Letters fhould not be known; no use of service, Succeffions; bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none:1 novel our author might have found the fable of The Tempest, he was led by the perufal of this book to make the Scene 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 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) inftruct us to regulate our author's metre as it is now exhibited in the text. Probably Shakspeare firft wrote (in the room of partition, which did not suit the structure 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 fame time he might have forgot to strike 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 affistance recommended in the following note. STEEVENS. And ufe of fervice, none; contract, fuccefron, Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none.] The defective metre of the second 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 present inftance the preceding line is redundant. Perhaps the words here, as in many other paffages, have been shuffled out of their places, We might read And use of service, none; fucceffion, Contract, bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none. -fucceffion being often used by Shakspeare as a quadrifyllable. It muft however be owned, that in the paffage in Montaigne's No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil: And women too; but innocent and pure: SEB. And yet he would be king on't. ANT. The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning." GON. All things in common nature should produce Without sweat or endeavour: treason, felony, Effays the words contract and fucceffion are arranged in the fame manner as in the firft folio. If the error did not happen in this way, bourn might have been used as a diffyllable, and the word omitted at the press might have been none : contract, fucceffion, None; bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none. MALONE. 2 The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning.] All this dialogue is a fine fatire on the Utopian treatises of government, and the impracticable inconfiftent schemes therein recommended. WARBURTON. 3 any engine,] An engine is the rack. So, in K. Lear: like an engine, wrench'd my frame of nature "From the fix'd place." It may, however, be used here in its common fignification of inftrument of war, or military machine. STEEVENS. ✦ all foizon,] Foifon, or foixon, 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: Union, in breefe, is foy fonous, and difcorde works decay." Mr. Pope, however, is not entirely miftaken, as foifon, or fixon, fometimes bears the meaning which he has affixed to it. See Ray's Collection of South and Eaft Country words. STEEVENS. SEB. No marrying 'mong his fubjects? ANT. None, man; all idle; whores, and knaves. GON. I would with such perfection govern, fir, To excel the golden age.5 SEB. 'Save his majefty! And, do you mark me, fir?— ANT. Long live Gonzalo ! GON. 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 these 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 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 shall find that in respect of our's they are most excellent, and as delicate unto our taste, there is no reason Art should gain the point of our great and puiffant mother, Nature." Montaigne's Effaies, ubi fup. MALONE. I would with fuch perfection govern, fir, To excel the golden age.] So Montaigne, ubi fupra: "Me feemeth that what in thofe [newly difcovered] 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, GON. You are gentlemen of brave mettle; you would lift the moon out of her sphere, if the would continue in it five weeks without changing. Enter ARIEL invifible, playing folemn mufick." SEB. We would fo, and then go a bat-fowling. ANT. Nay, good my lord, be not angry. GON. No, I warrant you; I will not adventure my discretion fo weakly. Will you laugh me asleep, 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 themselves, fhut up my thoughts: I find, They are inclin'd to do fo. SEB. Pleafe you, fir, Do not omit the heavy offer of it: ANT. We two, my lord, Will guard your person, while you take your rest, And watch your fafety. 6 of brave mettle;] The old copy has-metal. The two words are frequently confounded in the firft folio. The epithet, brave, fhews clearly, that the word now placed in the text was intended by our author. MALONE. 7 Enter Ariel, &c. playing folemn mufic.] This ftage-direction does not mean to tell us that Ariel himself was the fidicen; but that folemn mufic attended his appearance, was an accompa niment to his entry. STEEVENS. ALON. Thank you: Wond'rous heavy.- SEB. What a strange drowsiness poffeffes them? Why SEB. 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. might, What Worthy Sebastian?-O, what might?—No more:And yet, methinks, I fee it in thy face, What thou fhould'ft be: the occafion fpeaks thee; and My ftrong imagination fees a crown Dropping upon thy head. SEB. What, art thou waking? I do; and, furely, ANT. Do you not hear me speak? SEB. It is a fleepy language; and thou speak'ft Out of thy fleep: What is it thou didst say? With eyes wide open; standing, fpeaking, moving, ANT. Thou let'ft thy fortune fleep-die rather; wink'ft Whiles thou art waking. SEB. Noble Sebastian, Thou doft fnore distinctly; There's meaning in thy fnores. ANT. I am more ferious than my cuftom: you Must be fo too, if heed me; which to do, |