru&ure of his verfe) bourn; but recollecting that one of its fignifications was a rivulet, and that his ifland 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 ftrike out bourn, his original word, which is now rejected; for if not used for a brook, it would have exactly the fame meaning as bound of land. There is therefore no need of the diffyllabical affiftance recommended in the following note. STEEVENS. And ufe of fervice, none; contract, fucceffion, Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none.] The defe&ive metre of the fecond of these lines affords a ground for believing that fome word was omitted at the prefs. Many of the defects however in our author's metre have arifen from the words of one line being transferred to another. In the prefent inftance the preceding line is redundant. Perhaps the words here, as in many other paffages, have been fhuffled out of their places. We might readAnd ufe of fervice, none; fucceffion, It Contract, bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none. fucceffion being often used by Shakspeare as a quadrifyllable. muft however be owned, that in the paffage in Montaigne's Effays the words contract and fucceffion are arranged in the fame manner as in the first folio. If the error did not happen in this way, bourn might have been ufed as a diffyllable, and the word omitted at the press might have been none: -contra&, fucceffion, None; bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none. MALONE, ANT. The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning. ' GON. All things in common nature would produce Without sweat or endeavour: treafon, felony, SEB. No marrying 'mong his fubjects? ANT. Noné, man: all idle; whores, and knaves. GON. I would with fuch perfection govern, fir, To excel the golden age." The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning.) All this dialogue is a fine fatire on the Utopian treatifes of government, and the impracticable inconfiftent fchemes therein recommended. WARBURTON. -any engine,) An engine is the rack. So, in K. Lear: "From the fix'd place." It may, however, be used here in its common fignification of inftrument of war, or military machine. STEEVENS. 7 -all foizon,) Foifon, or foizon, fignifies plenty, ubertas; not moisture, or juice of grafs, as Mr. Pope fays. EDWARDS. So, in Warner's Albion's England, 1602, B. XIII. Ch. 78: See « Union, in breefe, is fofonous, and difcorde works decay." Mr. Pope, however, is not entirely miftaken, as foifon, or fizon, fometimes bears the mearing which he has affixed to it. Ray's Colle&ion of South and Eaft Country words. STEEVENS. -nature should bring forth, Of its own kind, all foizon, all abundance, To feed my innocent people.) "And if notwithstanding, in divers fruits of thofe countries that were never tilled, we fhall find that in refpect of our's they are moft excellent, and as delicate unto our tafte, there is no reafon Art fhould gain the point of our great and puiffaut mother, Nature." Montaigne's Effaies, ubi sup. 8 I would with fuch perfection govern, fir, MALONE. To excel the golden age.) So Montaigne, ubi fupra: "Me SEB. ANT. Long live Gonzalo! GON. 'Save his majefty! And, do you mark me, fir? ALON. Pr'ythee, no more; thou doft talk nothing to me. GON. I do well believe your highness; and did it to minifter occafion to thefe gentlemen, who are of fuch fenfible 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: fo you may continue, and laugh at nothing ftill. ANT. What a blow was there given? SEB. An it had not fallen flat-long. GON. You are gentlemen of brave mettle:" you would lift the moon out of her sphere, if fhe would continue in it five weeks without changing. Enter ARIEL invifible, playing folemn mufick." feemeth that what in those (newly discovered) nations we fee by experience, doth not only EXCEED all the pictures wherewith licentious poefie hath proudly imbellished the GOLDEN AGE, and all her quaint inventions to fain a happy condition of man, but also the conception and defire of philofophy." MALONE. 9 of brave mettle;) The old copy has-metal. The two words are frequently confounded in the first folio. The epithet, brave, fhews clearly, that the word now placed in the text was intended by our author. MALONE. 2 Enter Ariel, &c, playing folemn mufic.) This ftage-dire&ion does not mean to tell us that Ariel himself was the fidicen; but that folemn mufic attended his appearance, was an accompaniment to his entry. STEEVENS. 3 GON. No, I warrant you; I will not adventure my difcretion fo weakly. Will you laugh me afleep, for I am very heavy? ANT. Go fleep, and hear us. (All fleep but ALON. SEB. and ANT. ALON. What, all fo foon afleep! I wish mine eyes Would, with themfelves, (hut up my thoughts: I find, They are inclin'd to do fo. SEB. Please you, fir, Do not omit the heavy offer of it: ANT. We two, my lord, Will guard your perfon, while you take your reft, And watch your safety. ALON. . Thank you: Wond'rous heavy.(ALONSO fleeps. Exit ARIEL. SEB. What a frange drowfinefs poffeffes them? ANT. It is the quality o' the climate. SEB. Why Doth it not then our eye-lids fink? I find not Myfelf difpos'd to fleep. ANT. Nor I; my fpirits are nimble. They fell together all, as by confent; They dropp'd, as by a thunder-ftroke. What might, Worthy Sebastian?-O, what might? No more;And yet, methinks, I fee it in thy face, What thou fhould'ft be: the occasion speaks thee; and My ftrong imagination fees a crown |