Was in the wreck; and but he's fomething ftain'd

With grief, that's beauty's canker, thou might'st call him
A goodly perfon: he hath loft his fellows,

And ftrays about to find them.

Mira.

I might call him

It

goes on,

[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 airs attend !-Vouchsafe my prayer
May know, if you remain upon this ifland;
And that you will fome good inftruction give,
How 1 may bear me here: My prime request,
Which I do laft pronounce, is, O

If you be made, or no?

Mira.

But, certainly a maid.7

Fer.

you

wonder!

No wonder, fir;

My language! heavens!

I am the best of them that speak this speech,

Were I but where 'tis spoken.

How! the best?

Pro.
What wert thou, if the king of Naples heard thee?

Fer.

7 Nothing could be more prettily imagined, to illuftrate the fingularity of her character, than this pleasant mistake. She had been bred up in the rough and plain-dealing documents of moral philofophy, which teaches us the knowledge of ourselves; and was an utter ftranger to the flattery invented by vicious and defigning men to corrupt the other fex. So that it could not enter into her imagination, that complaifance, and a defire of appearing amiable, qualities of humanity which she had been instructed, in her moral leffons, to cultivate, could ever degenerate into fuch excefs, as that any one fhould be willing to have his fellowcreature believe that he thought her a goddess, or an immortal.

WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton has here found a beauty, which I think the author never intended. Ferdinand afks her not whether the was a created being, a question, which if he meant it, he has ill expreffed, but whether the was unmarried; for after the dialogue which Profpero's interruption produces, he goes on pursuing his former question:

Fer. A fingle thing, as I am now, that wonders To hear thee speak of Naples: He does hear me ; And, that he does, I weep: myself am Naples; Who with mine eyes, ne'er fince at ebb, beheld The king my father wreck'd,

Mira.

Alack, for mercy!

Fer. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the duke of Milan, And his brave fon, being twain.8

The duke of Milan,

Pro.
And his more braver daughter could controul thee,
If now 'twere fit to do't:At the first fight
They have chang'd eyes:-Delicate Ariel,
I'll fet thee free for this!A word, good fir;

I fear, you have done yourself some wrong: a word.
Mira. Why fpeaks my father fo ungently? This
Is the third man that e'er I saw; the first
That e'er I figh'd for: pity move my father
To be inclin'd my way!

Fer.

O, if a virgin,

And your affection not gone forth, I'll make you
The queen of Naples.

Soft, fir; one word more..

[Afide.

Pro.
They are both in either's powers: but this swift business
I muft uneafy make, left too light winning

[Afide

Make the prize light.-One word more; I charge thee,
That thou attend me: thou doft here ufurp

The name thou ow'st not; and haft put thyself

Upon this island, as a fpy, to win it

From me, the lord on't.

Fer.

No, as I am a man.

Mira. There's nothing ill can dwell in fuch a temple : If the ill fpirit have fo fair an house,

Good things will ftrive to dwell with't.

C 2

Pro.

8 This is a flight forgetfulness. Nobody was loft in the wreck, yet we find no fuch character as the fon of the duke of Milan.

THEOBALD.

19 Confute thee, unanswerably contradict thee. JOHNSON.

2 I fear that, in afferting yourself to be king of Naples, you have uttered a falfhood, which is below your character, and confequently injurious to your honour. STEEVENS.

Pro. Follow me.—

Speak not you for him; he's a traitor.-Come.
I'll manacle thy neck and feet together:

Sea-water fhalt thou drink, thy food shall be
The fresh-brook mufcles, wither'd roots, and husks
Wherein the acorn cradled: Follow.

Fer.

I will refift fuch entertainment, till

Mine enemy has more power.

Mira.

[To Ferd.

No;

[He draws.

O dear father,

What, I fay,

Make not too rafh a trial of him, for
He's gentle, and not fearful.3

Pro.

My foot my tutor!-Put thy fword up traitor;

Who mak'ft a fhew, but dar'ft not strike, thy conscience
Is fo poffefs'd with guilt: come from thy ward ;4

For I can here difarm thee with this stick,

And make thy weapon drop.

