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Mira.

Sir, most heedfully.

Pro. Being once perfected how to grant suits, How to deny them; whom to advance, and whom

To trash for over-topping; new created

The creatures that were mine; I say, or chang'd them,

Or else new form'd them; having both the key9

Of officer and office, set all hearts+

To what tune pleas'd his ear; that now he was

The ivy, which had hid my princely trunk,

And suck'd my verdure out on't. - Thou attend'st not:

I pray thee, mark me.1

Mira.

O good sir, I do.

Pro. I thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicate ‡

To closeness, and the bettering of my mind
With that, which, but by being so retired,
O'er-priz'd all popular rate, in my false brother
Awak'd an evil nature: and my trust,
Like a good parent2, did beget of him
A falsehood, in its contrary as great
As my trust was; which had, indeed, no limit,
A confidence sans bound. He being thus lorded,
Not only with what my revenue yielded,

8 To trash for over-topping;] To trash, in old books of gardening, is to cut away the superfluities. It is used, also, by sportsmen in the North, when they correct a dog for misbehaviour in pursuing the game. A trash, among hunters, denotes a piece of leather, couples, or any other weight fastened round the neck of a dog, when his speed is superior to the rest of the pack; i. e, when he over-tops them, when he hunts too quick.

9-both the key-] This is meant of a key for turning the harpsichord, spinnet, or virginal; called now a tuning hammer. + "set all hearts i'th' state," - MALONE.

11 pray thee, mark me.] In the old copy, these words are the beginning of Prospero's next speech; but, for the restoration of metre, I have changed their place. STEEVENS. Mr. Malone follows the old copy.

‡ "dedicated"- MALONE.

2 Like a good parent, &c.] Alluding to the observation, that a father above the common rate of men has commonly a son below it. Heroum filii noxa. JOHNSON.

But what my power might else exact, -like one,
Who having, unto truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory,
To credit his own lie3, -he did believe
He was the duke: out of the substitution,
And executing the outward face of royalty,
With all prerogative: - Hence his ambition
Growing, - Dost hear?

Mira.

Your tale, sir, would cure deafness,

Pro. To have no screen between this part he play'd,
And him he play'd it for, he needs will be
Absolute Milan: Me, poor man!-my library
Was dukedom large enough; of temporal royalties
He thinks me now incapable: confederates

(So dry he was for sway) with the king of Naples,
To give him annual tribute, do him homage;
Subject his coronet to his crown, and bend
The dukedom, yet unbow'd, (alas, poor Milan!)

To most ignoble stooping.

Mira.

O the heavens !

Pro. Mark his condition, and the event; then tell me,

If this might be a brother.

Mira.

I should sin

To think but nobly of my grandmother:

Good wombs have borne bad sons.

Pro.

3

like one,

Now the condition,

Who having, unto truth, by telling of it,

Made such a sinner of his memory,

To credit his own lie,] There is, perhaps, no correlative, to which the word it can with grammatical propriety belong. Lie, however, seems to have been the correlative to which the poet meant to refer, and the meaning is, Who having made his memory such a sinner to truth as to credit his own lie by telling of it.

4 He was the duke; out of the substitution,] The reader should place his emphasis on-was: but Mr. Malone reads, " he was indeed the duke."

5 (So dry he was for sway)] i. e. So thirsty.

* To think but nobly-] But, i. e. in this place otherwise, than,

7

This king of Naples, being an enemy
To me inveterate, hearkens my brother's suit :
Which was, that he in lieu o'the premises, --
Of homage, and I know not how much tribute, -
Should presently extirpate me and mine
Out of the dukedom; and confer fair Milan,
With all the honours, on my brother: Whereon,
A treacherous army levied, one midnight
Fated to the purpose, did Antonio open

The gates of Milan; and, i'the dead of darkness,
The ministers for the purpose hurried thence

Me, and thy crying self.

Mira.

Alack, for pity!

I, not rememb'ring how I cry'd out then,
Will cry it o'er again; it is a hint 8,

That wrings mine eyes. 9

Pro.

