He leaves me, scorns me : Briefly die their joys, That place them on the truth of girls and boys.— Why stands he so perplex'd? Cym. What would'st thou, hoy? I love thee more and more; think more and more What's best to ask. Know'st him thou look'st on? speak, Wilt have him live? Is he thy kin? thy friend? Ay, with all my heart, Cym. Thou art my good youth, my page; I'll be thy master: Walk with me; speak freely. (Cymbeline and Imogen converse apart.) Bel. Is not this boy reviv'd from death? Arv. One sand another Not more resembles: That sweet rosy lad, Who died, and was Fidele:- What think you? Gui. The same dead thing alive. forbear: Bel. Peace, peace! see further; he eyes us not; Creatures may be alike: were't he, I am sure He would have spoke to us. Gui. But we saw him dead. Give answer to this boy, and do it freely; Post. What's that to him? (Aside.) Cym. That diamond upon your finger, say, How came it yours? Iach. Thou'lt torture me to leave unspoken that As it doth me,) a nobler sir ne'er liv'd I had rather thou should'st live while nature will, For beauty that made barren the swell'd boast | Come to the matter. thomas, His mistress' picture; which by his tongue bei And then a mind put in't, either our brags Were crack'd of kitchen trulls, or his description Prov'd us unspeaking sots. Cym. In suit the place of his bed, and win this ring Post. Ay, so thou dost, (Coming forward) page, villain Imo. Peace, my lord: hear, bearPost. Shall's have a play of this? Thon scord There lie thy part. (Striking her: she fails" O, gentlemen, help, help Mine, and your mistress:-0. my lord Posthumal You ne'er kill'd Imogen till now :-Help, help Mine honour'd lady! Pis. Cym. Does the world go round Post. How come these staggers on me? Pis. Wake, my mistress Cym. If this be so, the gods do mean to strike To death with mortal joy Pis. How fares my mistress? | By thine own tongue thou art condemn'd, and must Imo. O, get thee from my sight; Thou gav'st me poison: dangerous fellow, hence! Breathe not where princes are. Cym. Pis. Lady, The tune of Imogen! The gods throw stones of sulphur on me, if That box I gave you was not thought by me A precious thing: I had it from the queen. Cym. New matter still? Imo. Cor. It poison'd me. O gods!I left out one thing, which the queen confess'd, Which must approve thee honest: If Pisanio Have, said she, given his mistress that confection Which I gave him for cordial, she is serv'd As I would serve a rat. Cym What's this, Cornelius? Cor. The queen, sir, very oft importun'd me A certain stuff, which, being ta'en, would cease Do their due functions.-Have you ta'en of it? There was our error. Gui. I thought had been my lord. Cym. That headless man Bind the offender, And take him from our presence. Bel. Stay, sir king; This man is better than the man he slew, They were not born for bondage. (To the guard.) Why, old soldier, Wilt thou undo the worth thou art unpaid for, By tasting of our wrath? How of descent As good as we? Arv. In that he spake too far. Cym. And thou shalt die for't. Rel. We will die all three : This is sure, Fidele. [you? A banish'd traitor. He it is, that hath Imo. Why did you throw your wedded lady from Think, that you are upon a rock; and now Throw me again. Post. fill the tree die! Cym. (Embracing him.) Hang there like fruit, my soul, How now, my flesh, my child? A hat, mak'st thou me a dullard in this act? Vilt thou not speak to me? Imo. Your blessing, sir. (Kneeling.) Bel. Though you did love this youth, I blame ye not; (to Guiderius and Arviragus.) en had a motive for it. Cym My tears, that fall, 'rove holy water on thee! Imogen, by mother's dead. brio. Cym. O, she was naught; and 'long of her it was, hat we meet bere so strangely: But her son gone, we know not how, nor where. Pis. I am sorry for't, my lord. My lord, low fear is from me, I'll speak truth. Lord Cloten, pon my lady's missing, came to me [swore, With his sword drawn; foam'd at the mouth, and 'I discover'd not which way she was gone, was my instant death: By accident, bad a feigned letter of my master's hen in my pocket; which directed him seek her on the mountains near to Milford; There, in a frenzy, in my master's garments, Thach be enforc'd from me, away he posts its unchaste purpose, and with oaths to violate ly lady's honour: what became of him, further know not. Bel. Assum'd this age: indeed, a banish'd man; I know not how, a traitor. Cym. Not too hot: Take him hence; Сут. Then, spare not the old father. Mighty sir, How! my issue? The more of you 'twas felt, the more it shap'd Be pleas'd a while.