Pro. I'll deliver all;

And promife you calm feas, aufpicious gales,
And fail fo expeditious, that fhall catch
Your royal fleet far off. My Ariel-chick,
That is thy charge: Then to the elements

Be free, and fare thou well!-Please you, draw near. [Exeunt omnes.

Spoken by Profpero.

OW my charms are all o'er-thrown,

And what ftrength I have's mine own
Which is most faint: and now, 'tis true,
I must be here confin'd by you,

Or fent to Naples. Let me not,
Since I have my Dukedom got,
And pardon'd the deceiver, dwell
In this bare island by your Spell :
But releafe me from my bands,
With the help of your good hands.
Gentle breath of yours my fails
Muft fill, or elfe my project fails,
Which was to please. For now I want

Spirits t'enforce, art to enchant :
And my ending is defpair, (5)
Unless I be reliev'd by prayer;
Which pierces fo, that it affaults
Mercy itself, and frees all faults.

As you from crimes would pardon'd be,
Let your indulgence fet me free!

(5) And my ending is defpair,

Unless I be reliev'd by pray'r ;]

This alludes to the old Stories told of the defpair of Necromancers in their last moments; and of the efficacy of the prayers of their friends for them.

WARBURTON.

A

MIDSUMMER NIGHT's

DREA M.

THESEUS, Duke of Athens.
Egeus, an Athenian Lord.

Lyfander, in love with Hermia.

Demetrius, in love with Hermia.

Philoftrate, Mafter of the Sports to the Duke.

Quince, the Carpenter.

Snug, the Joiner.

Bottom, the Weaver.

Flute, the Bellows-mender.
Snowt, the Tinker.

Starvelling, the Tailor.

Hippolita, Princefs of the Amazons, betroth'dto Thefeus. Hermia, Daughter to Egeus, in love with Lysander. Helena, in love with Demetrius.

Attendants.

Oberon, King of the Fairies.

Titania, Queen of the Faries.

Puck, or Robin-goodfellow, a Fairy.

Peafebloffom,

Cobweb,

Fairies.

Characters in the Interlude performed by the Clowns.

Moonshine,

Lyon,

Other Fairies attending on the King and Queen. SCENE, Athens; and a Wood not far from it.

The various Readings of this Play.

I. A Quarto, printed for James Roberts, 1600.
II. The Folio of 1623.

III. The Folio of 1632.

IV. The Folio of 1664.

Enter Thefeus, Hippolita, Philoftrate, with attendants.

THESE US.

OW, fair Hippolita, our nuptial hour

NOW

Draws on apace; four happy days bring in
Another moon: but, oh, methinks, how flow

This old moon wanes! fhe lingers my defires,
Like to a step-dame, or a dowager,

Long withering out a young man's revenue. (1)
Hip. Four days will quickly fteep themfelves in
night;

Four nights will quickly dream away the time:
And then the moòn like to a filver bow,
New bent in heaven, fhall behold the night
Of our folemnities..

Long

(1) Long WITHERING OUT a young Man's revenue.] withering out is, certainly, not good English. I rather think Shakespeare wrote, Long WINTERING ON a young man's reveWARBURTON.

nue.

That the common reading is not good English, I cannot perceive, and therefore find in myself no temptation to change

it.

VOL. I.

F

The.