Make holy-day; your rye-straw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing.

Enter certain reapers, properly babited; they join with the nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the end whereof, Profpero ftarts fuddenly, and speaks; after which, to a ftrange, hollow and confufed noife, they vanish heavily.

Pro. [afide] I had forgot that foul confpiracy Of the beaft Caliban, and his confed❜rates, Against my life; the minute of their plot

Is almost come.-[To the fpirits.] Well done-avoid

no more.

Fer. This is most strange; your father's in some passion That works him strongly.

Mira. Never 'till this day

Saw I him touch'd with anger fo distemper'd.
Pro. You look, my son, in a mov'd fort,
As if you were difmay'd; be chearful, Sir:
Our revels now are ended: these our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air;
And, like the baseless fabrick of this vision,
The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The folemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, fhall diffolve;
And, like this infubftantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind! we are fuch stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a fleep.-Sir, I am vext; ¿

Bear

emotion of anger on his fudden recollection of Caliban's plot. This appears from the admirable reflection he makes on the infignificancy

Bear with my weakness, my old brain is troubled :
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity;

If thou be pleas'd, retire into my cell,

And there repofe: a turn or two I'll walk,
To ftill my beating mind.

Fer. Mira. We wish your peace.

[Exeunt Fer. and Mira. Pro. Come with a thought;-I thank you:Ariel, come.

Profpero comes forward from the Cell; enter
Ariel to him.

Ari. Thy thoughts I cleave to; what's thy pleasure?
Pro. Spirit,

We must prepare to meet with Caliban. 4

Ari. Ay, my commander; when I prefented Ceres, I thought to have told thee of it; but I fear'd,

nificancy of human things. For thinking men are never under greater depreffion of mind than when they moralize in this manner; and yet, if we turn to the occafion of his diforder, it does not appear, at firft view, to be a thing capable of moving one in Prop ro's circumftances. The Plot of a contemptible Savage and two drunken Sailors, all of whom he had abfolutely in his power. There was then no apprehenfion of danger. But if we look more nearly into the cafe, we fhall have reafon to admire our Author's wonderful knowledge of nature. There was fomething in it with which great minds are moft deeply af. fected, and that is the Senfe of Ingratitude. He recalled to mind the Obligations this Caliban lay under for the Inftructions he had given him, and the conveni

encies of life he had taught him to use. But thefe reflexions on Caliban's Ingratitude would naturally recal to mind his brother's: And then these two working together were very capable of producing all the diforder of paffion here reprefented.—That these two, who had received, at his hands, the two beft Gifts mortals are capable of, when rightly employed, Regal power and the Ufe of reafon; that thefe, in return, fhould confpire against the life of the Donor, would furely afflict a generous mind to its utmost bearing. WARBURTON.

+ Meet with Caliban.] To meet with is to counteract, to play Stratagem againft Stratagem.The Parfon knows the temper of every one in his houfe, and accordingly either meets with their vices, or advances their virtues.

HERBERT'S Country Parfon.

Left I might anger thee.

Pro. Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets?
Ari. I told you, Sir, they were red hot with drink-
ing;

So full of valour, that they fmote the air
For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
For kifling of their feet; yet always bending
Towards their project. Then I beat my tabor,
At which, like unbackt colts, they prickt their ears,
s Advanc'd their eye-lids, lifted up their nofes,
As they smelt musick; so I charm'd their ears,
That, calf-like, they my lowing follow'd through
Tooth'd-briars, fharp furzes, pricking gofs and thorns,.
Which enter'd their frail fhins: at laft I left them
I'th' filthy mantled pool beyond your cell,

There dancing up to th' chins, that the foul lake
O'er-ftunk their feet.

Pro. This was well done, my bird;

Thy fhape invifible retain thou ftill;

The trumpery in my houfe, go bring it hither,
For ftale to catch thefe thieves.

Ari. I go, I go.

Pro. A devil, a born devil, on whose nature
Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains,
Humanly taken, all, all loft, quite loft;
And, as with age, his body uglier grows,

[Exit.

+

So his mind cankers; I will plague them all,

Even to roaring: come, hang them on this line. [Profpero remains invisible.

SCENE V.

Enter Ariel loaden with glistering apparel, &c. Enter Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo, all wet.

Cal. Pray you, tread foftly, that the blind mole may not

Hear a foot fall; we now are near his cell.

Ste. Monster, your Fairy, which you say is a harmlefs Fairy, has done little better than plaid the * Jack with us.

Trin. Monster, I do fmell all horfe-pifs, at which my nofe is in great indignation.

Ste. So is mine: do you hear, monfter? if I should take a displeasure against you; look youTrin. Thou wer't but a loft monster.

Cal. Good my lord, give me thy favour still: Be patient, for the prize, I'll bring thee to,

Shall hood-wink this mifchance: therefore, speak foftly;

All's hufht as midnight yet.

Trin. Ay, but to lofe our bottles in the pool, Ste. There is not only difgrace and dishonour in that, monster, but an infinite lofs.

Trin. That's more to me than my wetting: yet this is your harmless Fairy, monfter.

Ste. I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er ears for my labour.

Cal. Pr'ythee, my King, be quiet: feeft thou here, This is the mouth o'th' cell; no noife, and enter; Do that good mifchief, which may make this Island Thine own for ever; and I, thy Caliban, For ay thy foot-licker.

He has plaid Jack with a lantern, has led us about like an

ignis fatuus, by which travellers are decoyed into the mire.

Ste.

Ste. Give me thy hand: I do begin to have bloody thoughts.

Trin. O King Stephano! O Peer! O worthy Stephano!

Look, what a wardrobe here is for thee!

Cal. Let it alone, thou fool, it is but trash.

Trin. Oh, ho, monfter; we know what belongs to
-O, King Stephano!

a frippery;

Ste. Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this hand, I'll have that gown.

Trin. Thy grace shall have it.

Cal. The dropfy drown this fool! what do you

mean,

To doat thus on fuch luggage? let's along,*
And do the murder firft: if he awake,

From toe to crown he'll fill our fkins with pinches ;
Make us ftrange stuff.

Ste. Be you quiet, monfter. Mistress line, is not this my jerkin? now is the jerkin under the line: now, jerkin, you are like to lose your hair, and prove a bald jerkin.

Trin. Do, do; we steal by line and level, and't like e your Grace.

Ste. I thank thee for that jeft, here's a garment for't: wit fhall not go unrewarded, while I am king of this country: fteal by line and level, is an excellent pafs of pate; there's another garment for❜t.

Trin. Monster, come, put fome + lime upon your fingers, and away with the reft.

Cal. I will have none on't; we shall lose our time, And all be turn'd to barnacles, or apes

6 Trin. O King Stephano! O Peer! O worthy Stephano! Look what a wardrobe here is for thee!] The Humour of thefe lines confifts in their being an allufion to an old celebrated Ballad, which begins thus, King Stephen was a worthy Peer

and celebrates that King's parfi-
mony with regard to his ward-
robe.. -There are two Stan-
zas of this ballad in Othello.
WARBURTON.
*First Edit. let's alone.
That is Birdlime.

F 4

With