Know thine own meaning,82 but wouldst gabble like But thy vile race, Though thou didst learn, had that in't which good natures Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou Deservedly confined into this rock, Who hadst deserved more than a prison. Cal. You taught me language; and my profit on't Is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid 83 you For learning me your language! Pros. Hag-seed, hence ! Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou'rt best, To answer other business. Shrugg'st thou, malice? What I command, I'll rack thee with old 84 cramps, Fill all thy bones with achès,85 make thee roar, No, pray thee. Cal. [Aside.] I must obey: his art is of such power, It would control my dam's god, Setebos,86. 82 Did not attach any meaning to the sounds he uttered. 83 Rid here means destroy or dispatch. So in Richard the Second, v. 4: "I am the King's friend, and will rid his foe."-Touching the "red plague," Halliwell quotes from Practise of Physicke, 1605: “Three different kinds of plague-sore are mentioned; sometimes it is red, otherwhiles yellow, and sometimes blacke, which is the very worst and most venimous." 84 Old was much used simply as an intensive, just as huge often is now. The Poet has it repeatedly. See vol. iii. page 209, note 2. 85 Ache was formerly pronounced like the letter H. The plural, aches, was accordingly two syllables. We have many instances of such pronunciation in the old writers. So in Antony and Cleopatra, iv. 7: “I had a wound here that was like a T, but now 'tis made an H." 86 Setebos was the name of an American god, or rather devil, worshipped by the Patagonians. In Eden's History of Travaile, 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 And make a vassal of him. Pros. So, slave; hence ! [Exit CALIBAN. Re-enter ARIEL invisible, playing and singing; FERDINAND Ferd. Where should this music be? i' the air, or th' earth? It sounds no more: and, sure, it waits upon 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." 87 Soothed or charmed the raging waters into stillness or peace. 88 Passion is here used in its proper Latin sense of suffering. Ferd. The ditty does remember my drown'd father. This is no mortal business, nor no sound That the Earth owes.9 90 I hear it now above me. Mira. Lord, how it looks about! It carries a brave 92 form. Pros. No, wench; it senses What is't? a spirit? But 'tis a spirit. eats and sleeps, and hath such As we have, such. This gallant which thou see'st 89 Nothing fades without undergoing a sea-change. This use of but occurs repeatedly. So in Hamlet, i. 3: "Do not sleep but let me hear from you"; that is, " without letting me hear." See vol. v. page 76, note I. 90 Owe is own, possess. The old form of the word was owen. Abbott, in his Shakespeare Grammar, has the following: "In the general destruction of inflections which prevailed during the Elizabethan period, en was particularly discarded. So strong was the discarding tendency, that even the n in owen, to possess, was dropped, and Shakespeare continually uses owe for owen, or own. The n has now been restored." 91 Advance, here, is raise or lift up. So in Romeo and Juliet, ii. 3: "Ere the Sun advance his burning eye." Especially used of lifting up military standards. 92 Brave, again, for fine or superb. See page 14, note 2. With grief, that's beauty's canker,93 thou mightst call him And strays about to find 'em. On whom these airs attend! - Vouchsafe my prayer And that you will some good instruction give Ferd. No wonder, sir; My language! Heavens! I am the best of them that speak this speech, Were I but where 'tis spoken. How! the best? Pros. 93 Shakespeare uses canker in four different senses,- the canker-worm, the dog-rose, a malignant sore, cancer, and rust or tarnish. Here it probably means the last; as in St. James, v. 3: "Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you." 94 Ferdinand has already spoken of Miranda as a goddess: he now asks, if she be a mortal; not a celestial being, but a maiden. Of course her answer is to be taken in the same sense as his question. The name Miranda literally signifies wonderful. 95 The Poet repeatedly uses single for weak or feeble: here, along with this, it has the further sense of solitary or companionless. Ferdinand supposes himself to be the only one saved of all that were in the ship. And that he does I weep: myself am Naples ; Mira. Alack, for mercy! Ferd. Yes, faith, and all his lords; the Duke of Milan And his brave son 96 being twain. Pros. [Aside.] The Duke of Milan And his more braver daughter could control thee,97 They have changed eyes. - Delicate Ariel, I'll set thee free for this! A word, good sir ; I fear you've done yourself some wrong: 98 a word. That e'er I sigh'd for: pity move my father To be inclined my way! Ferd. And your O, if a virgin, affection not gone forth, I'll make you The Queen of Naples. Pros. Soft, sir! one word more. [Aside.] They're both in either's powers: but this swift busi ness I must uneasy make, lest too light winning Make the prize light. — One word more; I charge thee That thou attend me: Thou dost here usurp The name thou owest not; and hast put thyself Upon this island as a spy, to win it 96 This young man, the son of Antonio, nowhere appears in the play, nor is there any other mention of him. 97 To control was formerly used in the sense of to refute; from the French contre-roller, to exhibit a contrary account. Prospero means that he could refute what Ferdinand has just said about the Duke of Milan. 98 "Done wrong to your character, in claiming to be King of Naples." Or incurred the penalty of being a spy or an usurper, by assuming a title that does not belong to him. |