Gui. And at first meeting loved;
Continued so, until we thought he died.

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

When shall I hear all through? This fierce* abridgment
Hath to it circumstantial branches, which

Distinction should be rich in. †-Where? how lived you?
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;
And all the other by-dependencies,

From chance to chance; but nor the time, nor place,
Will serve our long inter'gatories. See,
Posthúmus anchors upon Imogen;

And she, like harmless lightning, throws her eye
On him, her brothers, me, her master; hitting
Each object with a joy; the counterchange
Is severally in all. Let's quit this ground,
And smoke the temple with our sacrifices.-
Thou art my brother; So we'll hold thee ever.
Imo. You are my father too: and did relieve me,
To see this gracious season.

Cym. All overjoy'd,

Save these in bonds; let them be joyful too,

For they shall taste our comfort.

Imo. My good master,

I will yet do you service.

Luc. Happy be you!

[TO BELARIUS.

Cym. The forlorn soldier, that so nobly fought, He would have well becomed this place, and graced The thankings of a king.

Post. I am, Sir,

The soldier that did company these three

In poor beseeming; 'twas a fitment for

The purpose I then follow'd ;-that I was he,
Speak, Iachimo; I had you down, and might
Have made you finish.

Iach. I am down again:

But now my heavy conscience sinks my knee,

As then your force did. Take that life, 'beseech you,
Which I so often owe: but, your ring first;

And here the bracelet of the truest princess,
That ever swore her faith.

Post. 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:

* Rapid.

† I. e. be rendered distinct by an ample narrative. VOL. IV. S

[Kneeling.

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

Arv. You holp us, Sir,

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

Post. Your servant, princes.-Good my lord of Rome,
Call forth your soothsayer: As I slept, methought,
Great Jupiter, upon his eagle back,

Appear'd to me, with other sprightly shows*
Of mine own kindred: When I waked, I found
This label on my bosom; whose containing
Is so from sense in hardness, that I can
Make no collection + of it; let him show
His skill in the construction.

Luc. Philarmonus,

Sooth. Here, my good lord.

Luc. Read; and declare the meaning.

Sooth. [reads]. When as a lion's whelp shall, to himself unknown, without seeking find, and be embraced by a piece of tender air; and when from a stately cedar shall be lopp'd branches, which, being dead many years, shall after revive, be jointed to the old stock, and freshly grow; then shall Posthumus end his miseries, Britain 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 aer

We term it mulier: which mulier, I divine,
Is this most constant wife; who, even now,
Answering the letter of the oracle,

Unknown to you, unsought, were clipp'd about
With this most tender air.

Cym. This hath some seeming.

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 revived, To the majestic cedar join'd; whose issue Promises Britain peace and plenty.

Cym. Well,

My peace we will begin :-And, Caius Lucius,
Although the victor, we submit to Cæsar,
And to the Roman empire; promising
To pay our wonted tribute, from the which
We were dissuaded by our wicked queen;
Whom heavens, in justice (both on her and hers),
Have laid most heavy hand.

Sooth. The fingers of the powers above do tune
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

* Ghostly appearances.

† Collected meaning.

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 sun
So vanish'd: which foreshow'd our princely eagle,
The imperial Cæsar, should again unite

His favour with the radiant Cymbeline
Which shines here in the west.

Cym. Laud we the gods;

And let our crooked smokes climb* to their nostrils
From our bless'd altars! Publish we this peace
To all our subjects. Set we forward: Let

A Roman and a British ensign wave

Friendly together: so through Lud's town march:
And in the temple of great Jupiter

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

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

* Rise.

[Exeunt.

ន ខ

SCENE I-A Room of State in King LEAR'S Palace.

Enter KENT, GLOSTER, and EDMUND.

Kent. I thought, the king had more affected the duke of Albany, than Cornwall.

Glo. It did always seem so to us: but now, in the division of the kingdom, it appears not which of the dukes he values most; for equalities are so weigh'd, that curiosity* in neither can make choice of either's moiety.t

Kent. Is not this your son, my lord?

Glo. His breeding, Sir, hath been at my charge: I have so often blush'd to acknowledge him, that now I am brazed to it. Kent. I cannot conceive you.

Glo. Sir, this young fellow's mother could: whereupon she grew round-wombed; and had, indeed, Sir, a son for her cradle, ere she had a husband for her bed. Do you smell a fault?

Kent. I cannot wish the fault undone, the issue of it being so proper.‡

Glo. But I have, Sir, a son by order of law, some year elder than this, who yet is no dearer in my account: though this knave came somewhat saucily into the world before he was sent for, yet was his mother fair; there was good sport at his making, Scrupulous nicety.

† Part.

+ Handsome.

and the whoreson must be acknowledged.-Do you know this noble gentleman, Edmund ?

Edm. No, my lord.

Glo. My lord of Kent: remember him hereafter as my honourable friend.

Edm. My services to your lordship.

Kent. I must love you, and sue to know you better.

Edm. Sir, I shall study deserving.

Glo. He hath been out nine years, and away he shall again: -The king is coming.

[Trumpets sound within. Enter LEAR, CORNWALL, ALBANY, GONERIL, REGAN, CORDELIA, and Attendants.

Lear. Attend the lords of France and Burgundy,

Gloster.

Glo. I shall, my liege. [Exeunt GLOSTER and EDMUND. Lear. Meantime we shall express our darker* purpose.

Give me the map there.-Know, that we have divided,

In three, our kingdom: and 'tis our fast intent†

To shake all cares and business from our age;

Conferring them on younger strengths, while we
Unburden'd crawl toward death.-Our son of Cornwall,
And you, our no less loving son of Albany,

We have this hour a constant will to publish

Our daughters' several dowers, that future strife

May be prevented now. The princes, France and Burgundy,

Great rivals in our youngest daughter's love,

Long in our court have made their amorous sojourn,

And here are to be answer'd.-Tell me, my daughters (Since now we will divest us, both of rule,

Interest of territory, cares of state),

Which of you, shall we say, doth love us most?

That we our largest bounty may extend

Where merit doth most challenge it.-Goneril,
Our eldest-born, speak first.

Gon. Sir, I

Do love you more than words can wield the matter;
Dearer than eye-sight, space and liberty;

Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;

No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour:
As much as child e'er loved, or father found.

A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable;
Beyond all manner of so much § 1 love you.

Cor. What shall Cordelia do? Love, and be silent.
Lear. Of all these bounds, even from this line to this,
With shadowy forests and with champains || rich'd,
With plenteous rivers and wide-skirted meads,
We make thee lady: To thine and Albany's issue
Be this perpetual.-What says our second daughter,
Our dearest Regan, wife to Cornwall? Speak.
Reg. I am made of that self metal as my sister,
+ Resolution.
Beyond all definable quantity.

* Not as yet divulged.

[Aside.

Firm purpose. Open plains.