Fer. The ditty does remember my drown'd father; This is no mortal business, nor no found That the earth owns: I hear it now above me. Pro. The fringed curtains of thine eyes advance, And fay, what thou feeft yond. Mira. What is't, a fpirit? Lord, how it looks about! believe me, Sir, Pro. No wench, it eats, and fleeps, and hath such senses And ftrays about to find 'em. Mira. I might call him. A thing divine; for nothing natural Pro. It goes on, I fee, [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! vouchfafe, my pray'r If Mira. No wonder, Sir, But certainly a maid. Fer. My language! heavn's! I am the best of them that speak this speech, Pro. How the best? What wert thou, if the King of Naples heard thee? Mir. Alack, for mercy! 3 Fer. Fer. Yes, faith, and all his Lords: the duke of Milan, And his brave fon, being twain. Pro. The Duke of Milan, (11) And his more braver daughter, could controul thee, I'll fet thee free for this.) A word, good Sir; Fer. O, ifa virgin, And your affection not gone forth, I'll make you Pro. Soft, Sir; one word more. They're both in either's power: but this swift business I muft uneafy make, left too light winning thou doft here ufurp Make the prize light. Sir, one word more; I charge thee, Fer. No, as I'm 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 strive to dwell with't. 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 muffels, wither'd roots, and husks Fer. No, I will refift fuch entertainment, 'till (11) the Duke of Milan, And bis brave fon, being twain.] Here feems a flight forgetfulness in our Poet: No body was loft in this wreck, as is manifeft from feveral paffages: and yet we have no fuch character introduc'd in the fable, as the Duke of Milan's fon. Mine enemy has more power. [He draws, and is charmed from moving. Mira. O dear father, Make not too rash a trial of him; for He's gentle, and not fearful. Pro. What, I fay, My foot my tutor? put thy fword up, traitor, Who mak'st a fhew, but dar'st not strike; thy confcience Is fo poffeft with guilt: come from thy ward, For I can here disarm thee with this stick, And make thy weapon drop. Mira. Befeech you, father. Pro. Hence: hang not on my garment. I'll be his furety. Pro. Silence: one word more Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee. What, An advocate for an impoftor? hush! Thou think'ft there are no more fuch fhapes as he, Having feen but him and Caliban; foolish wench! To th' moft 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. 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. My father's lofs, the weakness which I feel, The wreck of all my friends, and this man's threats, Pro. It works: come on. (Thou haft done well, fine Ariel:) follow me. Hark, what thou elfe fhalt do me. [To Ariel. Mira. Be of comfort, My father's of a better nature, Sir, Than he appears by fpeech: this is unwonted, Pro. Thou shalt be as free As nountain winds; but then exactly do All points of my command. Ari. To th' fyllable. Pre. Come, follow: fpeak not for him. [Exeunt. SCENE, another part of the Island. Enter Alonfo, Sebastian, Anthonio, Gonzalo, Adrian, B Francifco, and others. GONZALO. have caufe Efeech Sir, be merry: you Can fpeak like us: then wifely, good Sir, weigh Alon. Pry'thee, peace. (12) Seb. (12) Alon. Pr'ytbee peace.] All that follows from hence to this fpeech of the King's, You cram these words into my ears against The ftomach of my fenfe, feems to Mr. Pope to have been an interpolation by the Players. For my part, tho' I allow the matter of the dialogue to be very poor and trivial, (of which, I am forry to fay, we don't want other inftances in our Poet;) I cannot be of this Gentleman's opinion, that it is interpolated. For fhould we take out this intermediate part, what would become of these words of the King? Would I had never Seb. He receives comfort like cold porridge. Ant. The vifitor will not give o'er fo. Seb. Look, he's winding up the watch of his wit, by and by it will strike. Gon. When every grief is entertain'd, that's offer'd ; comes to the entertainer Seb. A dollor. Gon. Dolour comes to him, indeed; you have fpoken truer than you propos'd. Seb. You have taken it wiselier than I meant you should. Ant. Fy, what a spendthrift is he of his tongue? 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. A match. Adr. Though this island feems to be defart Seb. Ha, ha, ha. So, you're paid. Adr. Uninhabitable, and almost inacceffible Seb. Yet, Adr. Yet Ant. He could not mifs't. What daughter? and, where married? For it is from this intermediate part of the scene only, that we are told, the King had a daughter nam'd Claribel, whom he had married into Tunis. "Tis true, in a fubfequent fcene, betwixt Antonio and Sebaflian, we again hear her and Tunis mention'd; but in fuch a manner, that it would be quite obfcure and unintelligible without this previous information. Mr. Pope's criticism therefore is injudicious and unweigh'd. Befides, poor and jejune as the matter of the dialogue is, it was certainly defigned to be of a ridiculous ftamp; to divert and unfettle the King's thoughts from reflecting too deeply on his fon's fuppos'd drowning. Adr. |