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FER.

Admir'd Miranda!

Indeed, the top of admiration; worth
What's deareft to the world! Full many a lady
I have ey'd with beft regard: and many a time
The harmony of their tongues hath into bondage
Brought my too diligent ear: for feveral virtues
Have I lik'd feveral women; never any
With fo full foul, but fome defect in her
Did quarrel with the nobleft grace fhe ow'd,
And put it to the foil: But you, O you,
So perfect, and fo peerless, are created
Of every creature's beft. 7

MIRA.
I do not know
One of my fex; no woman's face remember,
Save, from my glass, mine own; nor have I seen
More that I may call men, than you, good friend,
And my dear father: how features are abroad,
I am fkill-lefs of; but, by my modefty,
(The jewel in my dower,) I would not wifh
Any companion in the world but you;

7 Of every creature's beft.) Ailuding to the picture of Venus by Apelles. JOHNSON.

Had Shakspeare availed himself of this elegant circumftance, he would fcarcely have faid, of every creature's beft, u because fuch a phrase includes the component parts of the brute creation. Had he been thinking on the judicious fele&tion made by the Grecian Artist, he would rather have expreffed his meaning by " every woman's," or " every beauty's beft." Perhaps he had only in his thoughts a fable related by Sir Philip Sidney in the third book of his Arcadia. The beafts obtained permiffion from Jupiter to make themselves a King; and accordingly created one of every Creature's beft:

“Full glad they were, and tooke the naked fprite,
"Which ftraight the earth yclothed in his clay:
The Lyon heart; the Ounce gave active might;
The horfe good fhape; the Sparrow luft to play;
Nightingale voice, entifing fongs to fay, &c. &c.

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Thus man was made; thus man their lord became. "
STEEVENS,

Nor can imagination form a fhape,
Befides yourfelf, to like of: But I prattle
Something too wildly, and my father's precepts
Therein forget."

FER.

I am, in my condition,

8

A prince, Miranda; I do think, a king,
(I would, notfo!) and would no more endure
This wooden flavery, than I would suffer
The flesh-fly blow my mouth.' — Hear
fpeak;

my

The very inftant that I faw you, did
My heart fly to your fervice; there refides,
To make me flave to it; and, for your fake,
Am I this patient log-man.

MIRA.

Do you love me?

foul

FER. O heaven, O earth, bear witness to this

found,

And crown what I profefs with kind event,

If I fpeak true; if hollowly, invert

What beft is boded me, to mischief! I,

7

8

Therein forget.) The old copy, in contempt of metre, reads

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I therein do forget.

" STEEVENS.

than I would fuffer, &.) The old copy reads-Than to fuffer. The emendation is Mr. Pope's. STEEVENS.

The reading of the old copy is right, however ungrammatical. So, in All's well that ends well: « No more of this, Helena, go to, no more; left it be rather thought you affect a forrow, than to have." MALONE.

The defective metre fhows that fome corruption had happened in the prefent inftance. I receive no deviations from established grammar, on the fingle authority of the folio. STEEVENS.

9 The flesh-fly blow my mouth, Mr. Malone obferves, that to blow, in this inftance, fignifies to « fwell and inflame.» But I believe he is mistaken. To blow, as it ftands in the text, means the act of a fly by which he lodges eggs in flesh. So, in Chapman's verfion of the Iliad:

"I much fear, left with the blows of flies

"His brafs-inflicted wounds are fill'd-
- STEEVENS.

Beyond all limit of what else i' the world,
Do love, prize, honour you.

MIRA.

To weep at what I am glad of.3

PRO.

I am a fool,

Fair encounter

Of two moft rare affections! Heavens rain grace On that which breeds between them!

FER.

Wherefore weep you?

MIRA. Atmine unworthinefs, that dare not offer What I defire to give; and much less take, What I fhall die to want: But this is trifling; And all the more it feeks to hide itself,

The bigger bulk it fhews. Hence, bashful cunning! And prompt me, plain and holy innocence!

I am your wife.' if you will marry me;

2 of what else i' the world,i. e. of aught else; of whatsoever elfe there is in the world. I once thought that we should read — aught elfe. But the old copy is right. So, in King Henry VI. P. III: With promise of his fifter, and what else,

To ftrengthen and fupport King Edward's place."

