Pro. Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself Upon thy wicked dam, come forth! Enter CALIBAN. Cal. As wicked dew as e'er my mother brush'd With raven's feather from unwholesome fen Drop on you both! a south-west blow on ye, And blister you all o'er! Pro. For this, be sure, to-night thou shalt have cramps, 31 Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath Cal. first, Thou strok'dst me, and mad'st much of me; would'st give me Water with berries in't; and teach me how The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place, and fertile : 31 Urchins were fairies of a particular class. Hedgehogs were also called urchins; and it is probable that the sprites were so named, because they were of a mischievous kind, the urchin being anciently deemed a very noxious animal. In the phrase still current, "a little urchin," the idea of the fairy still remains. 32 So in Hamlet, Act i. sc. 2, "in the dead vast and middle of the night;" meaning the silent void or vacancy of night, when spirits were anciently supposed to walk abroad on errands of ove, or sport, or mischief. H. Cursed be I that did so! - All the charms Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you! Which first was mine own king: and here you sty me In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me Pro. Thou most lying slave, Whom stripes may move, not kindness, I have us'd thee, Filth as thou art, with human care; and lodg'd thee In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate The honor of my child. Cal. O ho, O ho! —'would it had been done! Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else This isle with Calibans. Pro. Abhorred slave, Which any print of goodness will not take, Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour One thing or other : when thou didst not, savage, race, Though thou didst learn, had that in't which good natures Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou Deservedly confin'd into this rock, Who hadst deserv'd more than a prison. Cal. You taught me language; and my profit on't Is, I know how to curse: The red plague rid 33 For learning me your language! 33 Destroy. you, Hag-seed, hence! Pro. Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou wert best, To answer other business. Shrug'st thou, malice ? If thou neglect'st, or dost unwillingly 34 What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps; Fill all thy bones with aches; make thee roar, That beasts shall tremble at thy din. No, 'pray thee! Cal. [Aside.] I must obey: his art is of such power, It would control my dam's god, Setebos,3 And make a vassal of him. 35 Pro. So, slave; hence! [Exit CALIBAN. Re-enter ARIEL invisible, playing and singing; ARIEL'S Song. Come unto these yellow sands, 34 Aches was formerly a word of two syllables, and is required by the measure to be so here. Of this there are many examples in the old writers. Some of our readers may have heard of the clamour that was raised against Kemble for pronouncing the word thus on the stage; wherein some may still think he followed an old custom at the expense of good judgment. H. 35 Setebos was the name of an American god, or rather devil, worshipped by the Patagonians. In Eden's "History of Travaile," printed in 1577, is an account of Magellan's voyage to the South Pole, containing a description of this god and his worshippers; wherein the author says: "When they felt the shackles fast about their legs, they began to doubt; but the captain did put them in comfort and bade them stand still. In fine, when they saw how they were deceived, they roared like bulls, and cryed upon their great devil Setebos, to help them." Sycorax, as we have seen, was from Algiers, where she doubtless learned to worship this god. So that here the Poet has but transferred into the neighbourhood of his scene the matter of some of the then recent discoveries in America. H. Court'sied when you have, and kiss'd Foot it featly here and there; Burden. [Dispersedly.] Bough, wowgh. Burden. [Dispersedly.] Bowgh, wowgh.. The strain of strutting chanticlere Fer. Where should this music be? i' the air, or the earth? It sounds no more; and sure, it waits upon No, it begins again. Burden. ARIEL sings. Full fathom five thy father lies; Ding-dong. Hark! now I hear them,― ding-dong, bell. Fer. The ditty does remember my drown'd 36 . e. "court'sied and kiss'd the wild waves" into silence ;a delicate touch of poetry that is quite lost, as the passage is usually printed; the line, The wild waves whist, being made This is no mortal business, nor no sound That the earth owes : 37-I hear it now above me. Pro. The fringed curtains of thine eye advance, And say, what thou seest yond'. Mira. What is't? a spirit? Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, sir, It carries a brave form: - But 'tis a spirit. Pro. No, wench: it eats and sleeps, and hath such senses As we have, such. This gallant, which thou seest, A goodly person. He hath lost his fellows, Mira. A thing divine; for nothing natural I ever saw so noble. Pro. [Aside.] I might call him It goes on, I see, As my soul prompts it: - Spirit, fine spirit! I'll free thee Within two days for this. Fer. Most sure, the goddess On whom these airs attend! -Vouchsafe, my prayer May know, if you remain upon this island; parenthetical, and that too without any authority from the original. Such are the improvements sometimes foisted in by those who prefer grammar to poetry, and cannot read a song without thinking of Syntax, H. 37 i. e. owns. To owe was to possess or own, in ancient language. 38 Ferdinand has already spoken of Miranda as a goddess: |