Being lafs-lorn; thy pole-clipt vineyard,
And thy fea-marge fteril, and rocky hard,
Where thou thyfelf do'ft air; the Queen o'th' fky,
Whose wat'ry arch and meffenger am I,

Bids thee leave thefe; and with her fov'reign grace,.
Here on this grafs-plot, in this very place,
To come and fport; her peacocks fly amain:
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain,

Enter Ceres.

Cer. Hail, many-colour'd meffenger, that ne'er
Do'ft difobey the wife of Jupiter:

Who, with thy faffron wings, upon my flowers
Diffufeft honey drops, refreshing showers;
And with each end of thy blue bow do'ft crown
My boky acres, and my unfhrub'd down,
Rich fcarf to my proud earth; why hath thy Queen
Summon'd me hither, to this fhort-grafs green ?
Iris. A contract of true love to celebrate,
And fome donation freely to estate

On the blefs'd lovers.

Cer. Tell me, heav'nly bow,

If Venus or her fon, as thou do'ft know,
Do now attend the Queen: fince they did plot
The means, that dulky Dis my daughter got;
Her and her blind boy's scandal'd company
I have forfworn.

Iris. Of her fociety

Be not afraid; I met her deity

}

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 fhall be paid
Till Hymen's torch be lighted; but in vain

Mars's hot minion is return'd again;

Her wafpifh-headed fon has broke his arrows;

Swears, he will fhoot no more, but play with sparrows, And be a boy right-out.

D 4

Cer.

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 blefs this twain, that they may profp'rous be, And honour'd in their iffue.

Jun. Honour, riches, marriage bleffing.
Long continuance and encreafing,
Hourly joys be ftill upon you;
Juno fings her bleffings on you:
Cer. Earth's increase, and foyfon-plenty, (25)
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 fhall fhun yoù;
Ceres's bleffing fo is on you.

Fer. This is a most majestic vifion, and
Harmonious charmingly: may I be bold
To think thefe fpirits?

Pro. Spirits, which by mine art

I have from their confines call'd to enact (26)
My prefent fancies.

Fer

(25) Earth's Increase.] All the editions, that I have ever feen, concur in placing this whole fonnet to Juno: but very abfurdly, in my opinion. I believe, every accurate reader, who is acquainted with poetical history, and the diftinct offices of these two goddeffes, and who then ferjously reads over our Author's lines, will agree with me, that Ceres's name ought to have been placed where I have now prefix'd it.

(26) I have from all their confines ] This all is obtruded upon us by the nice ears of our modern editors, who were for helping the verfe, upon a fuppofition that the accent in confines muft needs be upon the firft fyllable. But the practice of our Poet is against them ; and therefore I have reftor'd him to his own reading.

See As

you like it. A&t 2. Sc. 1.

And yet it irks me, the poor dappled fools;
Being native burghers of this defart city,

Should, in their own confines,

K. Jobur

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 whisper seriously;

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

Juno and Ceres whisper, and fend Iris on employment. 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 greenland 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 August weary,
Come hither from the furrow, and be merry;
Make holy-day; your rye-ftraw hats put on,
And thefe fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing.

K. Jobn. A&t 4.

This kingdom, this confine of blood and breath,· And Hamlet. Act 1. Sc. 1.

Th' extravagant and erring spirit hyes

To his confine

And in his poem entitled, In Praise of his Love.
In whofe confine immured is the store,

Which fhould example where your equal grew.·
And, again, in his poem call'd, A Lover's Complaint.
O moft potential love! vow, bond, nor space,
In thee hath neither fting, knot, nor confíne:
And in his Amorous Epistle of Paris to Helen.

Shipping myself from the Sigaan shore,

Whence unto thefe confines my courfe I bore.

And, I believe, in every other paffage throughout his works, where he has used this word, the accent is conftantly on the last fyllable,

Enter certain reapers, properly habited; they join with the nymphs in a graceful dance; towards the end whereof, Profpero ftarts fuddenly, and Speaks; 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,
Againft my life; the minute of their plot
Is almoft.come.

Well done, avoid; no more.

Fer. This is 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 fpirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air;

And, like the bafelefs fabrick of this vifion,
The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The folemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all, which it inherit, fhall diffolve;
And, like this infubftantial pageant faded,
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; (27),

-Sir, I am vext;

Bear

(27) Bear with my weakness, my old brain is troubled:] There is the appearance of fomething very extraordinary, in this great emotion of anger fo difcoverable in the behaviour of Profpero, on the fudden recollection of Caliban's plot: And the admirable reflection, which he makes, upon the infignificancy of human things, fully fhews it: for thinking men are never under greater oppreffion of mind, than when they make fuch kind of reflections. And yet, if we turn to the caufe of this difturbance, there is nothing that one could imagine, at first view, could occafion it: the plot of a contemptible favage, and two drunken failors, whom he had abfolutely in his power! It could be no apprehenfion of danger then, that could cause it. But, reflecting more attentively, we fhall find, (agreeably to our Poet's wonderful knowledge of nature,) there was fomething in the cafe, with which great minds are moft deeply affected; and that is, the refentment of

ingratitude,

Bear with my weaknefs, my old brain is troubled :
Be not disturbed 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. Come with a thought;-
-I thank you:-

Ariel, come.

Profpero comes forward from the Cell; enter Ariel to him.

Ari. Thy thoughts I cleave to; what's thy pleafure? Pro. Spirit,

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, Sir, they were red hot with drinking; So full of valour, that they fmote the air

For breathing in their faces; beat the ground
For kiffing of their feet; yet always bending
Towards their project. Then I beat my tabor,
At which, like unbackt colts, they prick'd their ears,`-
Advanc'd their eye-lids, lifted up their nofes,
As they fmelt mufic; fo I charm'd their cars, -
That, calf-like, they my lowing follow'd through"
Tooth'd briars, fharp furzes, pricking gofs and thorns,
Which enter'd their frail fhins: at laft I left them

ingratitude. He recall'd to his mind the obligations this Caliban lay under for the inftructions he had receiv'd from him, and the conveniences of life he had taught him to use. But thefe reflections of 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 receiv'd at his hands the two beft gifts that mortals are capable of, when rightly apply'd, regal power and the use of reafon; that thefe, in return, fhould confpire against the life of the donor, would cer tainly afflict a generous mind to its utmoft bearing. As thefe reflections do fo much honour to that furprising knowledge of human nature, which is fo apparently our Author's mafterpiece, it cannot, fure, be thought unneceffary to set them in proper light, Mr. Warburton.