Ari. I drink the air before me, and return Or e'er your pulle twice beat.

[Exit ARIIL.
Gon. All torment, trouble, wonder, and amazement
Inhabits here ; Some heavenly power guide us
Out of this fearful country!

Pro. Behold, fir king,
The wronged duke of Milan, Prospero:
For more assurance that a living prince
Does now speak to thee, I embrace thy body;
And to thee, and thy company, I bid
A hearty welcome.

Alon. Whe'r thou be’ft he, or no,
Or some inchanted trifle to abuse me,
As late I have been, I not know: thy pulse
Beats, as of flesh and blood; and, since I saw thee,
The afiliction of my mind amends, with which,
I fear, a madness held me: this must crave
(An if this be at all,) a most strange story.
Thy dukedom I resigns; and do intreat,
Thou pardon me my wrongs :-But how should Prospero
Be living, and be here?

Pro. First, noble friend, a day-light, nor in rainy weather. But its short life is still more abridged « by continuing in a torpid state during the winter. At the approach of “ the cold season, the bat prepares for its state of lifeless in activity, and “ seems rather to choose a place where it may continue safe from in. “ terruption, than where it may be warmly or commodiously lodged."

When Shakspeare had determined to send Ariel in pursuit of sum. mer, wherever it could be found, as most congenial to such an airy being, is it then surprising that he should have made the bat, rather than “ the wind, his poft-horie;" an animal thus delighting in that season, and reduced by winter to a state of lifeless inactivity ? MALONE.

3 Under the blepim that hangs on the bougb.] So, in Godfrey of Bala loigne, translated by Fairfax, 1600 :

“ The goblins, fairies
“ Ranged in flowerie dales, and mountaines hore,

“ Ard under every trembling leaf they fit." ANONYMOUS. 4 I drink the air.-) To drink the air is an expreifion of swiftness of the same kind as to devour the way in Henry IV. JOHNSON.

5 Thy dukedem I relign ;-] The duchy of Milan being through the reachery of Anthonio made feudatory to the crown of Naples, Alonso promises to refign his claim of sovereignty for the future. STEEVE NØ.

Let

Let me embrace thine age; whose honour cannot
Be measur'd, or confin'd.

Gon. Whether this be,
Or be not, I'll not swear.

Pro. You do yet taste
Some subtilties o' the isle, that will not let you
Believe things certain :-Welcome, my friends all :-
But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded,

[ Aside to Seb, and Ant.
I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you,
And justify you traitors; at this time
I'll tell no tales.
Seb. The devil speaks in him.

[Afile.
Pro. No:
For you, moft wicked fir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankeit fault; all of them; and require
My dukedom of thee, which, perforce, I know,
Thou must restore.

Alon. If thou be'at Prospero,
Give us particulars of thy preservation :
How thou haft met us here, who three hours since
Were wreck'd upon this shore ; where I have loit,
How sharp the point of this remembrance is!
My dear fon Ferdinand.

Pro. I am woe for't, fir ?.

6 -wbo three hours since] The unity of time is most rigidly ob. served in this piece. The fable scarcely takes up a greater number of hours than are employed in the representation; and from the very particular care which our author takes to point out this circumstance in so many other pallages, as well as here, it should seem as if it were not accidental, but purposely designed to thew the admirers of Ben Jonfon's art, and the cavillers of the time, that he too could write a play within all the strictest laws of regularity, when he chose to load himself with the critick's fetters.

The Boatswain marks the progress of the day again which but three glafjes fince, &c. and at the beginning of this act the duration of the time employed on the stage is particularly ascertained; and it refers to a patrage in the first act, of the same tendency. The storm was raised at leaft two glasies after mid-day, and Ariel was promised that the work frould cease at the sixth hour. STEEVENS. 7 I am wa for’i, fir.] i. e. I am sorry for it. STIEVENS.

Alon,

Alon. Irreparable is the loss; and patience
Says, it is past her cure.

Pro. I rather think,
You have not fought her help; of whose soft grace,
For the like loss, I have her sovereign aid,
And rest myself content.

Alon. You the like loss?

Pro. As great to me, as late 8 ; and, supportable
To make the dear loss, have I means much weaker
Than you may call to comfort you ; for I
Have lost my daughter.

Alon. A daughter ?
O heavens! that they were living both in Naples,
The king and queen there! that they were, I wish
Myself were mudded in that oozy bed,
Where my son lies. When did you lose your daughter?

