Imo. Fidele, fir.

Cym. Thou art my good youth, my page;
I'll be thy mafter: Walk with me; fpeak freely.
[Cymbeline and Imogen walk afide.

Bel. Is not this boy reviv'd from death?
Arv. One fand another

Not more resembles: That sweet rofy lad,

Who dy'd, and was Fidele-What think you?

Guid. The fame dead thing alive. [forbear;

[humus,

Unless thou would'st grieve quickly-This Poft(Moft like a noble lord in love, and one

Bel. Peace, peace! fee further; he eyes us not; 10 That had a royal lover) took his hint;

Creatures may be alike; wer't he, I am fure

He would have spoke to us.

Guid. But we saw him dead.

Bel. Be filent; let's fee further.
Pif. It is my mistress:

And, not difpraifing whom he prais'd, (therein
He was as calm as virtue) he began

His miftrefs' picture; which by his tongue being
made,

[Afide. 15 And then a mind put in't, either our brags
Were crack'd of kitchen trulls, or his description
Prov'd us unfpeaking fots.

Since the is living, let the time run on,
To good or bad. [Cym. and Imogen come forward.
Cym. Come, ftand thou by our fide;
Make thy demand aloud.-Sir, ftep you forth;

Cym. Nay, nay, to the purpose.

Iach. Your daughter's chastity-there it begins.
[To Iachimo. 20 He spake of her, as Dian had hot dreams,
And the alone were cold: Whereat, I, wretch!
Made fcruple of his praise; and wager'd with him
Pieces of gold, 'gainst this which then he wore
Upon his honour'd finger to attain

Give answer to this boy, and do it freely;
Or, by our greatness, and the grace of it,
Which is our honour, bitter torture shall
Winnow the truth from falfehood.-On, speak to

him.

[der 25 In fuit the place of his bed, and win this ring By hers and mine adultery; he, true knight, No leffer of her honour confident

Imo. My boon is, that this gentleman may renOf whom he had this ring.

Than I did truly find her, ftakes this ring;
And would fo, had it been a carbuncle

30Of Phoebus' wheel; and might so safely, had it
Been all the worth of his car. Away to Britain
Poft I in this defign: Well may you, fir,
Remember me at court, where I was taught,
Of your chafte daughter the wide difference
35Twixt amorous and villainous. Being thus quench'd
Of hope, not longing, mine Italian brain
'Gan in your duller Britain operate
Moft vilely; for my 'vantage, excellent;
And, to be brief, my practice fo prevail'd,
That I return'd with fimular proof enough
To make the noble Leonatus mad,
By wounding his belief in her renown
With tokens thus, and thus; averring notes
Of chamber-hanging, pictures, this, her bracelet,

*Twixt sky and ground. Wilt thou hear more, my 40
Cym. All that belongs to this..
Lach. That paragon, thy daughter,

[fpirits

For whom my heart drops blood, and my falfe
Quail to remember,-Give me leave; I faint.

Cym. My daughter! what of her? Renew thy 45 (O, cunning, how I got it!) nay, fome marks

ftrength:

I had rather thou shouldft live while nature will,
Than die e'er I hear more; ftrive, man, and speak.
Iach. Upon a time, (unhappy was the clock
That ftruck the hour!) it was in Rome, (accurs'd 50
The manfion where !) 'twas at a feast, (O, 'would
Our viands had been poison'd! or, at least,
Those which I heav'd to head!) the good Poft-
humus

(What should I fay? he was too good, to be
Where ill men were; and was the best of all
Among the rar'ft of good ones) fitting fadly,
Hearing us praise our loves of Italy
For beauty that made barren the fwell'd boast

Of fecret on her perfon, that he could not
But think her bond of chastity quite crack'd,
I having ta'en the forfeit. Whereupon,-
Methinks I fee him now,-

[Coming forward.

