Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/357

[ 341 ] 42., 1612.

Though ome account of the Bermuda Ilands, which are mentioned in this play, had been publihed in 1600, (as Dr. Farmer has oberved) yet as they were not generally known till Sir George Somers arrived there in 1609, The Tempet may be fairly attributed to a period ubequent to that year; epecially as it exhibits uch trong internal marks of having been a late production. The entry at Stationers’ hall does not contribute to acertain the time of its compoition; for it appears not on the Stationers’ books, nor was it printed, till 1623, when it was publihed with the ret of our author’s plays in folio: in which edition, having, I uppoe by mere accident, obtained the firt place, it has ever ince preerved a tation to which it indubitably is not entitled. As the circumtance from which this piece receives its name, is at an end in the very firt cene, and as many other titles, all equally proper, might have occurred to Shakfpeare, (uch as The Enchanted Iland—The Banihed Duke—Ferdinand and Miranda, &c.) it is poible, that ome particular and recent event determined him to call it The Tempet. It appears from Stowe’s Chronicle, p. 913, that in the October, November, and December of the year 1612, a dreadful tempet happened in England, “which did exceeding great damage, with extreme hipwrack throughout the ocean.” “There perihed” (ays the hitorian) above an hundred hips in the pace of two houres.”—Several pamphlets were publihed on this occaion, decorated with prints of inking veels, catles topling on their warders’ heads, the devil overturning teeples, &c. In one of them, the author decribing the appearance of the waves at Dover, ays, “the whole eas appeared like a fiery world, all parkling red.” Another of thee narratives recounts the ecape of Edmond Pet, a ailor; whoe preervation appears to have been no le marvellous than that of Trinculo or Stephano: and o great a terror did this tempet create in the minds of the people, that a form of prayer was ordered on the occaion, which is annexed to one of the publications above mentioned. There is reaon to believe that ome of our author’s dramas obtained their names from the eaons at which they were produced. It is not very eay to account for the title of Twelfth Night, but by uppoing it to have been firt exhibited in the Chritmas holydays. Neither the title of