Seb. Do so to ebb, Hereditary sloth instructs thee. Ant. O! If you but knew how you the purpose cherish, By their own fear, or sloth. Seb. Pr'ythee, say on: The setting of thine eye, and cheek, proclaim Ant. Thus, sir: Although this lord of weak remembrance, this, (Who shall be of as little memory, When he is earth'd,) hath here almost persuaded (For he's a spirit of persuasion, only Professes to persuade) the king his son's alive; "Tis as impossible that he's undrown'd, As he, that sleeps here, swims. Seb. That he's undrown'd. Ant. I have no hope O! out of that no hope, What great hope have you! no hope, that way, is Another way so high a hope, that even Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond, But doubts discovery there. Will you grant, with Ant. She that is queen of Tunis; she that dwells Ten leagues beyond man's life; she that from Naples Can have no note, unless the sun were post, (The man i' the moon's too slow,) till new-born chins Be rough and razorable: she, from whom We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again; And, by that destiny," to perform an act, Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come, In yours and my discharge. Seb. 16 What stuff is this! How say you! "Tis true, my brother's daughter's queen of Tunis ; So is she heir of Naples; 'twixt which regions There is some space. Ant. A space whose every cubit Seems to cry out, "How shall that Claribel Measure us back to Naples? - Keep in Tunis, And let Sebastian wake! Say, this were death That now hath seiz'd them; why they were no worse Than now they are: There be, that can rule Naples As this Gonzalo; I myself could make A chough" of as deep chat. O, that you bore For your advancement! Do you understand me' Ant. And how does your content Tender your own good fortune? H. 15 i. e. by their being cast ashore again. 16 This passage has given commentators a fine opportunity of showing their superiority to the Poet in the knowledge of geog raphy. But, besides that in Shakespeare's time a voyage from Milan to Tunis was not so easy as it has been since, could they not see that he purposely makes Antonio exaggerate the distance, to persuade Sebastian into his plans? So that in showing their knowledge of what the Poet did not aim at, they but showed theu ignorance of his proper business. As usual. 17 A chough is a bird of the jackdaw kind. H Seb. Hereditary sloth instructs thee. If Do so: to ebb, you but knew how you the purpose cherish, Whiles thus you mock it! how, in stripping it, You more invest it! Ebbing men, indeed, By their own fear, or sloth. Seb. Pr'ythee, say on: The setting of thine eye, and cheek, proclaim Ant. Thus, sir: Although this lord of weak remembrance, this, (Who shall be of as little memory, When he is earth'd,) hath here almost persuaded (For he's a spirit of persuasion, only Professes to persuade) the king his son's alive; 'Tis as impossible that he's undrown'd, As he, that sleeps here, swims. Seb. That he's undrown'd. Ant. I have no hope O! out of that no hope, What great hope have you! no hope, that way, is Another way so high a hope, that even Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond, But doubts discovery there. Will you grant, with Ant. She that is queen of Tunis; she that dwells Ten leagues beyond man's life; she that from Naples Can have no note, unless the sun were post, (The man i' the moon's too slow,) till new-born chins Be rough and razorable: she, from whom We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again; And, by that destiny,15 to perform an act, Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come, In yours and my discharge." Seb. 16 What stuff is this! How say you! "Tis true, my brother's daughter's queen of Tunis ; So is she heir of Naples; 'twixt which regions There is some space. Ant. A space whose every cubit Seems to cry out, "How shall that Claribel Measure us back to Naples?"- Keep in Tunis, And let Sebastian wake! - Say, this were death That now hath seiz'd them; why they were no worse Than now they are: There be, that can rule Naples As this Gonzalo; I myself could make A chough of as deep chat. O, that you bore For your advancement! Do you understand me' Seb. Methinks, I do. Ant. And how does your content Tender your own good fortune? H. 15 i. e. by their being cast ashore again. 16 This passage has given commentators a fine opportunity of showing their superiority to the Poet in the knowledge of geog raphy. But, besides that in Shakespeare's time a voyage from Milan to Tunis was not so easy as it has been since, could they not see that he purposely makes Antonio exaggerate the distance, to persuade Sebastian into his plans? So that in showing their knowledge of what the Poet did not aim at, they but showed theu ignorance of his proper business. As usual. 17 A chough is a bird of the jackdaw kind. H True. You did supplant your brother Prospero. Ant. Ay, sir; where lies that? if it were a kybe If he were that which now he's like, that's dead; Whom I, with this obedient steel, three inches of it, Can lay to bed for ever: whiles you, doing thus, Seb. Shall be my precedent Thy case, dear friend, as thou got'st Milan, I'll come by Naples. Draw thy sword: one stroke Shall free thee from the tribute which thou pay'st; And I the king shall love thee. Ant. Draw together And when I rear my hand, do you the like, Seb. O! but one word. [They converse apart 18 Suggestion is frequently used in the sense of temptation, or seduction, by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. |