In fuch a time, nothing becoming you,
Nor fatisfying us.

Arv. It is not likely,

6

That when they hear the Roman horfes neigh,
Behold their quarter'd fires, have both their eyes
And ears fo cloy'd importantly as now,

That they will wafte their time upon our note,
To know from whence we are.

Bel. O, I am known

Of many in the army: many years,

Though Cloten then but young, you fee, not wore

him

From my remembrance. And, befides, the king
Hath not deferv'd my fervice, nor your loves;
Who find in my exile the want of breeding,
The certainty of this hard life; aye hopeless
To have the courtefy your cradle promis'd,
But to be still hot fummer's tanlings, and
The shrinking flaves of winter.

Guid. Than be fo,

Better to cease to be. Pray, fir, to the army:
I and my brother are not known; yourself,
So out of thought, and thereto fo o'er-grown,
Cannot be question'd.

Arv. By this fun that shines,

I'll thither: What thing is it, that I never
Did fee man die? fcarce ever look'd on blood,

But that of coward hares, hot goats, and venifon?
Never beftrid a horse, fave one, that had

A rider like myself, who ne'er wore rowel
Nor iron on his heel? I am afham'd

To look upon the holy fun, to have

The benefit of his bleft beams, remaining

So long a poor unknown.

Guid. By heavens, I'll go :

their quarter'd fires,-] Their fires regularly difpofed.

JOHNSON.

If

If you will blefs me, fir, and give me leave,
I'll take the better care; but if you will not,
The hazard therefore due fall on me, by
The hands of Romans!

Arv. So fay I; Amen.

Bel. No reafon I, fince of your lives you fet So flight a valuation, should reserve

My crack'd one to more care. Have with you, boys: If in your country wars you chance to die,

That is my bed too, lads, and there I'll lie:

Lead, lead.-The time feems long; their blood thinks fcorn,

'Till it fly out, and fhew them princes born.

[Afide.

[Exeunt.

ACT V. SCENE I.

A field, between the British and Roman camps. Enter Pofthumus, with a bloody handkerchief. Poft. Yea, bloody cloth, I'll keep thee; for I wifh'd'

8

Thou

bloody handkerchief] The bloody token of Imogen's death, which Pifanio in the foregoing act determined to fend. JOHNSON.

Yea, bloody cloth, &c.] This is a foliloquy of nature, uttered when the effervefcence of a mind agitated and perturbed fpontaneously and inadvertently difcharges itfelf in words. The fpeech, throughout all its tenor, if the laft conceit be excepted, feems to iffue warm from the heart. He first condemns his own violence; then tries to difburden himself, by imputing part of the crime to Pifanio; he next fooths his mind to an artificial and momentary tranquillity, by trying to think that he has been only an inftrument of the gods for the happiness of Imogen. He is now grown reasonable enough to determine, that having done

Thou should't be colour'd thus. You married ones, If each of you would take this course, how many Muft murder wives much better than themselves For wrying but a little? O, Pifanio!

Every good fervant does not all commands:
No bond, but to do just ones.-Gods! if you
Should have ta'en vengeance on my faults, I never
· Had liv'd to put on this: fo had you faved
The noble Imogen to repent; and ftruck

Me, wretch, more worth your vengeance. But, alack,
You fnatch fome hence for little faults; that's love,
To have them fall no more: you fome permit
To fecond ills with ills, ' each elder worse;

And

fo much evil, he will do no more; that he will not fight against the country which he has already injured; but as life is not longer fupportable, he will die in a juft caufe, and die with the obfcurity of a man who does not think himself worthy to be remembered. JOHNSON.

-I wish'd] The old copy reads-I am wish'd.

STEEVENS. For wrying but a little ?- -] This uncommon verb is likewife ufed by Stanyhurst in the third book of his tranflation of Virgil, 1582:

the mayfters wrye the veffels." Again, in Daniel's Cleopatra, 1599:

❝in her finking down, fhe wryes

"The diadem.

STEEVENS.

-to put on Is to incite, to inftigate. JOHNSON.

