And tell how far thou didst our Lily out shine,
Or Sporting Kid, or Marlow's mighty Line.
And though thou badst small Latin and lefs Greek,
From thence to honour thee, I would not seek
For names, but call forth thund ring Æschylus,
Euripides, and Sophocles to us,
Pacuvius, Accius, bim of Cordoua dead,
To live again, to bear thy Buskin tread,
And shake a Stage: Or, when thy Socks were on,
Leave thee alone for the comparison
Of all, that infolent Greece, or baughty Rome
Sent forth, or fince did from their ashes come.
Triumph, my Britain, thou hast one to show,
To whom all Scenes of Europe homage owe.
He was not of an age, but for all time!
And all the Muses, still were in their prime,
When like Apollo he came forth to warm
Our ears, or like a Mercury to charm!
Nature herself was proud of his designes,
And joy'd to wear the dreffing of bis Lines!
Which were so richly spun, and woven so fit,
As, fince, she will vouchsafe no other wit.
The merry Greek, tart Ariftophanes,
Neat Terence, witty Plautus, now not please;
But antiquated, and deferted lye,
As they were not of Nature's family.
Yet must 1 not give Nature all: Thy Art,
My gentle Shakespear, must enjoy a part.
For the the Poet's matter Nature be,
His Art doth give the Fashion. And, that he
Who casts to write a living line must sweat,
(Such as thine are) and strike the second heat
Upon the Muses Anvile; turn the same,
(And himself with it) that he thinks to frame;
Or for the Lawrel, he may gain a scorn,
For a good Poet's made, as well as born.
And fuch wert thou. Look how the Father's face
Lives in bis Iffue, even so the race
Of Shakespeare's mind and manners brightly shines
In bis well torned, and true filed lines :
In each of which be seems to shake a Lance,
As brandish'd at the eyes of Ignorance.
Sweet Swan of Avon! what a fight it were
To see thee in our water yet appear,
And make those flights upon the Banks of Thames,
That so did take Eliza, and our James!
But stay, I see thee in the Hemisphere
Advancd, and made a Constellation there!
Shine forth, thou Starre of Poets, and with rage,
Or influence, chide, or chear the drooping Stage,
Which Since thy flight from bence, bath mourn'd like night,
And defpairs day, but for thy Volume's light.
ALONSO, King of Naples.
Sebastian, bis Brother.
Profpero, the rightful Duke of Milan.
Anthonio, bis Brother, the ufurping Duke of Milan.
Ferdinand, Son to the King of Naples.
Gonzalo, an honest old Counseller of Naples.
Caliban, a Savage and deformed Slave.
Trinculo, a Jester.
Stephano, a drunken Butler.
Master of a Ship, Boatswain, and Mariners.
Miranda, Daughter to Profpero.
Ariel, an aiery Spirit.
Other Spirits, attending on Profpero.
SCENE, the Sea with a Ship, afterwards an uninhabited Island.
Of this Play the first known Edition is that of 1623, when it was published with the other
Works of Shakespear by Hemings and Condel, in Folio.
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