Mira.

Pro. Hence; hang not on my garments.

Mira.

I'll be his furety.

Pro.

Befeech you, father!

Sir, have pity;

Silence: one word more

What!

Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee.

An advocate for an impoftor? hush!

Thou think'ft, there are no more fuch shapes as he,
Having feen but him and Caliban: Foolish wench!
To the most of men this is a Caliban,

And they to him are angels.

Mira.

My affections

Are then moft humble; I have no ambition
To fee a goodlier man.

Pro.

In this place it may

3 Fearful fignifies both terrible and timorous. mean timorous. She tells her father, that as he is gentle, rough usage is unneceflary; and as he is brave, it may be dangerous. STEEVENS. "Do not rafhly determine to treat him with feverity, he is mild and barmless, and not in the least terrible or dangerous." RITSON.

4 Defift from any hope of awing me by that pofture of defence.

JOHNSON.

Pro.
Come on; obey:
Thy nerves are in their infancy again,
And have no vigour in them.

Fer.

So they are:

My fpirits as in a dream, are all bound up?s
My father's lofs, the weakness which I feel,
The wreck of all my friends, or this man's threats,
To whom I am fubdu'd, are but light to me,
Might I but through my prifon once a day
Behold this maid; all corners elfe o' the earth
Let liberty make use of; space enough
Have I, in fuch a prifon.

It works :-Come on.

Pro.
Thou haft done well, fine Ariel!-Follow me.-

Hark, what thou elfe fhalt do me.

Mira.

[To Ferd.

[To Ferd, and Mir.

[To Ariel.

Be of comfort;

My father's of a better nature, fir,
Than he appears by speech; this is unwonted,
Which now came from him.

Thou shalt be as free

Pro.
As mountain winds: but then exactly do
All points of my command.

Ari.

To the fyllable,

Pro. Come, follow: fpeak not for him.

[Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I.

Another part of the Island.

Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, GONZALO,

ADRIAN, FRANCISCO, and others.

Gon. 'Beseech you, fir, be merry: you have caufe (So have we all) of joy: for our escape

C 3

Is

5 Alluding to a common fenfation in dreams; when we ftruggle, but with a total impuiffance in our endeavours, to run, ftrike, &c.

WARBURTON.

Is much beyond our lofs: Our hint of woe
Is common; every day, fome failor's wife,
The mafters of fome merchant, and the merchant,
Have juft our theme of woe: but for the miracle,
I mean our prefervation, few in millions

Can fpeak like us: then wifely, good fir, weigh
Our forrow with our comfort.

Alon.

Pr'ythee, peace. Seb. He receives comfort like cold porridge.

Ant. The vifitor 8 will not give him o'er fo.

Seb. Look, he's winding up the watch of his wit; by and by it will strike.

Gon. Sir,

Seb. One:

-Tell.

Gon. When every grief is entertain'd, that's offer'd, Comes to the entertainer

Seb. A dollar.

Gon. Dolour comes to him, indeed; you have spoken truer than you purpos'd.

Seb. You have taken it wiselier than I meant you should. Gon. Therefore, my lord,

Ant. Fie, what a spendthrift is he of his tongue!

Alon. I pr'ythee, fpare.

Gon. Well, I have done: But yet—

Seb. He will be talking..

Ant. Which of them, he, or Adrian, for a good wager,

first begins to crow?

Seb. The old cock.

Ant. The cockrel.

Seb. Done: The wager?

Ant. A laughter.

Seb.

6 Hint is that which recalls to the memory. The caufe that fills our minds with grief is common. Dr. Warburton reads-flint of woe.

Hint feems to mean circumftance. STEEVENS.

JOHNSON.

7 The owners of a merchant's fhip, or the officers to whom the navigation of it had been trufted. STEEVENS.

8 Why Dr. Warburton fhould change vifitor to 'vifer, for adviser, I cannot discover. Gonzalo gives not only advice but comfort, and is therefore properly called The Vifitor, like others who vifit the fick or diftrefled to give them confolation. In fome of the Proteftant churches there is a kind of officers termed Confolators for the fick. JOHNSON.