Hear a little further, And then I'll bring thee to the present business Which now's upon us; without the which, this story

Were most impertinent.

Mira.

That hour destroy us?
Pro.

Wherefore did they not

Well demanded, wench;

My tale provokes that question. Dear, they durst not; (So dear the love my people bore me) nor set

A mark so bloody on the business; but

With colours fairer painted their foul ends.
In few, they hurried us aboard a bark;
Bore us some leagues to sea: where they prepar'd
A rotten carcase of a boat, not rigg'd,
Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats
Instinctively had quit it: there they hoist us,
To cry to the sea that roar'd to us; to sigh

7-in lieu o'the premises, &c.] In lieu of, means here, in consideration of; an unusual acceptation of the word.

8 a hint,] Hint is suggestion.

9 That wrings mine eyes.] i. e. squeezes the water out of them. Mr. Malone reads, "mine eyes to't."

To the winds, whose pity, sighing back again,

Did us but loving wrong.

Mira.

Alack! what trouble

Was I then to you!

Pro.

O! a cherubim

Thou wast, that did preserve me! Thou didst smile,

Infused with a fortitude from heaven,

When I have deck'd the sea 1 with drops full salt;
Under my burden groan'd; which rais'd in me

An undergoing stomach 2, to bear up

Against what should ensue.

Mira.

Pro. By Providence divine.

How came we ashore?

Some food we had, and some fresh water, that
A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo,

Out of his charity, (who being then appointed
Master of this design,) did give us3; with

Rich garments, linens, stuffs, and necessaries,

1-deck'd the sea-] To deck the sea, if explained to honour, adorn, or dignify, is indeed ridiculous, but the original import of the verb deck, is to cover; so, in some parts, they yet say deck the table. This sense may be borne, but perhaps the poet wrote fleck'd, which I think is still used in rustic language of drops falling upon water. Dr. Warburton reads mock'd; the Oxford edition, brack'd. JOHNSON.

To deck signifies in the North, to sprinkle; and degg'd, which means the same, is in daily use in the north of England. When clothes that have been washed are too much dried, it is necessary to moisten them before they can be ironed, which is always done by sprinkling; this operation the maidens universally call degging.

2 An undergoing stomach,] Stomach is stubborn resolution.
3 Some food we had, and some fresh water, that
A no'le Neapolitan, Gonzalo,

Out of his charity, (who being then appointed

Master of this design,) did give us ;) Mr. Steevens has suggested, that we might better read-he being then appointed; and so we should certainly now write: but the reading of the old copy is the true one, that mode of phraseology being the idiom of Shakspeare's time. MALONE.

I have left the passage in question as I found it, though with slender reliance on its integrity. STEEVENS.

Which since have steaded much; so, of his gentleness,

Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me,

From my own library, with volumes that

I prize above my dukedom.

Mira.

But ever see that man!
Pro.

'Would I might

Now I arise: -4

Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow.
Here in this island we arrived; and here

Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit

Than other princes can, that have more time

For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful.

Mira. Heavens thank you for't! And now, I pray

you, sir,

(For still 'tis beating in my mind,) your reason

For raising this sea-storm?

Pro.

Know thus far forth.

By accident most strange, bountiful fortune,

Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies

Brought to this shore: and by my prescience

I find my zenith doth depend upon

A most auspicious star; whose influence

If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes

Will ever after droop. - Here cease more questions;

Thou art inclin'd to sleep; 'tis a good dulness 6,

* Now I arise :] Perhaps these words belong to Miranda, and we should read:

Mir. 'Would I might

But ever see that man! - Now I arise.

Pro. Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow.

As the words "now I arise"-may signify, "now I rise in my narration," -"now my story heightens in its consequence," I have left the passage in question undisturbed. We still say, that the interest, of a drama rises or declines. STEEVENS,

5 Now my dear lady,] i. e. now my auspicious mistress. 6-'tis a good dulness,] Dr. Warburton rightly observes, that this sleepiness, which Prospero by his art had brought upon Miranda and of which he knew not how soon the effect would begin, makes him question her so often whether she is attentive to his story.

JOHNSON,

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