As dreams are made on, Is rounded with a fleep. and our little life. 7 Sir, I am vex'd; 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, Fer. Mira. We wish your peace. Again in David and Bethfabe, 1599: 66 [Exeunt Fer. and Mira, Beating the clouds into their fwifteft rack." Again in the prologue to the Three Ladies of London, 1584: "We lift not ride the rolling rack that dims the chrystal fkies." Again in Shakespeare's 3 3d Sonnet: "Anon permits the bafeft clouds to ride "With ugly rack on his celeftial face.' Sir T. H. instead of rack, reads track, which may be fupported by the following paffage in the first scene of Timon of Athens: "But flies an eagle flight, bold, and forth on, "Leaving no tract behind. 7 Sir, I am vex'd; STEEVENS. Bear with my weakness; my old brain is troubled:] Profpero here discovers a great emotion of anger on his fadden recollection of Caliban's plot. This appears from the admirable reflection 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 occafion of his diforder, it does not appear, at first view, to be a thing capable of moving one in Profpero's circumftances. The plot of a contemptible farage and two drunken failors, 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 reafon to admire our author's wonderful knowledge of nature. There was fomething in it with which great minds are most deeply affected, and that is, the fenfe of ingratitude. He recalled to mind the obligations this Caliban lay under for the inftructions he had given him, and the conveniencies of life he had taught him to ufe. But these reflexions on Caliban's ingratitude would naturally recall to mind his brother's; and then these two working together, were very capable of producing all the diforder 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 ufe of reafon; that thefe, in return, fhould confpire against the life of the donor, would furely afflict a generous mind to its utmost bearing. WARBURTON. Pro. Y Pro. Come with a thought: I thank thee: Ariel, come. Profpero comes forward from the cell; enter Ariel to him. Ari. Thy thoughts I cleave to: What's thy pleasure? Pro. Spirit, 9 We must prepare, to meet with Caliban. Ari. Ay, my commander: when I prefented Ceres, I thought to have told thee of it; but I fear'd, Left I might anger thee. Pro. Say again, where didft thou leave these varlets? Ari. I told you, fir, they were red hot with drinking; So full of valour, that they fmote the air At which, like unback'd colts, they prick'd their ears, * Advanc'd their eye-lids, lifted up their nofes, As Thy thoughts I cleave to:] To cleave to is to unite with closely. So in Macbeth: "Like our strange garments cleave not to their mold.” Again" If you shall cleave to my confent." STEEVENS. 9 to meet with Caliban.] To meet with is to counteract; to play ftratagem against ftratagem. The parfon knows the temper of every one in his houfe, and accordingly either meets with their vices, or advances their virtues. HERBERT's Country Parfon. So in Cinthia's Revenge, 1613: 1 You may meet "With her abufive malice, and exempt JOHNSON. "Yourself from the fufpicion of revenge." STEEVENS. advanced their eye-lids, &c.] Thus Drayton, in his Court of Fairie of Hobgoblin caught in a Spell: But once the circle got within, "The charms to work do straight begin, "And he was caught as in a gin: "For as he thus was bufy, 44 A pain As they smelt mufick; fo I charm'd their ears, thorns, 2 Which enter'd their frail fhins: at laft I left them Pro. This was well done, my bird: Thy fhape invifible retain thou ftill: The trumpery in my houfe, go, bring it hither, 3 For ftale to catch thefe thieves. Ι Ari. I go, I go. Pro. A devil, a born devil, on whose nature "A pain he in his head-piece feels, "And through the bushes fcrambles, "A ftump doth hit him in his pace, "And lamentably tore his cafe [Exit. "Among the briers and brambles." JOHNSON. -pricking gofs,-] I know not how Shakespeare diftin guished gofs from furze; for what he calls furze, is called goss or gorfe in the midland counties. This word is ufed in the first chorus to Kyd's Cornelia, 1595: "With worthlefs gorfe that yearly, fruitless dies." STEEVENS. By the latter, Shakespeare means the low fort of gorfe that only grows upon wet ground, and which is well defcribed by the name of whins in Markham's Farewell to Husbandry. It has prickles like thofe on a rofe-tree or a goofeberry. Furze and whins occur together in Mr. Farmer's quotation from Holinfhed. TOLLET. 