Shakespear and Sir William Davenant.' We may be allowed to doubt whether Shakespeare would have expressed the same satisfaction.

Not content with finding for the island of Prospero 'a local habitation and a name,' Mr. Hunter further endeavoured to prove that the story of the Tempest has some relation to characters and events of real history.' But even granting this to be true, it can only be true so far as the original novel on which the play is founded is concerned, and can have nothing to do with Shakespeare. It is sufficient to refer to Mr. Hunter's New Illustrations of Shakespeare, i. 167, 168, where he states his own position at length.

It remains now for me only to add some remarks upon certain passages of the play which are too long to be inserted in the notes. The first have reference to the shipwreck in the first scene, and are professional criticisms of the description there given. The following was communicated to Malone by the second Lord Mulgrave, a distinguished naval officer:

'The first scene of The Tempest is a very striking instance of the great accuracy of Shakspeare's knowledge in a professional science, the most difficult to attain without the help of experience. He must have acquired it by conversation with some of the most skilful seamen of that time.

The succession of events is strictly observed in the natural progress of the distress described; the expedients adopted are the most proper that could have been devised for a chance of safety: and it is neither to the want of skill of the seamen or the bad qualities of the ship, but solely to the power of Prospero, that the shipwreck is to be attributed.

The words of command are not only strictly proper, but are only such as point the object to be attained, and no superfluous ones of detail. Shakspeare's ship was too well manned to make it necessary to tell the seamen how they were to do it, as well as what they were to do.

He has shown a knowledge of the new improvements, as well as the doubtful points of seamanship; one of the latter he has introduced, under the only circumstances in which it was indisputable.

The events certainly follow too near one another for the strict time of representation; but perhaps, if the whole length of the play was divided by the time allowed by the critics, the portion allotted to this scene might not be too little for the whole. But he has taken care to mark intervals between the different operations by exits.

To these I am glad to be able to add some observations to the same effect by my friend Captain E. K. Calver, R.N., F.R.S., who has most kindly allowed me to consult him on many points in which his professional knowledge has been of the greatest assistance :—

'The craft is in a storm, and the Boatswain's anxiety is evidently not about the strength of the wind, but the

b

room at disposal; "Blow, till thou burst thy wind, if room enough." The special danger was that of being cast upon, or pressed upon, a lee shore, and like a good sailor the Boatswain did that which any good sailor would do in the present day, he struck those masts which would be a hindrance to his getting off a lee shore (from their producing resistance and not propulsion), and set that canvas which would help to safety. "Down with the topmast!" that is, strike, or lower, the topmast down to the cap, as it holds wind and retards the ship; and evidently the main topmast, as only one is mentioned. It is to be noted that the illustrations of ships of the period generally represent them without a fore topmast. "Yare, yare!" carefully and quickly: "lower, lower!” the topmast. Rigged as vessels now are, with long topmasts, and short slings and trusses, a course, or square mainsail or foresail, could not be set with the topmast struck or lowered; but with the carracks, or rudimentary ships of Elizabeth's age (and it is probable Shakespeare's ship was one of them), with their short, or polelike topmasts, and lower yards slung a third of the mast down, such an operation would be comparatively easy. "Bring her to try with main-course." The main-course and mainsail are one and the same, and the reason the Boatswain wanted this set was because it is a sail of great size in the body of the ship, and propelled by it the ship quickens her rate, keeps closer to (or in the direction of) the wind, and makes less lee-way (or drift). "Bring her to try with main-course;" that is, see if she will bear the main-course and whether it will be sufficient; but in a little time, as the occasion seemed to be more urgent and the effect of the single sail unsatisfactory, the Boatswain cries "Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her two courses; off to sea again! lay her off!" To understand this order, it is necessary to keep in mind the Boatswain's view of the circumstances in which he was placed. He did not care, he said, about the force of the wind, but he was afraid they had not sea-room. 66 Blow, till thou burst thy wind, if room enough!” makes this clear, and that there was sufficient cause for alarm upon this

point is also apparent from a passage in the second scene, where Prospero, questioning Ariel with reference to the ship and her perils, asks "But was not this nigh shore?" and he replies, "Close by, my master." In short, the Boatswain, in the first instance, did what appeared to him to be needed; but now, after a short interval, whether owing to the sluggishness of the ship, or to the lee-shore being closer than he had imagined, he, unceasingly alive to the danger, and oblivious of the taunts of the passengers, gave the above order: "Lay her a-hold, a-hold!" keep her to the wind, or as close to the wind as possible. "Set her two courses:" foresail as well as mainsail, or twice the amount of canvas already spread; and "off to sea again; lay her off:" an indication of the object of the order, or of the necessity for gaining sea-room so as to avoid shipwreck.'

In Act ii. Sc. i. 1. 185 an expression is used which is clearly explained by the following quotation from Gervase Markham's Hunger's Prevention (1621), pp. 98-100. Sebastian says, 'We would so, and then go a bat fowling.'

'For the manner of Bat-fowling it may be vsed either with Nettes, or without Nettes: If you vse it without Nettes (which indeede is the most common of the two) you shall then proceede in this manner. First, there shall be one to cary the Cresset of fire (as was shewed for the Lowbell) then a certaine number as two, three, or foure (according to the greatnesse of your company) and these shall haue poales bound with dry round wispes of hay, straw, or such like stuffe, or else bound with pieces of Linkes, or Hurdes, dipt in Pitch, Rosen, Grease, or any such like matter that will blaze.

'Then another company shal be armed with long poales, very rough and bushy at the vpper endes, of which the Willow, Byrche, or long Hazell are best, but indeed according as the country will afford so you must be content to take.

'Thus being prepared and comming into the Bushy, or rough ground where the haunts of Birds are, you shall then first kindle some of your fiers as halfe, or a third part, accord

ing as your prouision is, and then with your other bushy and rough poales you shall beat the Bushes, Trees, and haunts of the Birds, to enforce them to rise, which done you shall see the Birds which are raysed, to flye and play about the lights and flames of the fier, for it is their nature through their amazednesse, and affright at the strangenes of the light and the extreame darknesse round about it, not to depart from it, but as it were almost to scorch their wings in the same; so that those who have the rough bushye poales, may (at their pleasures) beat them down with the same, & so take them. Thus you may spend as much of the night as is darke, for longer is not conuenient; and doubtlesse you shall finde much pastime, and take great store of birds, and in this you shall obserue all the obseruations formerly treated of in the Lowbell; especially, that of silence, vntill your lights be kindled, but then you may vse your pleasure, for the noyse and the light when they are heard and seene a farre of, they make the birds sit the faster and surer.'

In bringing this Preface to a close I cannot but express my regret that in the course of the work I have been deprived of the advice and assistance of my fellow labourer Mr. W. G. Clark, who has been unable to continue what we had begun together. And with this expression of regret I would couple one of hope that our joint Shakespearian labours, which have now entered upon their second decade, may shortly be renewed.

W. A. W.

TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, 29 June, 1874.