Poft. Ay, so thou doft,
Italian fiend!-Ah me, moft credulous fool,
Egregious murderer, thief, any thing

That's due to all the villains paft, in being,
To come!-O, give me cord or knife or poifon,
55 Some upright jufticer! Thou, king, send out
For tortures ingenious: it is I

That all the abhorred things o' the earth amend,
By being worfe than they. I am Pofthumus,
That kill'd thy daughter:-villain-like, I lie;

Of him that beft could fpeak: for feature, laming 60 That caus'd a leffer villain than myself,

The shrine of Venus or straight-pight Minerva,

A facrilegious thief, to do't:-the temple

To queil is to fink into dejection. 2 i. e. the ancient statues of Venus and Minerva, which exceeded, in beauty of exact proportion, any living bodies, the work of brief nature, i. c. of hafty unelaborate nature.

Of

I left out one thing which the queen confefs'd,
Which must approve thee honeft: If Pifanio
Have, faid fhe, given his mistress that confection
Which I gave him for cordial, she is serv'd
As I would ferve a rat.

Cym. What's this, Cornelius?

Cor. The queen, fir, very oft importun'd me
To temper poifons for her; ftill pretending
The fatisfaction of her knowledge, only
In killing creatures vile, as cats and dogs,
Of no esteem; I, dreading that her purpose
Was of more danger, did compound for her
A certain ftuff, which being ta'en, would ceafe
The prefent power of life; but, in short time,
All offices of nature should again

Do their due functions.-Have you ta'en of it?
Imo. Moft like I did, for I was dead.

Imu. Why did you throw your wedded lady from Think that you are upon a rock; and now

Throw me again.

Poft. Hang there like fruit, my foul,

Till the tree die!

Cym. How now, my flesh, my child?

What, mak'st thou me a dullard 3 in this act?

Wilt thou not speak to me?

Imo. Your bleffing, fir.

Bel. Though you did love this youth, I blame

you not;

Guid. Let me end the story:

I flew him there.

Cym. Marry, the gods forefend!

I would not thy good deeds fhould from my lips Pluck a hard fentence: pr'ythee, valiant youth, 30 Deny 't again.

Guid. I have fpoke it, and I did it.

Cym. He was a prince.

[me

Guid. A moft uncivil one: The wrongs he did
Were nothing prince-like; for he did provoke me
35 With language that would make me fpurn the fea,
If it could fo roar to me: I cut off's head;
And am right glad, he is not standing here
To tell this tale of mine.

Cym. I am forry for thee:

40 By thine own tongue thou art condemn'd, and must Endure our law: Thou art dead.

Imo. That headless man

I thought had been my lord.

Cym. Bind the offender,

45 And take him from our prefence.

Bel. Stay, fir king:

This man is better than the man he flew,
As well defcended as thyself; and hath
More of thee merited, than a band of Clotens
50 Had ever fcar for.-Let his arms alone;

They were not born for bondage.
Cym. Why, old foldier,

[To the guard.

Wilt thou undo the worth thou art unpaid for,
55 By tafting of our wrath? How of defcent
As good as we?

Arv. In that he spake too far.
Cym. And thou shalt die for't.
Bel. We will die all three :

[Kneeling. 60 But I will prove, that two of us are as good
As I have given out him.-My fons, I must,
For my own part, unfold a dangerous speech,

1 i.e. Virtue herself. 2 This wild and delirious perturbation. Staggers is the horse's apoplexy. 3 Adullard in this place means a perfon ftupidly unconcerned.

Though,

Though, haply, well for you.
Aru. Your danger's ours.

Guid. And our good his.

Bel. Have at it then.

It was a mark of wonder.

Bel. This is he;

Who hath upon him still that natural stamp;
It was wife nature's end in the donation,

By leave;―Thou had'st, great king, a subject, who 5 To be his evidence now.

Was call'd Belarius.

Cym. What of him? he is

A banish'd traitor.

Bel. He it is, that hath

Affum'd this age: indeed, a banish'd man;

I know not how, a traitor.

Cym. Take him hence;

The whole world shall not fave him.

Bel. Not too hot:

First pay me for the nurfing of thy fons;
And let it be confifcate all, so soon

As I have receiv'd it.

Cym. Nurfing of my fons ?