- Arv. Ay, my good lord. Gui. Did you e'er meet? And at first meeting lov'd; Continued so, until we thought he died. Cor. By the queen's dram she swallow'd. Cym. O rare instinct! [ment When shall I hear all through? This fierce abridgeHath to it circumstantial brauches, which [you? Distinction should be rich in.-Where? how liv'd And when came you to serve our Roman captive? How parted with your brothers? how first met them? Why fled you from the court? and whither? These, And your three motives to the battle, with I know not how much more, should be demanded; From chance to chance; but nor the time, nor place, And she, like harmless lightning, throws her eye Cym. All o'erjoy'd, Save these in bouds; let them be joyful too, For they shall taste our comfort. Imo. I will yet do you service. Luc. My good master, Happy be you! Cym. The forlorn soldier, that so nobly fought, He would have well becom'd this place, and grac'd The thankings of a king. Post. I am, sir, The soldier, that did company these three Iach. Post. Kneel pot to me; The power, that I have on you, is to spare you; The malice towards you, to forgive you: Live, And deal with others better. Sooth. Here, my good lord. Luc. Read, and declare the meaning Sooth. (Reads.) When as a lion's whelp, shall t himself unknown, without seeking find, and be embraced by a piece of tender air; and when from a stately cedar shall be lopped branches, which, being dead many years, shall after rect be jointed to the old stock, and freshly gr then shall Posthumus end his miseries. Brits be fortunate, and flourish in peace and plenty Thou, Leonatus, art the lion's whelp; The fit and apt construction of thy name, Being Leo-natus, doth import so much : The piece of tender air, thy virtuous daughter, (To Cymbeline Which we call mollis aer; and mollis air Sooth. The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline, Personates thee: and thy lopp'd branches point Thy two sons forth; who, by Belarius stolen, For many years thought dead, are now reviv'd, To the majestic cedar join'd; whose issue Promises Britain peace and plenty. Cym. Well, My peace we will begin:-And, Cairs Lucius, Although the victor, we submit to Cæsar, And to the Roman empire; promising Το pay our wonted tribute, from the which We were dissuaded by our wicked queen: Whom heavens, in justice, (both on her, and her) Have laid most heavy hand. Sooth. The fingers of the powers above do te The harmony of this peace. The vision Which I made known to Lucius, ere the stroke Of this yet scarce-cold battle, at this instant Is full accomplish'd: For the Roman eagle, From south to west on wing soaring aloft, Lessen'd herself, and in the beams o'the san So vanish'd: which foreshew'd our princely eagle, The imperial Cæsar, should again unite His favour with the radiant Cymbeline, Which shines here in the west. tiers; I ners. Feat Minsheu interprets, fine, neat, brave. Id. l. 8. mistress. to his mistress,] means-as to his Id. l. 32. "the gentleman," the queen, &c. STEE- I SCENE II. I do not fear my father, so far as I may say say it without breach of duty. Id. l. 26. i. e. he gives me a valuable consideration in new kindness (purchasing, as it were, the wrong I have done him), in order to renew our amity, and make us friends again. MA LONE. Still seem, as does the king's.] This passage P. 428, c. 1, l. 4. Always reserv'd my holy duty.)] is so difficult, that commentators may differ concerning it without animosity or shame. am now to tell my opinion, which is, that the lines stand as they were originally written, and that a paraphrase, such as the licentious and abrupt expressions of our author too frequently require, will make emendation unnecessary. We do not meet a man but frowns; our bloods -our countenances, which, in popular speech, are said to be regulated by the temper of the blood, no more obey the laws of heaven,— which direct us to appear what we really are, -than our courtiers :—that is, than the bloods of our courtiers; but our bloods, like theirs, -still seem as doth the king's. JOHNSON. Mr. Malone reads น than our courtiers Still seem," &c. Id 434. You speak him far.] i. e. you praise him extensively. 