3 I am a fool,

MALONE.

It

To weep at what I am glad of.) This is one of those touches of nature that diftinguifh Shakspeare from all other writers. was necessary, in fupport of the character of Miranda, to make her appear unconfcious that excefs of forrow and excefs of joy find alike their relief from tears; and as this is the first time that cou fummate pleasure had made any near approaches to her heart, fhe calls fuch a seeming contradictory expreffion of it, folly. The fame thought occurs in Romeo and Juliet:

"Back, foolish tears, back, to your native spring!
"Your tributary drops belong to woe,

"Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy." STEEVENS.
it feeks)i. e. my affection feeks.

{ I am your wife, &.)

MALONE

Si tibi non cordi fuerant connubia noftra,
Attamen in veftras potuifti ducere fedes,
Quæ tibi jucundo famularer ferva labore,
Candida permulcens liquidis veftigia lymphis,
Purpureâve tuum confternens veste cubile.

Catul. 64. MALONE.

fellow

If not, I'll die your maid: to be your
You may deny me; but I'll be your fervant,
Whether you will or no.

FER.

And I thus humble ever,

MIRA.

My mistress, deareft,

My husband then?

FER. Ay, with a heart as willing

As bondage e'er of freedom: here's my hand. MIRA. And mine, with my heart in't:' And now farewell,

Till half an hour hence.

FER.

A thoufand! thoufand!

8

(Exeunt FER. and MIR.

PRO. So glad of this as they, I cannot be, Who are furpriz'd with all ; but my rejoicing At nothing can be more. I'll to my book; For yet, ere fupper time, muft I perform Much bufinefs appertaining.

6-your fellow) i. e. companion. STEEVENS.

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(Exit.

Miran. And mine, with my heart in't:) It is ftill cuftomary in the weft of England, when the conditions of a bargain are agreed upon, for the parties to ratify it by joining their hands, and at the fame time for the purchaser to give an earneft. tice the poet alludes. So, in The Winter's Tale:

Ere I could make thee open thy white hand,

To this prac

"And clap thyfelf my love; then didft thou utter
"I am your's for ever."

And again, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona :

Pro. Why then we'll make exchange; here, take you this,
Jul. And feal the bargain with a holy kiss,

Pro. Here is my hand for my true conftancy." HENLEY.

8 So glad of this as they, I cannot be,

Who

are furpriz'd with all;) The fenfe might be clearer, were we to make a flight tranfpofition:

"So glad of this as they, who are surpriz'd

"With all, I cannot be ››

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Perhaps, however, more confonantly with ancient language, we fhould join two of the words together, and read.

"Who are furpriz'd withal. STEEVENS.

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SCENE II.

Another part of the ifland.

Enter STEPHANO and TRINCULO; CALIBAN following with a bottle.

STE. Tell not me;-when the butt is out, we will drink water; not a drop before: therefore bear up, and board'em: Servant-monfter, drink

to me.

8

TRIN. Servant-monfter? the folly of this ifland! They fay, there's but five upon this ifle: we are three of them; if the other two be brain'd like us, the ftate totters.

STE. Drink, fervant-monfter, when I bid thee; thy eyes are almost set in thy head.

TRIN. Where fhould they be fet elfe? he were a brave monster indeed, if they were fet in his

tail.2

STE. My man-monfter hath drown'd his tongue in fack for my part, the fea cannot drown me : I swam, ere I could recover the fhore, five-and

8 -bear up, and board'em: A metaphor alluding to a chace at fea. SIR J. HAWKINS.

9 if the other two be brain'd like us, the flate totters.) We meet with a fimilar idea in Antory and Cleopatra: «He bears the third part of the world."— The third part then is drunk.

2

SIEEVENS.

- he were a brave monfler indeed, if they were fet in his tail. ) I believe this to be an allufion to a tory that is met with in Stowe, and other writers of the time. It feems in the year 1574, a whale was thrown afhore near Ramfgate: "A monstrous fifh fays the chronicler) but not fo menftrous as fome reported. for his eyes were in his head, and not in his back.

3

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Summary, 1575,

p. 562. FARMER

I fwam, &.) This play was not published till 1623. Albumazar made its appearance in 1614, and has a paffage relative to

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