So, in Macbeth:

3 —each elder worfe;] For this reading all the later editors have contentedly taken,

each worfe than other;

without enquiries whence they have received it. Yet they knew, or might know, that it has no authority. The original copy reads,

-each elder worse ;

The laft deed is certainly not the oldeft, but Shakspeare calle the deed of an elder man an elder deed. JOHNSON.

each elder worfe ;] i. e. where corruptions are, they grow with years, and the oldeft finner is the greateft. You, Gods,

* And make them dread it, to the doers' thrift. But Imogen is your own: s Do your best wills,

And

permit fome to proceed in iniquity, and the older fuch are, the more their crime. TOLLET.

→ And make them dread it, to the doers' thrift.] The divinity schools have not furnished jufter obfervations on the conduct of Providence, than Pofthumus gives us here in his private reflections. You gods, fays he, act in a different manner with your

different creatures;

You fnatch fome hence for little faults; that's love,

To have them fall no more..

Others, fays our poet, you permit to live on, to multiply and increase in crimes;

And make them dread it, to the doers' thrift. Here is a relative without an antecedent fubftantive; which is a breach of grammar. We muft certainly read :

And make them dreaded, to the doers' thrift,

i, e. others you permit to aggravate one crime with more; which enormities not only make them revered and dreaded, but turn in other kinds to their advantage. Dignity, refpect, and profit, accrue to them from crimes committed with impunity. THEOBALD. This emendation is followed by Hanmer. Dr. Warburton reads, I know not whether by the printer's negligence,

And make them dread, to the doers' thrift. There feems to be no very fatisfactory fenfe yet offered. I read, but with hesitation,

And make them deeded, to the doers' thrift.

The word deeded I know not indeed where to find; but Shakspeare has, in another sense, undeeded in Macbeth:

my fword

"I sheath again undeeded.".

I will try again, and read thus:

-others you permit

To fecond ills with ills, each other worse,

And make them trade it, to the doer's thrift.

Trade and thrift correfpond. Our author plays with trade, as it fignifies a lucrative vocation, or a frequent practice. So Ifabella fays:

one.

"Thy fin's, not accidental, but a trade." JOHNSON. However ungrammatical, I believe the old reading is the true To make them dread it is to make them perfevere in the commiffion of dreadful actions. Dr. Johnfon has obferved on a paffage in Hamlet, that Pope and Rowe have not refufed this mode of fpeaking:-" To finner it or faint it”—and “ to coy it." STEEVENS.

Y 3

I have

And make me bleft to obey!-I am brought hither
Among the Italian gentry, and to fight

Against my lady's kingdom: 'Tis enough
That, Britain, I have kill'd thy miftrefs; peace!
I'll give no wound to thee. Therefore, good heavens,
Hear patiently my purpose: I'll difrobe me
Of thefe Italian weeds, and fuit myself
As does a Briton peafant: fo I'll fight
Against the part I come with; fo I'll die
For thee, O Imogen, even for whom my life
Is, every breath, a death: and thus, unknown,
Pity'd nor hated, to the face of peril

Myfelf I'll dedicate. Let me make men know
More valour in me than my habits fhow.
Gods, put the ftrength o' the Leonati in me!
To fhame the guife o' the world, I will begin
The fashion, lefs without, and more within. [Exit.

SCENE II.

Enter Lucius, Iachimo, and the Roman army at onedoor; and the British army at another; Leonatus Pofthumus following it like a poor foldier. They march over, and go out. Then enter again in fkirmish Iachimo and Pofthumus: he vanquisheth and dif armeth Iachimo, and then leaves him.

Iach. The heavinefs, and guilt, within my bofom Takes off my manhood: I have bely'd a lady, The princefs of this country, and the air on't

I have no doubt that the author wrote:

And make them dreaded to the doers' thrift.

Dreaded, and dread it are fo near in found, that they are scarcely to be diftinguifhed in pronunciation. MALONE.

5

-Do your best wills,

And make me bleft t' obey!] So the copies. It was more

in the manner of our author to have written,