COR. Your daughter, whom she bore in hand to

love 2

With such integrity, she did confess

Was as a scorpion to her sight; whose life,
But that her flight prevented it, she had
Ta'en off by poison.

Сум.

O most delicate fiend!

Who is't can read a woman ?-Is there more?
COR. More, sir, and worse. She did confess, she
had

For you a mortal mineral: which, being took,
Should by the minute feed on life, and, ling'ring,
By inches waste you: In which time she purpos'd,
By watching, weeping, tendance, kissing, to
O'ercome you with her show: yes, and in time3,
(When she had fitted you with her craft,) to work
Her son into the adoption of the crown.
But failing of her end by his strange absence,
Grew shameless-desperate; open'd, in despite
Of heaven and men, her purposes; repented
The evils she hatch'd were not effected; so,
Despairing, died.

CYM.

Heard you all this, her women? LADY. We did so, please your highness.

CYM. Mine eyes

4

Were not in fault, for she was beautiful;

Mine ears, that heard her flattery; nor my heart, That thought her like her seeming; it had been vicious,

2

bore in hand To LOVE-] i. e. insidiously taught to depend on her love. See vol. ix. p. 38, n. 9. STEEVENS.

3

-

YES, and in time,] Thus the second folio. The first, injuriously to the metre, omits-yes. STEEVENS.

4 Mine eyes -] Sir Thomas Hanmer, very adroitly, in my opinion, supplies the syllable here wanting to the metre, by reading:

Yet, mine eyes," &c. STEEVENS.

To have mistrusted her: yet, O my daughter!
That it was folly in me, thou may'st say,
And prove it in thy feeling. Heaven mend all!
Enter LUCIUS, IACHIMO, the Soothsayer, and other
Roman Prisoners, guarded; PoSTHUMUS behind,
and IMOGEN.

Thou com'st not, Caius, now for tribute; that
The Britons have raz'd out, though with the loss
Of many a bold one; whose kinsmen have made

suit,

That their good souls may be appeas'd with slaugh

ter

Of you their captives, which ourself have granted: So, think of your estate.

Luc. Consider, sir, the chance of war: the day Was yours by accident; had it gone with us,

We should not, when the blood was cool, have threaten'd

Our prisoners with the sword. But since the gods
Will have it thus, that nothing but our lives
May be call'd ransom, let it come: sufficeth,
A Roman with a Roman's heart can suffer:
Augustus lives to think on't: And so much
For my peculiar care. This one thing only
I will entreat; My boy, a Briton born,
Let him be ransom'd: never master had
A page so kind, so duteous, diligent,
So tender over his occasions, true,

So feat, so nurse-like: let his virtue join
With my request, which, I'll make bold, your high-

ness

Cannot deny; he hath done no Briton harm,
Though he have serv'd a Roman: save him, sir,
And spare no blood beside.

5 So feat,] So ready; so dexterous in waiting. JOHNSON. VOL. XIII.

P

Сум.

6

I have surely seen him:

His favour is familiar to me.-Boy,

Thou hast look'd thyself into my grace,

And art mine own.-I know not why, nor wherefore,

To say, live, boy7: ne'er thank thy master; live:
And ask of Cymbeline what boon thou wilt,
Fitting my bounty, and thy state, I'll give it;
Yea, though thou do demand a prisoner,
The noblest ta'en.

IMO.

I humbly thank your highness. Luc. I do not bid thee beg my life, good lad; And yet, I know, thou wilt.

IMO.
No, no: alack,
There's other work in hand; I see a thing
Bitter to me as death: your life, good master,
Must shuffle for itself.

Luc.

The boy disdains me,

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?

Сум.

What would'st thou, boy? 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? IMO. He is a Roman; no more kin to me,

Than I to your highness; who, being born your

vassal,

Am something nearer.

CYM.

Wherefore ey'st him so?

6 His FAVOUR is familiar-] I am acquainted with his countenance. JOHNSON.

7 I know not why, NOR wherefore,

To say, live, boy:] I know not what should induce me to say, live, boy. The word nor was inserted by Mr. Rowe. The late editions have-I say, &c. MALONE.

IMO. I'll tell you, sir, in private, if you please To give me hearing.

CYM.

Ay, with all my heart,

And lend my best attention. What's thy name ?

IMO. Fidele, sir.

Сум. 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?

One sand another

ARV.
Not more resembles: That sweet rosy lad,
Who died, and was Fidele :-What think you?
GUI. The same dead thing alive.

BEL. Peace, peace! see further; he eyes us not; forbear;

Creatures may be alike: were't he, I am sure

He would have spoke to us.

GUI.

BEL. Be silent; let's see further.
PIs.

But we saw him dead.

It is my

mistress:

[Aside.

Since she is living, let the time run on,

To good, or bad.

Сум.

[CYMBELINE and IMOGEN come forward. Come, stand thou by our side;

Make thy demand aloud.-Sir, [To IACH.] step

you forth;

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 falsehood. On, speak to him.
IMO. My boon is, that this gentleman may render
Of whom he had this ring.

8 reviv'd FROM DEATH ?] The words-from death, which spoil the measure, are an undoubted interpolation. From what else but death could Imogen, in the opinion of Belarius, have revived? STEEVENS.

FOST.

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 Which, to be spoke, would torture thee.

Сум.

How! me?

IACH. I am glad to be constrain'd to utter that

which 9

Torments me to conceal.

By villainy

I got this ring; 'twas Leonatus' jewel:

Whom thou didst banish; and (which more may grieve thee,

As it doth me,) a nobler sir ne'er liv'd

"Twixt sky and ground. Wilt thou hear more, my

lord1?

CYM. All that belongs to this.

Іасн.

That paragon, thy daughter,— For whom my heart drops blood, and my false

spirits

Quail to remember 2,-Give me leave; I faint.

9 which] Mr. Ritson (and I perfectly agree with him) is of opinion that this pronoun should be omitted, as in elliptical language, on similar occasions, is often known to have been the case. How injurious this syllable is to the present measure, I think no reader of judgment can fail to perceive. STEEVENS.

If we lay an emphasis on that, it will be an hypermetrical line of eleven syllables. There is scarcely a page in Fletcher's plays where this sort of versification is not to be found. BosWELL. Wilt thou HEAR more, my lord? &c.] The metre will become perfectly regular if we read:

I

""Twixt sky and ground. Wilt more, my lord?

66

"Cym.
'Belongs to this.

"Iach. That paragon, thy daughter-."

All that

In elliptical language, such words as-thou hear, are frequently omitted; but the players, or transcribers, as in former instances, were unsatisfied till the metre was destroyed by the insertion of whatever had been purposely left out. STEEVENS.

2 QUAIL to remember,] To quail is to sink into dejection. The word is common to many authors. So, in The Three Ladies of