Pro. In this lait tempeft. I perceive, these lords
At this encounter do so much admire,
That they devour their reason; and scarce think,
Their eyes do offices of truth, their words
Are natural breath o: but, howsoe'er you
Been juftled from your senses, know for certain,
That I ain Prospero, and that very duke
Which was thrust forth of Milan; who most strangely
Upon this shore, where you were wreck'd, was landed,
To be the lord on't. No more yet of this;
For 'tis a chronicle of day by day,
Not a relation for a breakfait, nor
Befitting this first meeting. Welcome, fir;
This cell's my court: here have I few attendants,

$ As great to me, as late;] My loss is as great as yours, and has 28 lately happened to me. JOHNSON•

their words Are natural breath.] An anonymous correspondent thinks that their is a corruption, and that we should read bele words. His conjecture appears not improbable. The lords had no doubt concerning themselves. Their doubts related only to Profpero, whom they at hird apprehended to be some « inchanted trifle to abuse them." They doubt, says he, whether what they see and hear is a mere illufioa; whether the person they behold is a living mortal, whether the words they hear are ipoken by a human creature. MALONE.

And

have

9

And subje&ts none abroad: pray you, look in,
My dukedom fince you have given me again,
I will requite you with as good a thing;
At least, bring forth a wonder, to content ye,
As much as me my dukedom.
The entrance of the cell opens, and discovers FERDINAND

and MIRANDA playing at chefs. Mira. Sweet lord, you play me false.

Fer. No, my dearest love, I would not for the world.

Mira. Yes, for a score of kingdoms', you should wrangle, And I would call it fair play.

Alon. If this prove
A vision of the island, one dear son
Shall I twice lose.

Seb. A most high miracle !

Fer. Though the leas threaten, they are merciful:
I have curs'd them without cause. (Fer. kneels to Alon,

Alon. Now all the blessings
Of a glad father compass thee about !
Arise, and say how thou cam't here.

Mira. O wonder !
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is ! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!

Pro. 'Tis new to thee.

Alon. What is this maid, with whom thou wast at play? Your eld'ft acquaintance cannot be three hours : Is she the goddess that hath sever'd us, And brought us thus together?

i Yes, for a score of kingdoms, &c.] I take the sense to be only this : Ferdinand would not, he lays, play her false for the world: yes, answers ihe, I would allow you to do it for something less than the world, for twenty kingdoms, and I wish you well enough to allow you, after a litte wrangle, that your play was fair. So likewise Dr.Grey. JOHNSON.

I would recommend another punctuation, and then the sense would be as follows:

Yes, for a score of kingdoms you foculd wrangle,

And I would call it fair play; because such a contest would be worthy of you. STEEVENS.

Fer.

Fer. Sir, fhe's mortal ;
But, by immortal providence, she's mine;
I chose her, when I could not ask my father
For his advice; nor thought I had one : the
Is daughter to this famous duke of Milan,
Of whom so often I have heard renown,
But never saw before ; of whom I have
Receiv'd a second life, and second father
This lady makes him to me.

Alon. I am hers:
But o, how oddly will it sound, that I
Must ask my child forgiveness !

Pro. There, fir, ftop;
Let us not burthen our remembrances 2
With a heaviness that's gone,

Gon. I've inly wept,
Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you gods,
And on this couple drop a blessed crown;
For it is you, that have chalk'd forth the way
Which brought us hither!

Alon. I say, Amen, Gonzalo!

Gon. Was Milan thruft from Milan, that his issue
Should become kings of Naples? O, rejoice
Beyond a common joy ; and set it down
With gold on lasting pillars : In one voyage
Did Claribel her husband find at Tunis;
And Ferdinand, her brother, found a wife,
Where he himself was lost; Profpero his dukedom,
In a poor isle; and all of us, ourselves,
When no man was his own. 5

Alon. Give me your hands : [T. Fer. and Mir.
Let grief and forrow itill embrace his heart,
Thať doth not wish you joy!

Gon. Be't so! Amen! 2. Our remembrances-] By the mistake of the transcriber the word qvirb being placed at the end of this line, Mr. Pope and the fubfequent editors, for the lake of the metre, readeremembrance. The regulation now made renders change unnecetiary. MALONE.

3 When no man was his coun.] i. e. at a rime wben no one was in his senses. It is still faid, in colloquial language, that a madman is such bis own man, i, e, is not matter of himself. STIEVENS.

Re