Rich garments, linens, ftuffs, and neceffaries, Which fince have fteaded much; fo, of his gentle nefs, Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me, MIRA. But ever fee that man! PRO. 'Would I might Now I arife :8 Sit ftill, and hear the laft of our fea-forrow. Here in this ifland we arriv'd; and here Have I, thy school-mafter, made thee more profit Than other princes? can, that have more time Now I arife:] Why does Profpero arife? Or, if he does it to eafe himself by change of pofture, why need he interrupt his narrative to tell his daughter of it? Perhaps these words belong to Miranda, and we thould read: Mir. 'Would I might But ever fee that man!---Now I arise. Pro. Sit ftill, and hear the laft of our fea-forrow. Profpero, in p. 14, had directed his daughter to fit down, and learn the whole of this hiftory; having previously by fome magical charm difpofed her to fall afleep. He is watching the progrefs of this charm; and in the mean time tells her a long ftory, often afking her whether her attention be still awake. The ftory being ended (as Miranda fuppofes) with their coming on fhore, and partaking of the conveniences provided for them by the loyal humanity of Gonzalo, the therefore first expreffes a wish to see the good old man, and then obferves that the may now arife, as the ftory is done. Profpero, furprized that his charm does not yet work, bids her fit ftill; and then enters on fresh matter to amufe the time, telling her (what the knew before) that he had been her tutor, &c. But foon perceiving her drowfinefs coming on, he breaks off abruptly, and leaves her fiill fitting to her flumbers. BLACKSTONE. As the words" now I arife"-may fignify, now I rife in my narration,"—" now my story heightens in its confequence," I have left the paffage in queftion undisturbed. We still say, that the intereft of a drama rifes or declines. STEEVENS. 9 princes-] The first folio reads-princeffe. HENLEY, Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE. For vainer hours, and tutors not fo careful. MIRA. Heavens thank you for't! And now, I pray you, fir, (For ftill 'tis beating in my mind,) your reafon For raifing this fea-ftorm? PRO. Know thus far forth. By accident most strange, bountiful fortune, A moft aufpicious ftar; whofe influence If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes I 3 choose. Enter ARIEL. ARI. All hail, great mafter! grave fir, hail! I come Now my dear lady,] i. e. now my aufpicious mifirefs. 2 I find my zenith doth depend upon A moft aufpicious fiar; whofe influence STEEVENS. If now I court not, but omit, &c.] So, in Julius Cæfar: "There is a tide in the affairs of man, "Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; "Omitted, all the voyage of their life "Is bound in fhallows and in miferies." MALONE. 'tis a good dulnefs,] Dr. Warburton rightly observes, that this fleepinefs, which Profpero by his art had brought upon Miranda, and of which he knew not how foon the effect would begin, makes him queftion her fo often whether she is attentive to his flory. JOHNSON. To answer thy beft pleasure; be't to fly,4 On the curl'd clouds ;5 to thy ftrong bidding, task Ariel, and all his quality. PRO. Haft thou, fpirit, Perform'd to point 7 the tempest that I bade thee? ARI. To every article. I boarded the king's fhip; now on the beak, All hail, great mafter! grave fir, hail! I come To answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly, &c.] Imitated by Fletcher in The Faithful Shepherdess: “ —— tell me sweetest, "What new service now is meetest "For the fatyre; fhall I ftray "In the middle ayre, and stay "The failing racke, or nimbly take "Hold by the moone, and gently make "Suit to the pale queene of night, "For a beame to give thee light? "Shall I dive into the fea, "And bring thee coral, making way "Through the rifing waves," &c. HENLEY. 5 On the curl'd clouds ;] So, in Timon-Crifp heaven. STEEVENS. and all his quality.] i. e. all his confederates, all who are of the fame profeflion. So, in Hamlet: "Come give us a taste of your quality." See notes on this paffage, A& II. fc. ii. STEEVENS. 7 Perform'd to point-] i. e. to the minutest article; a literal tranflation of the French phrase-a point. So, in the Chances, by Beaumont and Fletcher : are you all fit? "To point, fir.” Thus, in Chapman's verfion of the fecond book of Homer's Odyssey, we have every due "Perform'd to full :- -." STEEVENS. now on the beak,] The beak was a strong pointed body at the head of the ancient gallies; it is used here for the forecastle, or the boltfprit. JOHNSON. So in Philemon Holland's translation of the 2d chapter of the Now in the waift, the deck, in every cabin, curfors O' the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary And fight-out-running were not: The fire, and cracks Of fulphurous roaring, the moft mighty Neptune Seem'd to befiege, and make his bold waves tremble, Yea, his dread trident fhake.3 32d book of Pliny's Natural Hiftory:-" our goodly tall and proud fhips, fo well armed in the beake-head with yron pikes," &c. STEEVENS. 9 Now in the waift,] The part between the quarter-deck and the forecastle. JOHNSON. And burn in many places ;] Perhaps our author, when he wrote thefe lines, remembered the following paffage in Hackluyt's Voyages, 1598: "I do remember that in the great and boysterous ftorme of this foule weather, in the night there came upon the toppe of our maine yard and maine-mast a certaine little light, much like unto the light of a little candle, which the Spaniards call the Cuerpo Santo. This light continued aboord our fhip about three houres, flying from mafie to mafie, and from top to top; and fometimes it would be in two or three places at once." MALONE. Burton fays, that the Spirits of fire, in form of fire-drakes and blazing stars," oftentimes fit on fhip-mafts," &c. Melanch. P. I. § 2. p. 30. edit. 1632. T. WARTON. O' the dreadful thunder-claps,] So, in King Lear: STEEVENS. 3 Yea, his dread trident Shake.] Left the metre fhould appear defective, it is neceffary to apprize the reader, that in Warwickfhire and other midland counties, Shake is ftill pronounced by the common people as if it was written fhaake, a diffyllable. FARMER. PRO My brave spirit.! Who was fo firm, fo conftant, that this coil Would not infect his reafon ? ARI. Some tricks of defperation: All, but mariners, The word Shake is fo printed in Golding's verfion of the 9th. book of Ovid's Metamorphofes, edit. 1575: "Hee quaak't and shaak't and looked pale," &c. STEEVENS. But felt a fever of the mad,] If it be at all neceffary to explain the meaning, it is this: Not a foul but felt fuch a fever as madmen feel, when the frantic fit is upon them. STEEVENS. 5 and quit the vessel,] Quit is, I think, here used for quitted. So, in K. Lear: "Twas he inform'd against him, "And quit the houfe on purpose, that their punishment "Might have the freer course." So, in King Henry VI. P. I. lift, for lifted: 6 "He ne'er lift up his hand, but conquered." MALONE. -fuftaining-] i. e. their garments that bore them up and fupported them. Thus, in Chapman's tranflation of the eleventh Iliad: "Who fell, and crawled upon the earth with his fuf taining palmes." Again, in K. Lear, A&t IV. fc. iy: "In our fuftaining corn." |