142. Tenantius,] was the father of Cymbeline, and nephew of Cassibelan, being the younger son of his elder brother Lud, king of the southern part of Britain; on whose death Cassibelan was admitted king. Cassibelan repulsed the Romans on their first attack, but being vanquished by Julins Cæsar on his second invasion of Britain, he agreed to pay an annual tribute to Rome. After his death, Tenantius, Lud's younger son (his elder brother Androgeus having filed to Rome) was established on the throne, of which they had been unjustly deprived by their uncle. According to some autho rities, Tenantius quietly paid the tribute stipulated by Cassibelan; according to others, he refused to pay it, and warred with the Romans. Shakspeare supposes the latter to be the truth. Id c. 2. 5. Liv'd in court, (Which rare it is to do), most prais'd, most lov'd:] This encomium is high and artful. To be at once in any great degree loved and praised, is truly rare. JOHNSON. Id 1.7. A glass that feated them ;] A glass that formed them; a model by the contemplation and inspection of which they formed their man Id. l. 42. While sense can keep it on! i. e. while sense can maintain its operations; while Subdues all pangs, all fears.] i. e. a more exquisite feeling; a superior sensation. Id. 175. a puttock. A Puttock is a mean degenerate species of hawk, too worthless to c. 2. l. 6. deserve training. Id. Id. overbuys me Almost the sum he pays.] So small is my value, and so great is his, that in the purchase he has made (for which he paid himself), for much the greater part, and nearly the whole, of what he has given, he has nothing in return. The most minute portion of his worth would be 1. 20. your best advice.] i. e. consideration, too high a price for the wife he has acquired. reflection. P. 429, c. 1, l. 8. Id. SCENE III. her beauty and her brain go not together :] believe the lord means to speak a sentence, "Sir, as I told you always, beauty and brain go not together." JOHNSON. 1. 9 She's a good sign, but I have seen small reflection of her wit.] She has a fair outside, a specious appearance, but no wit. But to understand the whole force of Shakspeare's idea, it should be remembered, that anciently almost every sign had a motto, or some attempt at a witticism underneath it. ten with ter suited to rouons of itler ex To con X-Dade betion. told. Posthumus Tase on was the rot her other as wem I Yer with de "aptures wards Id. 1. 72 ACT II -kissed the jack upon an oj st He is describe his fale at bus is the small bow, at which the whors Are A Te He who is Dearest to i was. T. Kas the jait is a state of great advantage. P. 433, c.1. 7. 20 — every compan- The use of comp in was the same as of fel It was a word of contempt now. Id. c. 2,1 5. SCENE 11. press the rashes. It was the enstom in the time of our author to st chambers with rushes, as we now exet the with carpets. Id 1. 13. Under these wows:" i e, her eyelida Id. 1.33. -like the crimson drops Ithe bottom of a corship contains the smallest out of a thousand proce This have that Shakspeare was an observer of Laine, though, in this instanee, no very accurate m scriber of it, for the drops alluded to are of deep yellow. STEEVENS. Id. 1. 43. you dragons of the night! The task of drawing the chariot of night was assigned dragons, on account of their supposed watch fulness. SCENE III. Id 1. 76. His steeds to water at those springs 1. e. the On chalic'd flowers that lies:) morning sun dries up the dew which lies in the eups of flowers: The cup of a flower is calet calir, whence chalice. P. 434. c. 1, 7. 2 And winking Mary-buds begin Το ope their golden eyes; The manga is supposed to shut itself up at sun-set Id 1 7. I will consider your music the bet ter: i. e. I will pay you more amply for it. Id. 1.29. To orderly solicits: i e. regular counship after the established fashion. Id. 1.45. And towards himself his goodness forespent on us We must extend our notice. That is. must extend towards himself our notice of his goodness heretofore shown to us. has many similar ellipses. Our auth th 1d. 157. false themselves.] Perhaps, Id 1 35. The contract, &c.] Here Shakspeare has of one Who can't take two from twenty, for his heart, And leave eighteen—.” His argument is just and well enforced, and prevalence is allowed throughout all civi tions: as for rudeness, he seems not to be mock. endermatched. JOHNSON. |