Rich scarf to my proud earth: Why hath thy queen Summon'd me hither, to this short-grass'd green? Iris. A contract of true love to celebrate;

And some donation freely to estate

On the bless'd lovers.

Cer.

Tell me, heavenly bow,

If Venus, or her son, as thou dost know,
Do now attend the queen? since they did plot
The means, that dusky Dis my daughter got,
Her and her blind boy's scandal'd company
I have forsworn.

Iris.

Of her society

Be not afraid: I met her deity

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

Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more, but play with

And be a boy right out.

Cer.

sparrows,

Highest queen of state, Great Juno comes; I know her by her gait.

Enter JUNO.

Juno. How does my bounteous sister? Go with me, To bless this twain, that they may prosperous be, And honour'd in their issue.

SONG.

Juno. Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,

Long continuance, and increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you.

Cer. Earth's increase, and foison 11 plenty;
Barns and garners never empty;

Vines, with clust'ring bunches growing;
Plants, with goodly burden bowing;
Spring come to you, at the farthest,
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun you;
Ceres' blessing so is on you.

Fer. This is a most majestic vision, and
Harmonious charmingly 12: May I be bold
To think these spirits?

Pro.

I have from their confines call'd to enact

My present fancies.

Fer.

Spirits, which by mine art

Let me live here ever;

So rare a wonder'd 13 father, and a wife,

Make this place Paradise.

[JUNO and CERES whisper, and send IRIS on

Pro.

employment.

Sweet now, silence:

Juno and Ceres whisper seriously;

There's something else to do: hush, and be mute, Or else our spell is marr❜d.

Iris. You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the wand'ring brooks,

With your sedg'd crowns, and ever harmless looks,
Leave your crisp 14 channels, and on this green land
Answer your summons; Juno does command:
Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
A contract of true love; be not too late.

11 Foison is abundance, particularly of harvest corn.
12 For charmingly harmonious.

13 So rare a wonder'd father," is a father able to produce such wonders.

14 Crisp channels; i. e. curled, from the curl raised by a breeze on the surface of the water. So in 1 K. Hen. IV. Act i. Sc. 3. Hid his crisp head in the hollow bank."

Enter certain Nymphs.

You sun-burn'd sicklemen, of August weary,
Come hither from the furrow,
and be merry;

Make holy-day: your rye-straw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing.

Enter certain Reapers, properly habited: they join with the Nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the end of which PROSPERO starts suddenly, and speaks; after which, to a strange, hollow, and confused noise, they heavily vanish.

Pro. [Aside.] I had forgot that foul conspiracy Of the beast Caliban, and his confederates, Against my life; the minute of their plot

Is almost come.-[To the Spirits.] Well done;avoid;-no more.

Fer. This is strange: your father's in some passion That works him strongly.

Mira.

Never till this day,
Saw I him touch'd with anger so distemper'd.
Pro. You do look, my son, in a mov'd sort,
As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir:
Our revels now are ended: these our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:

And, like the baseless fabrick of this vision 15,

15 In the tragedy of Darius, by Lord Sterline, printed in 1603, is the following passage:

"Let greatness of her glassy scepters vaunt

Not scepters, no, but reeds, soon bruised soon broken;

And let this worldly pomp our wits enchant,

All fades, and scarcely leaves behind a token.

Those golden palaces, those gorgeous halls,
With furniture superfluously fair,

Those stately courts, those sky-encountering walls,
Evanish all like vapours in the air."

The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve;
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded 16,
Leave not a rack 17 behind: We are such stuff
As dreams are made of, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.-Sir, I am vex'd;
Bear with my weakness; my old brain is troubled.
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:

If you be pleas'd, retire into my cell,

And there repose; a turn or two I'll walk,

To still my beating mind.

Fer. Mira.

We wish your peace.

[Exeunt.

Pro. Come with a thought:-I thank you:

Ariel, come.

The preceding stanza also contains evidence of the same train of thought with Shakspeare.

66

And when the eclipse comes of our glory's light,

Then what avails the adoring of a name?

A meer illusion made to mock the sight,

Whose best was but the shadow of a dream."

It is evident that one poet imitated the other, and it seems probable that Shakspeare was the imitator. The exact period at which the Tempest was produced is not known, but it is thought not earlier than 1611. It was first printed in the folio of 1623. Lord Sterline also wrote a tragedy entitled Julius Cæsar, in which there are parallel passages to some in Shakspeare's play on the same subject, and Malone thinks the coincidences more than accidental.

16 Faded, i. e. vanished, from the Latin vado. The ancient English pageants were shows, on the reception of princes or other festive occasions; they were exhibited on stages in the open air. On these allegorical spectacles very costly ornaments were bestowed. See Warton's Hist. of Poetry, ii. 199, 202, Fabian, ii. 382, and above all Mr. Gifford's Ben Jonson passim.

17 A vapour an exhalation. See Mr. Horne Tooke's admirable observation on this passage in the Diversions of Purley, Vol. ii. p. 388, 4to. ed.

Enter ARIEL.

Ari. Thy thoughts I cleave to: What's thy pleasure?
Pro.
Spirit,

We must prepare to meet 18 with Caliban.

Ari. Ay, my commander: when I presented Ceres, I thought to have told thee of it; but I fear'd, Lest I might anger thee.

Pro. Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets?

Ari. I told you, sir, they were red-hot with drinking; So full of valour, that they smote the air

For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
For kissing of their feet: yet always bending
Towards their project: then I beat my tabor,
At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd their ears,
Advanc'd their eye-lids, lifted up their noses,
As they smelt music; so I charm'd their ears,
That, calf-like, they my lowing follow'd, through
Tooth'd briers, sharp furzes, pricking goss, and thorns,
Which enter'd their frail shins: at last I left them
I' the filthy mantled pool beyond your cell,
There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake
O'er-stunk their feet.

Pro.

This was well done, my Thy shape invisible retain thou still:

The trumpery in my house, go, bring it hither,

For stale 19 to catch these thieves.

bird:

Ari.

I go, I go. [Exit.

18 To counteract, to play stratagem against stratagem.

66

You may meet

With her abusive malice, and exempt

Yourself from the suspicion of revenge."

Cynthia's Revenge, 1613.

19 Stale, in the art of fowling, signified a bait or lure to decoy

birds.