Cutting the clouds towards Paphos, and her fon
Dove-drawn with her; here thought they to have done
Some wanton charm upon this man and maid,
Whofe vows are, that no bed-right shall be paid
'Till Hymen's torch be lighted; but in vain
Mars's hot minion is return'd again;

Her wafpish-headed fon has broke his arrows;
Swears, he will shoot no more, but play with fparrows,
And be a boy right-out.

Cer. High Queen of state,

Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gate.

[Juno defcends, and enters.

Jun. How does my bounteous fifter? go with me To bless this twain, that they may profp'rous be, r And honour'd in their iffue.

Jun. Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance and encreafing,
Hourly joys be ftill upon you!
Juno fings ber bleffings on you:

Cer. Earth's increafe, and foyfon-plenty,
Barns and garners never empty,
Vines, with cluftring bunches growing,
Plants, with goodly burthen bowing,
Spring come to you, at the fartheft,
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun you ;
Ceres' bleffing fo is on you.

Fer. This is a moft majestick vifion, and
Harmonious charming Lays: may I be bold
To think these spirits?

7 This is a moft majeflick vifion, and

Pro

Harmonious CHARMINGLY.] What was intended to be here commended was, r. The vifion of the Goddeffes. 2. Their Songs. The vifion is commended in thefe Words, This is a moft majeftic vision. But for the fongs,we are put off with this VOL. I.

F

nonfenfe

Pro. Spirits, which by mine art

I have from their confines call'd to enact
My prefent fancies.

Fer. Let me live here ever;

So rare a wonder'd father, and a wife,
Make this place paradise.

Pro. Sweet now, filence:
Juno and Ceres whifper feriously;

There's fomething else to do; hufh, and be mute, Or else our spell is marr❜d.

Juno and Ceres whisper, and fend Iris on imployment. Iris. You nymphs, call'd Nayads, of the winding brooks,

With your fedg'd crowns, and ever-harmless looks,
Leave your crifp channels; and on this green land
Answer your fummons, Juno does command:
Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
A contract of true love; be not too late.

Enter certain Nymphs.

You fun-burn'd ficklemen, of Auguft weary,
Come hither from the furrow, and be merry;
Make holy-day; your rye-ftraw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing.

nonfenfe and harmonious Charmingly. To reftore Sense, and the other part of the commendation, we must needs read

and

Harmonious charming L'AYS,

And then both the vifions and the Songs will have their due praifes. The word charming cannot with propriety be applied to any thing but mufic and poetry, because these were fuppofed to operate, as charms. In our Author's time the word was generally fo applied, tho' it be now ufed ridiculously on every object of pleasure.

SCENE

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

Pro. 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. Well done, avoid, no more. Fer. This is moft ftrange; your father's in fome paffion

That works him ftrongly.

Mir. Never 'till this day

Saw I him touch'd with anger fo diftemper'd.
Pro. You look, my fon, 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

As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into Air, into thin Air;

And like the bafeless Fabric of THEIR VISION,

The cloud-capt Towers, the gorgeous Palaces,

The folemn Temples, the great Globe it felf,
Yea all which it inherit, fhall diffolve;
And like this unfubftantial Pageant faded,

Leave not a Rack behind In this reading, all fublunary things, on account of their fleeting existence, are compared to the mask of fpirits, which, at the beck of Profper, vanifhed fuddenly away. But then there is a wretched tautology in the lines, And like the baseless Fabric &c.

And like this unfubftantial Pageant &c.

Not to mention the aukward expreffion of [their Vifion], which Mr. Theobald, upon what Authority I know not, hath changed into [this Vifion]. I fuppofe to make the expreffion a little more natural. I would read,

And like the bafeless Fabric of TH' AIR VISIONS.

• Are melted into air, into thin air;

6 And, like the baseless fabrick of th' air-vifions
The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces,
• The folemn temples, the great globe it self,
Yea, all, which it inherit, fhall diffolve;
• And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,

• Leave

He had just before said, that the Spirits were melted—into Air, into thin Air. This furnishes him with the fine fimilitude of Air Vifions, which generally appearing, as Shakefpear in another place fays, like

A tower'd Citidel, a pendant Rock,

A forked Mountain, or blue Promontory,

he very properly calls bafelefs Fabrics, which doth not fo well agree with fpirits in a human form. By this emendation the tautology, taken notice of above, is avoided: and the Poet, with great perfpicuity, and phyfical exactnefs, compares the Globe, and all inanimate things upon it, to Air Vifions; and men and animals in the words yea all which it inherit- -to the vifion of Spirits, which the Speaker had just before prefented to them. Further, that the Comparifon was indeed to Air Vifions is ftill evident from the words,

leave not a Rack behind, which can refer only to Air Vifions. For Rack is the vestige of an embodied cloud, which hath been broken and diffipated by the Winds. But laftly, to put the emendation out of all reasonable question, we have this very Similitude of Air Vifions again in Antony and Cleopatra, with this difference only, that it is there applied to the tranfient glory of one man, and here, to that of human things in general.

Anthony and Cleopatra.

Sometimes we fee a Cloud that's dragonish,
A vapour, fometimes like a bear or lion,
A towered Citidel, a pendant Rock,
A forked Mountain or blue Promentory ;
thou' ft feen thefe figns,

They are black Vefper's Pageants

That which is now a Horfe even with a thought,
The Rack diflimns and makes it indiftin&t,

As water is in water

now thy Captain is

Even fuch a body; here I'm Anthony,

Yet cannot hold this vifible Shape, &c.

I will only add, that the thought-They are black Vefper's Pageants, is wonderfully beautiful. As it characterizes thefe Air Vifions, which appear only in the Evening, when the fetting Sun

reflects

9 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 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.

[Exe. Fer. and Mir.

Pro.

reflects its light upon the oppofite Clouds; and as it gives a vaft force to the Similitude, which infinuates that human glory is as certainly fucceeded by Mifery, as these gaudy Appearances by a dark cloudy Night. It is obfervable, that the time at which ProSpero ufes this Similitude of Air Vifions, is the Evening.

9 Leave not a Rack behind!--] The Oxford Editor not knowing what Mariners call the Rack of a Cloud, namely the Veftige of it, after it has been broken and driven by the wind, alters it to Track.

I

Sir, I am vext,

Bear with my weakness, my old brain is troubled:]

Profpero here difcovers a great emotion of anger on his fudden recollection of Caliban's plot. This appears from the admirable reflexion he makes on the infignificancy 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 oceafion of his diforder, it does not appear, as firft view, to be a thing capable of moving one in Profpero'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 shall have reason to admire our Author's wonderful knowledge. of nature. There was fomething in it with which great minds are moft deeply affected, and that is the Senfe of Ingratitude. He recalled to mind the Obligations this Caliban lay under for the. instructions he had given him, and the conveniencies of life he had taught him to ufe. But thefe reflexions on Caliban's Ingratitude would naturally recal to mind his brother's: And then thefe two working together were very capable of producing all the dif order 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 Use of reafon; that thefe, in return, fhould confpire against the life of the Donor, would furely afflict a generous mind to its utmoft bearing.