Bel. I am too blunt and faucy: Here's my knee;
Ere I arife, I will prefer my sons;
Then, fpare not the old father. Mighty fir,
These two young gentlemen, that call me father,
And think they are my fons, are none of mine;
They are the iffue of your loins, my liege,
And blood of your begetting.

Cym. How! my iffue!

Bel. So fure as you your father's. I, old Morgan,
Am that Belarius whom you fometime banish'd:
Your pleasure was my near1 offence,my punishment
Itfelf, and all my treafon; that I suffer'd,

Was all the harm I did. These gentle princes
(For such and so they are) these twenty years
Have I train'd up: thofe arts they have, as I
Could put into them; my breeding was, fir, as
Your highness knows. Their nurse, Euriphile,
Whom for the theft I wedded, ftole these children
Upon my banishment: I mov'd her to 't;
Having receiv'd the punishment before,
For that which I did then: Beaten for loyalty
Excited me to treafon: Their dear lofs,
The more of you 'twas felt, the more it shap'd
Unto my end of stealing them.. But, gracious fir,
Here are your fons again; and I must lofe
Two of the sweet'ft companions in the world:-
The benediction of these covering heavens
Fall on their heads like dew! for they are worthy
To inlay heaven with stars.

Cym. Thou weep'ft and speak'ft.

The fervice, that you three have done, is more
Unlike than this thou tell'ft: I loft my children;

If these be they, I know not how to wish

A pair of worthier fons.

Bel. Be pleas'd a while.

This gentleman, whom I call Polydore,

Moft worthy prince, as yours, is true Guiderius:
This gentleman, my Cadwal, Arviragus,

Your younger princely fon; he, fir, was lap'd
In a moft curious mantle, wrought by the hand
Of his queen mother, which, for more probation,
I can with ease produce.

Cym. Guiderius had

Upon his neck a mole, a fanguine star;

Cym. O, what am I

A mother to the birth of three? Ne'er mother Rejoic'd deliverance more :-Bleft may you be, That, after this ftrange starting from your orbs, 10 You may reign in them now!-O Imogen, Thou haft loft by this a kingdom.

When you were so indeed.

Cym. Did you e'er meet?

Arv. Ay, my good lord.

Guid. And at firft meeting lov'd;

Continued fo, until we thought he died.

Cor. By the queen's dram the swallow'd.
Cym. O rare instinct!

When fhall I hear all through? This fierce
abridgment

Hath to it circumftantial branches, which
Diftinction fhould be rich in.Where? how

liv'd you?

And when came you to ferve our Roman captive? 30 How parted with your brothers? how first met them?

Why fled you from the court? and whither? Thefe,
And your three motives to the battle, with

I know not how much more, fhould be demanded; 35 And all the other by-dependancies,

From chance to chance; but nor the time, nor place,
Will ferve our long intergatories. See,
Pofthumus anchors upon Imogen;

And fhe, like harmless lightning, throws her eye,
40 On him, her brothers, me, her mafter; hitting
Each object with a joy: the counter-change
Is feverally in all. Let's quit this ground,
And smoke the temple with our facrifices.→→→→→→
Thou art my brother; So we'll hold thee ever.
[To Belarius.

145

Imo. You are my father too; and did relieve me To fee this gracious feafon.

Cym. All o'er-joy'd,

Save thefe in bonds: let them be joyful too,

50 For they fhall taste our comfort.

Imo. My good master,

I will yet do you service.

Luc. Happy be you!

Cym. The forlorn foldier, that so nobly fought,

55 He would have well becom'd this place, and grac'd The thankings of a king.

Peft. I am, fir,

The foldier that did company these three
In poor befeeming; 'twas a fitment for
60 The purpose I then follow'd :-That I was he,
Speak, Iachimo; I had you down, and might
Have made you finish.

1 Meere is very properly propofed by Mr. Tyrwhitt.

a Fierce is vehement, rapid.

Iach,

Iach. I am down again :

But now my heavy conscience sinks my knee,

[Kneels.
As then your force did. Take that life, befeech you,
Which I so often owe: but your ring first;
And here the bracelet of the truest princess,
That ever fwore her faith.

Poft. Kneel not 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.

