medicines have virtues. Bacon mentions virtuous bezoar, and Dryden virtuous berbs. JOHNSON. P. 20. 1. 7. Mira. Abborred flawe;] In all the printed editions this fpeech is given to Miranda: but I am perfuaded, the Author never defign'd it for her. In the first place, 'tis probable, Profpero taught Caliban to fpeak, rather than left that office to his daughter: in the next place, as Profpero was here rating Caliban, it would be a great impropriety for her to take the di cipline out of his hands; and, indeed, in fome fort, an indecency in her to reply to what Caliban last was speaking of. Mr. Dryden, I obferve, in his alteration of this play, has judiciously placed this fpeech to Profpero. I can easily guess, that the change was first deriv'd from the Players, who not loving that any character should stand too long filent on the ftage, to obviate that inconvenience with regard to Miranda, clap'd this fpeech to her part. THEOB.* Ibid.] The modern editions, take this fpeech from Miranda, and give it to Profpero; though there is nothing in it but what the may fpeak with great propriety: especially as it accounts for her being enough in the way and power of Caliban to enable him to make the attempt complained of. Mr. Dryden, in the alteration made by him and Sir William Davenant, in this play, led the way to this change: which Mr. Theobald calls judicious, and adds, " it would be very indecent for Miranda to reply to what was last spoke :" but it is probable the poet thought otherwife, and that it was not only decent, but neceffary, for her to clear her character, by fhewing how the monfter acquired the opportunity of making the attack. The poet himself fhews he intended Miranda fhould be his tutorefs, in the latter end of the fecond scene of the second act, when he makes Caliban fay, "I've seen thee in her, my mistress fhewed me thee and thy dog and thy brush," to Stephano, who has just assured the monster, he was the man in the moon when-time was. HOLT.* P. 20. L. 11. When thou DIDST not, savage, Know thy ozon meaning, but wouldft gabble like which Profpero here upbraids Caliban with having bestowed, was teaching him language. He fhews the greatness of this benefit by marking the inconvenience Caliban lay under for want of it. What was the inconvenience? This, that he did not know his own meaning. But fure a brute, to which he is compared, doth know its own meaning, that is, knows what it would be at. This, indeed, it cannot do, it cannot jhew its meaning to others. And this certainly is what Profpero would say, -When thou COULDST not, fuvage, The following words make it evident, A thing moft brut.jp And when once [her] was corrupted to [know] the tranfcribers would of courfe change [couldft] into [diaft] to make it agree with the other falfe reading. There is indeed a fente in which Know thy own meaning-may be well applied to a brute. For it may fignify the not having any redex knowledge of the operation of its own mind, which, it would feem, a brute hath not. Though this, I fay, may be applied to a brute, and confequently to Caliban, and though to remedy this brutality be a nobler benefit than even the teaching language; yet fuch a fenfe would be impertinent and abfurd in this place, where only the benefit of language is talked of by an exact and learned fpeaker. Befides, Profpero exprefly fays, that Caliban had purposes; which, in other words, is that he did know his own meaning. WARB. Read with Dr. Warburton, against the old copies, could ft not herw. CAPELL.* P. 20. L. 20. Red Plague.] I fuppofe from the redness of the body univerfally inflamed. JOHNSON. P. 21. L. 17. Weeping against.] The old editions read, weeping again, i. e. After having wept at my feparation from him. There was therefore no occafion for altering the text. Ibid.] Read weeping against. REVISAL.* CAPELL.* P. 22. L. 1. Full fathom five thy father lies, &c.] Gildon, who has pretended to criticife our author, would give this up as an infufferable and fenfelefs pie.e of trifling. And I believe this is the general opinion concerning it. But a very unjust one. Let us confider the bufinefs Ariel is here upon, and his manner of executing it. The commiffion Profpero had intrufted to him, in a whisper, was plainly this; to conduct Ferdinand to the fight of Miranda, and to difpofe him to the quick sentiments of love, while he, on the other hand, prepared his daughter for the fame impreflions. Ariel fets about his bufinefs by acquainting Ferdinand, in an extraordinary manner with the afflictive news of his father's death. A very odd apparatus, one would think, for a lovefit. And yet as odd as it appears, the poet has shewn in it the finest conduct for carrying on his plot. Profpero had faid, I find my zenith doth depend upon A moft aufpicious ftar; whofe influence If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes In confequence of this his prefcience, he takes advantage of every favourable circumftance that