1 it GON. And were the king of it, What would I do? traries Execute all things: for no kind of traffick 66 Would I admit; no name of magistrate, &c.) Our author has here closely followed a paffage in Montaigne's ESSAIES, tranflated by John Florio, folio, 1603: It is a nation (would I answer Plato) that hath no kind of trafficke, no knowledge of letters, no intelligence of numbers, no name of magistrate, nor of politick fuperioritie; no use of service, of riches, or of povertie, no contracts, no fuccessions, no partitions, no occupation, but idle: no respect of kindred but common; no apparel but natural; no use of wine, corne, or metal. The very words that import lying, falshood, treason, dissimulations, covetousness, envie, detration and pardon, were never heard amongst them." - This passage was pointed out by Mr. Capel who knew so little of his author as to suppose that Shakspeare had the original French before him, though he has almost literally followed Florio's tranflation. Montaigne is here speaking of a newly discovered country, which he calls ،، Antartick France." In the page preceding that already quoted, are these words. " The other teftimonie of antiquitie to which some will refer the discoverie is in Ariftotle (if at least that little book of unheard-of wonders be his) where he reporteth that certain Carthaginians having failed athwart the Atlanticke sea, without the ftrait of Gibraltar, discovered a great fertil ISLAND, all replenished with goodly woods, and deepe rivers, farre diftant from any land." Whoever shall take the trouble to turn to the old translation here quoted, will, I think, be of opinion, that in whatsoever novel our author might have found the fable of The Tempest, he was led by the perusal of this book to make the scene of it an unfrequented island. The title of the chapter, which is Of the Canniballes," - evidently furnished him with the name of one of his characters. In his time almost every proper name was twisted into an anagram. Thus, " I moyl in law," was the anagram of the laborious William Noy, Attorney General to Charles I. By inverting this process, and transposing the letters of the word Canibal, Shakspeare (as Dr. Farmer long since observed) formed the name of Caliban, MALONE. Letters should not be known; no use of service, Of riches or of poverty; no contracts, Successions: bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none:* No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil: No occupation: all men idle, all; And women too; but innocent and pure: No fovereignty : SEB. And yet he would be king on't. 4 Letters should not be known: no use of fervice, Of riches or of poverty; no contracts, Succeffions; bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none:) The words already quoted from Florio's Translation (as Dr. Farmer observes to me) instruct us to regulate our author's metre as it is now exhibited in the text. Probably Shakspeare first wrote (in the room of partition, which did not fuit the structure of his verse) bourn; but recollecting that one of its fignifications was a rivulet, and that his island would have fared ill without fresh water, he changed bourn to bound of land, a phrafe that could not be misunderstood. At the fame time he might have forgot to strike out bourn, his original word, which is now rejected; for if not used for a brook, it would have exactly the fame meaning as bound of land. There is therefore no need of the diffyllabical affiftance recommended in the following note. And use of Service, none; contract, fucceffion, STEEVENS. Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none.) The defective metre of the second of these lines affords a ground for believing that some word was omitted at the press. Many of the defects however in our author's metre have arifen from the words of one line being transferred to another. In the present instance the preceding line is redundant. Perhaps the words here, as in many other paffages, have been shuffled out of their places. We might read And use of service, none; fucceffion, Contra&, bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none. It fucceffion being often used by Shakspeare as a quadrisyllable. must however be owned, that in the passage in Montaigne's Essays the words contrast and fuccession are arranged in the same manner as in the first folio. If the error did not happen in this way, bourn might have been used as a dissyllable, and the word omitted at the press might have beeu none: contrat, succession, None; bourn, bound of land, talth, vineyard, none. MALONE, ANT. The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning.' GON. All things in common nature would pro duce Without sweat or endeavour: treason, felony, SEB. No marrying 'mong his subjects? The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning.) All this dialogue is a fine fatire on the Utopian treatises of government, and the impracticable inconfiftent fchemes therein recommended. WARBURTON. 6-any engine,) An engine is the rack. So, in K. Lear: --like an engine, wrench'd my frame of nature « From the fix'd place." It may, however, be used here in its common fignification of inftrument of war, or military machine. STEEVENS. 7 -all foizon,) Foison, or foizon, fignifies plenty, ubertas; not moisture, or juice of grass, as Mr. Pope fays. EDWARDS. So, in Warner's Albion's England, 1602, B. XIII. Ch.78: « Union, in breefe, is foyfonous, and discorde works decay." Mr. Pope, however, is not entirely mistaken, as foison, or fizon, fometimes bears the mearing which he has affixed to it. Ray's Colle&ion of South and East Country words. STEEVENS. ---nature should bring forth, Of its own kind, all foizon, all abundance, To feed my innocent people.) See And if notwithstanding, in divers fruits of those countries that were never tilled, we shall find that in respect of our's they are most excellent, and as delicate unto our taste, there is no reason Art should gain the point of our great and puissfaut mother, Nature." Montaigne's Effaies, ubi sup. 8 I would with fuch perfection govern, fir, MALONE, To excel the golden age.) So Montaigne, ubi fupra: «Me 1 SEB. 'Save his majesty! ANT. Long live Gonzalo! And, do you mark me, fir? ALON. Pr'ythee, no more; thou dost talk no thing to me. GON. I do well believe your highness; and did it to minister occafion to these gentlemen, who are of such sensible and nimble lungs, that they always use to laugh at nothing. ANT. 'Twas you we laugh'd at. GON. Who, in this kind of merry fooling, am nothing to you: so you may continue, and laugh at nothing still. ANT. What a blow was there given? GON. You are gentlemen of brave mettle: you would lift the moon out of her sphere, if she would continue in it five weeks without changing. Enter ARIEL invisible, playing folemn musick.* SEB. We would so, and then go a bat-fowling. ANT. Nay, good my lord, be not angry. seemeth that what in those (newly discovered) nations we fee by experience, doth not only EXCEED all the pictures wherewith licentious poesie hath proudly imbellished the GOLDEN AGE, and all her quaint inventions to fain a happy condition of man, but also the conception and defire of philosophy." MALONE. 9-of brave mettle;) The old copy has-metal. The two words are frequently confounded in the first folio. The epithet, brave, shews clearly, that the word now placed in the text was intended by our author. MALONE. 2 Enter Ariel, &c, playing folemn music. ) This stage-dire&ion does not mean to tell us that Ariel himself was the fidicen; but that folemn music attended his appearance, was an accompaniment to his entry. STEEVENS. Gon. No, I warrant you; I will not adventure my difcretion so weakly. Will you laugh me afleep, for I am very heavy? ANT. Go fleep, and hear us. (All fleep but ALON. SEB. and Ant. ALON. What, all fo foon afleep! I wish mine eyes Would, with themselves, Chut up my thoughts: I find, They are inclin'd to do fo. SEB. Please you, fir, Do not omit the heavy offer of it: Will guard your person, while you take your rest, Thank you: Wondrous heavy. And watch your fafety. ALON. (ALONSO fleeps. Exit ARIEL. SEB. What a strange drowsiness possesses them? ANT. It is the quality o' the climate. SEB. Why Doth it not then our eye-lids fink? I find not Myself dispos'd to fleep. ANT. Nor I; my spirits are nimble. They fell together all, as by confent; They dropp'd, as by a thunder-stroke. What might, Worthy Sebastian? _ O, what might? No more; And yet, methinks, I fee it in thy face, What thou should'st be: the occasion speaks thee; and My ftrong imagination fees a crown |