Cym. Nobly doom'd:

We'll learn our freeness of a fon-in-law;
Pardon's the word to all.

Arv. You holp us, fir.

As you did mean indeed to be our brother;
Joy'd are we, that you are,

Poft. Your fervant, princes.Good my lord
of Rome,

5

To pay our wonted tribute, from the which
We were diffuaded by our wicked queen;
On whom heaven's justice (both on her, and her's)
Hath lay'd most heavy hand.

Sooth. The fingers of the powers above do tune
The harmony of this peace. The vifion
Which I made known to Lucius, ere the stroke
Of this yet scarce-cold battle, at this inftant
Is full accomplished: For the Roman eagle,
10 From fouth to weft on wing foaring aloft,
Leffen'd herself, and in the beams o' the fun
So vanish'd: which fore-fhew'd, our princely eagle,
The imperial Cæfar, fhould again unite
His favour with the radiant Cymbeline,

15 Which fhines here in the weft.
Cym. Laud we the gods;

And let our crooked smokes climb to their noftrils
From our bleft altars! Publifh we this peace
To all our fubjects. Set we forward: Let

Call forth your foothsayer: As I slept, methought,|20|A Roman and a British ensign wave

Great Jupiter, upon his eagle back'd,

Appear'd to me, with other sprightly shews'

Of mine own kindred: when I wak'd, I found
This label on my bofom; whofe containing
If fo from fenfe in hardness, that I can

Make no collection 2 of it: let him fhew
His skill in the construction.

Luc. Philarmonus,

Sooth. Here, my good lord.

Luc. Read, and declare the meaning.
Soothsayer reads.

Friendly together: fo thro' Lud's town march;
And in the temple of great Jupiter

Our peace we'll ratify; feal it with feasts.
Set on there :-Never was a war did ceafe,

25 Ere bloody hands were wash'd, with fuch a peace.

30

"When as a lion's whelp shall to himself "unknown, without seeking find, and be em"brac'd by a piece of tender air; and when from 66 a ftately cedar fhall be lopt branches, which, 35 "being dead many years, fhall after revive, be "joined to the old stock, and freshly grow; then "fhall Pofthumus end his miferies, Britain be "fortunate, and flourish in peace and plenty." Thou, Leonatus, art the lion's whelp; The fit and apt conftruction of thy name, Being Leo-natus, doth import so much;

40

[Exeunt omnes.

A SONG, fung by Guiderius and Arviragus evớ
Fidele, fuppofed to be dead.

By Mr. WILLIAM COLLINS.

I.

To fair Fidele's graffy tomb,

Soft maids and village binds fhall bring
Each op'ning freet, of earliest bloom,
And rifle all the breathing spring.

2.

No wailing ghoft shall dare appear

To vex with fhrieks this quiet grove:
But fhepherd-lads assemble bere,
And melting virgins own their love.

3.

No wither'd witch shall here be feen,
No goblins lead their nightly crew:
The female fays fhall haunt the green,
And drefs thy grave with pearly dew.

4.

The red-breaft oft' at ev'ning hours
Shall kindly lend bis little aid,
With boary mofs, and gather'd flowers,
To deck the ground where thou art laid.

5.

When bowling winds, and beating rain,
In tempefts fake the fylvan cell;

Or midft the chace on ev'ry plain,
The tender thought on thee fball dwell.

6.

Each lonely feene fball thee reflore;
For thee the tear be duly fhed:
Belov'd, till life could charm no more;
And mourn'd, till pity's feif be dead.

1 Sprightly fhews are ghoftly appearances; but should be read Spritely fhews. Corollary, a confequence deduced from premises.

2 A collection is

KING

Knights attending on the King, Officers, Messengers, Soldiers, and Attendants.

The map there.-Know, that we have divided In three our kingdom: and 'tis our faft intent 20 To fhake all cares and bufinefs from our age;

Cariofity is fcrupulousness, or captiousness. 2 The strict sense of the word moiety is balf, one of wo equal parts; but Shakspeare commonly uses it for any part or divifion. Bot for indirect, oblique. 4 Conftant is firm, determined.

30