the occafion offers. The principal affair is the marriage of his daughter with young Ferdinand. But to fecure this point it was necessary they fhould be contracted before the affair came to Alonzo the father's knowledge. For Profpero was ignorant how this ftorm and fhipwreck, caufed by him, would work upon Alonzo's temper. It might either foften him, or increase his averfion for Profpero as the author. On the other hand, to engage Ferdinand, without the consent of his father, was difficult. For not to fpeak of his quality, where such engagements are not made without the confent of the fovereign, Ferdinand is represented (to fhew it a match worth the feeking) of a moft pious temper and difpofition, which would prevent his contracting himself without his father's knowledge. The poet therefore, with the utmost address, has made Ariel perfuade him of his father's death to remove this Remora, which might otherwife have either stopped, and retarded beyond the time of action, or quite spoiled the whole plot. WARB. Ibid.] I know not whether Dr. Warburton has very fucceísfully defended these fongs from Gildon's accufation. Ariel's lays, however seasonable and efficacious, must be allowed to be of no supernatural dignity or elegance, they exprefs nothing great, nor reveal any thing above mortal dif covery. The reafon for which Ariel is introduced thus trifling is, that he and his companions are evidently of the fairy kind, an order of beings to which tradition has always afcribed a fort of diminutive agency, powerful but ludicrous, a humourous and frolick controulment of nature, well expreffed by the fongs of Ariel. JOHNSON. P. 22. L. 12. The fringed curtains of thine eyes advance, And fay, what thou Jeeft yond.] The daughters of Profpero, as they are drawn by Dryden, feem rather to have had their education in a court or a playhoufe, than under the fevere precepts of a philofopher in a defart. But the Miranda of Shakespeare is truly what the poet gives her out; and his art in preferving the unity of her character is wonderful. We must remember what was faid in the foregoing note of Profpero's intention to make his daughter fall in love at first fight. And notwithstanding what the wits may fay, or the pretty fellows think, on this occafion, it was no fuch easy matter to bring this naturally about. Those who are the leaft acquainted with human nature know of what force inftitution and education are to curb and even deface the very strongest paffions and affections. She had been brought up under the rough discipline of ftoical morality; and misfortunes generally harden the morality of virtuous men into ftoicifm. Such a one was Profpero; and he tells us, that his daughter fully answered the care he beftowed upon her: fo that there would be fome difficulty for nature to regain its influence fo fuddenly as the plot required. The poet, therefore, with infinite addrefs, caufes her to be foftened by the tender ftory her father told her of his misfortunes: for pity precedes love, and facilitates its entrance into the mind. But this was evidently infufficient; therefore, to make the way eafier, fhe is fuppofed to be under the influence of her father's charm, which was to diffolve, as it were, the rigid chains of virtue and obedience. This is infinuated to the audience, when Profpero, before he begins his ftory, fays to her, Lend thy band, And pluck this magick garment from me. The touch communicated the charm, and its efficacy was to lay her to fleep. This is the reason that Profpero so often queftions her, as he proceeds in his ftory, whether the was attentive: being apprehenfive the charm might operate too quick, even before he had ended his relation. Without this interpretation his frequent repetition will appear extremely cold and abfurd. For the fame reason, likewife, he fays, in conclufion, Thou art inclin'd to fleep. 'Tis a good dulnefs, L. 8. May know,] For, I may know. Extremely poetical, and moft expreffive of the humility of the fpeaker. WAR B.* certainly a maid.] Nothing could be more prettily imagined to illuftrate the fingularity of her character, than this pleasant mistake. She had been bred up in the rough and plain-dealing documents of moral philofophy, whi h teaches us the knowledge of ourselves, and was an utter ftranger to the flattery invented by vicious and. defigning men to corrupt the other fex: fo that it could not enter into her imagination, that complaifance and a defire of appearing amiable, qualities of humanity, which she had been inftructed, in her moral leffons, to cultivate, could ever degenerate into fuch excefs, as that any one fhould be willing to have his fellow-creature believe that he thought her a goddess or an immortal, WARB. Ibid.] Dr. Warburton has here found a beauty, which, I think, the author never intended. Ferdinand asks her not, whether he was a created being; a question which, if he meant it, he has ill expreffed: for after the dialogue which |