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Like poison given to work a great time after,
Now 'gins to bite the spirits. I do beseech you,
That are of suppler joints, follow them swiftly,
And hinder them from what this ecstasy

May now provoke them to.

Adr.

Follow, I pray you.

[Exeunt.

105. “poisons given to work a great time after"; the natives of Africa have been supposed to possess the secret how to temper poisons with such art as not to operate till several years after they were administered. Their drugs were then as certain in their effect as subtle in their preparation.-H. N. H.

ACT FOURTH

SCENE I

Before Prospero's cell.

Enter Prospero, Ferdinand, and Miranda. Pros. If I have too austerely punish'd you, Your compensation makes amends; for I Have given you here a third of mine own life, Or that for which I live; who once again I tender to thy hand: all thy vexations Were but my trials of thy love, and thou Hast strangely stood the test: here, afore Heaven,

Fer.

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I ratify this my rich gift. O Ferdinand,
Do not smile at me that I boast her off,

For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise, 10
And make it halt behind her.

Against an oracle.

I do believe it

Pros. Then, as my gift, and thine own acquisition
Worthily purchased, take my daughter: but
If thou dost break her virgin-knot before
All sanctimonious ceremonies may
With full and holy rite be minister'd,
No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall
3. "a third"; i. e. a main portion.-C. H. H.

Fer.

To make this contract grow; but barren hate,
Sour-eyed disdain and discord shall bestrew 20
The union of your bed with weeds so loathly
That you shall hate it both: therefore take heed,
As Hymen's lamps shall light you.

As I hope
For quiet days, fair issue and long life,
With such love as 'tis now, the murkiest den,
The most opportune place, the strong'st sugges-
tion

Our worser genius can, shall never melt

Mine honor into lust, to take away

The edge of that day's celebration

When I shall think, or Phoebus' steeds are founder'd,

Or Night kept chain'd below.

Pros.

Fairly spoke.

Sit, then, and talk with her; she is thine own.
What, Ariel! my industrious servant, Ariel!
Enter Ariel.

30

Ari. What would my potent master? here I am. Pros. Thou and thy meaner fellows your last service

Did worthily perform; and I must use you

27. "Our worser genius"; the demon within us. Elsewhere Shakespeare's language suggests a single genius or guardian spirit presiding over, but within, each man, and associating itself now with his planning intellect (Jul. Cæs. ii. 1. 66), now with his heroism (Ant. and Cleo. ii. 3. 19), now with his weakness (ib. ii. 3. 21). Here, on the contrary, the evil impulses of men are ascribed to a special "worser genius" whom a "better" genius resists. The passage goes far to show that the whole doctrine was with Shakespeare little more than inherited phraseology.-C. H. H.

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Ari.

In such another trick. Go bring the rabble,
O'er whom I give thee power, here to this place:
Incite them to quick motion; for I must

Bestow upon the eyes of this young couple 40
Some vanity of mine art: it is my promise,
And they expect it from me.

Pros. Aye, with a twink.

Ari.

Presently?

Before you can say, 'come,' and 'go,'
And breathe twice, and cry, 'so, so,'
Each one, tripping on his toe,
Will be here with mop and mow,
Do you love me, master? no?

Pros. Dearly, my delicate Ariel. Do not approach
Till thou dost here me call.

Ari.

Well, I conceive. [Exit. 50

Pros. Look thou be true; do not give dalliance

Fer.

Too much the rein: the strongest oaths are straw
To the fire i' the blood: be more abstemious,
Or else, good night your vow!

I warrant you, sir;
The white cold virgin snow upon my heart
Abates the ardor of my liver.

Pros. ·

Well.

Now come, my Ariel! bring a corollary,
Rather than want a spirit: appear, and pertly!
No tongue! all eyes! be silent. [Soft music.
Enter Iris.

Iris. Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas 60
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and pease;
Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,

And flat meads thatch'd with stover, them to

keep;

Thy banks with pioned and twilled brims,
Which spongy April at thy hest betrims,

To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy
broom-groves,

Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves,
Being lass-lorn; thy pole-clipt vineyard;
And thy sea-marge, sterile and rocky-hard,
Where thou thyself dost air;-the queen o' the
sky,

Whose watery arch and messenger am I,

70

Bids thee leave these; and with her sovereign

grace,

Here, on this grass-plot, in this very place,
To come and sport:-her peacocks fly amain:
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.

Enter Ceres.

Cer. Hail, many-color'd messenger, that ne'er
Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;

Who, with thy saffron wings, upon my flowers
Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers;

64. "pioned and twilled"; various emendations have been suggested for these difficult words of the folio:-"peonied and lilied," "tulip'd," "tilled," etc. It is noted that "piony" is an old spelling of "peony," and that the flower was formerly spoken of as "the mayden piony" and "virgin peonie.” In all probability the meaning of the words has not yet been discovered; they are evidently technical terms of horticulture. (Cp. Glossary.)—I. G.

79. "refreshing showers"; Mr. Douce remarks that this is an elegant expansion of the following lines in Phaer's Virgil, Eneid, Lib. iv. "Dame Rainbow down therefore with safron wings of dropping

showres,

Whose face a thousand sundry hues against the sun devoures,
From heaven descending came.”—H. N. H.

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