3 For ftale to catch these thieves.] Stale is a word in fowling, and is used to mean a bait or decoy to catch birds. So in A Looking Glafs for London and England, 1617: "Hence tools of wrath, ftales of temptation!" that he might not strike at the ftale, left she were canvaffed in the nets," STEEVENS. So in Greene's Mamillia, 1593: Nurture Nurture can never ftick4; on whom my pains, Enter Ariel loaden with gliftering apparel, &c. Enter Cal. Pray you, tread foftly, that the blind mole may not Hear a foot fall: we now are near his cell. Ste. Monster, your fairy, which, you fay, is a harmless fairy, has done little better than play'd the ' Jack with us. Trin. Monster, I do fmell all horfe-piss; at which my nofe is in great indignation. Ste. So is mine. Do you hear, monster? If I fhould take a displeasure against you; look youTrin. Thou wert but a loft monster. Cal. Good my lord, give me thy favour still : Be patient, for the prize I'll bring thee to Shall hood-wink this mifchance: therefore, fpeak foftly; All's hufh'd as midnight yet. Trin. Ay, but to lofe our bottles in the pool, Ste. There is not only difgrace and dishonour in that, monster, but an infinite lofs. Trin. That's more to me than my wetting: Yet this is your harmless fairy, monfter. Ste. I will fetch off my bottle, though I be o'er ears for my labour. Cal. Pr'ythee, my king, be quiet: See'ft thou here, This is the mouth o' the cell; no noife, and enter: 4 Nurture can never flick;] Nurture is education. STEEVENS. 5 He has play'd Jack with a lantern] Has led us about like an ignis fatuus, by which travellers are decoyed into the mire. JOHNSON. Do Do that good mifchief, which may make this ifland Ste. Give me thy hand: I do begin to have bloody 6 Trin. O king Stephano! o peer! o worthy Stephano! Look, what a wardrobe here is for thee! Cal. Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash. Trin. Oh, ho, monfter; 7 we know what belongs to a fripperyo, king Stephano! Ste. Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this hand, I'll have that gown. Trin. Thy grace shall have it.. Cal. The dropfy drown this fool! what do you mean, To doat thus on fuch luggage? Let's along, Trin. O king Stephano! o peer! o worthy Stephano! And Look, what a wardrobe here is for thee!] The humour of these lines confifts in their being an allusion to an old celebrated ballad, which begins thus: King Stephen was a worthy peer-and celebrates that king's parfimony with regard to his wardrobe. There are two ftanzas of this ballad in Othello. WARBURTÓN. The old ballad is printed at large in The Reliques of Ancient Poetry, vol. i. PERCY. 7 ? we know what belongs to a frippery :-] A frippery was a fhop where old cloaths were fold. Fripperie, Fr. Beaumont and Fletcher use it in this fenfe, in Wit without Money, act II: "As if I were a running frippery." So in Monfieur de Olive, a comedy, by Chapman, 1606: “ Pass ing yesterday by the frippery, I fpied two of them hanging out at a stall with a gambrell thrift froih fhoulder to fhoulder." The perfon who kept one of these shops, was called a fripper. So again in Monfieur de Olive, 16c6: "Taylors, frippers, brokers." Again, ibid: "What is your profeifion, I pray ?-Fripperie, my lord." Again: "Farewell fripper, farewell petty broker." Strype, in the life of Stowe, fays, that thefe frippers lived in Birchin-lane and Cornhill. STEEVENS. Firft edit. Let's alone. JOHNSON. Let's |