pen, book, and.

difcharge:-Your neck, fir, is counters; fo the acquittance follows.

Poft. I am merrier to die, than thou art to live. Gaol. Indeed, fir, he that fleeps feels not the tooth-ach: But a man that were to fleep your fleep, and a hangman to help him to bed, I think, he would change places with his officer: for, look you, fir, you know not which way you fhall go.

Poft. Yes, indeed, do I, fellow.

Gaol. Your death has eyes in's head then; I have not feen him fo pictur'd: you must either be directed by fome that take upon them to know; or take upon yourfelf that, which I am fure you do not know; or 'jump the after-enquiry on your own peril: and how you fhall speed in your journey's end, I think, you'll never return to tell one.

Poft. I tell thee, fellow, there are none want eyes, to direct them the way I am going, but such as wink, and will not use them.

Gaol. What an infinite mock is this, that a man should have the best use of eyes, to fee the way of blindness! I am fure, hanging's the way of winking.

Enter a Meffenger.

Mef. Knock off his manacles; bring your prifoner to the king.

Poft. Thou bring'ft good news; I am call'd to be made free.

Gaol. I'll be hang'd then.

Poft. Thou shalt be then freer than a gaoler; no bolts for the dead. [Exeunt Pofthumus, and Meffenger. Gaol. Unlefs a man would marry a gallows, and

jump the after-enquiry-] That is, venture at it without thought. So Macbeth:

"We'd jump the life to come." JOHNSON.

beget

2

beget young gibbets, I never faw one fo prone. Yet, on my confcience, there are verier knaves defire to live, for all he be a Roman: and there be fome of them too, that die against their wills; fo fhould I, if I were one. I would we were all of one mind, and one mind good; O, there were defolation of gaolers, and gallowfes! I fpeak against my prefent profit; but my wifh hath a preferment in't. [Exit.

Enter Cymbeline, Belarius, Guiderius, Arviragus, Pifanio, and Lords.

Cym. Stand by my fide, you, whom the gods have made

Prefervers of my throne. Woe is my heart,
That the poor foldier, that fo richly fought,
Whofe rags fham'd gilded arms, whofe naked breaft
Stept before targe of proof, cannot be found:

2

-I never faw one fo prone.. -] i. e. forward. In this fense the word is used in Wilfride Holme's poem, entitled The Fall and evil Succefs of Rebellion, &c. 1537:

"Thus lay they in Doncafter, with curtal and ferpentine, "With bombard and bafilifk, with men prone and vigorous." Again in Sir A. Gorges' tranflation of the fixth book of Lucan: -Theffalian fierie fteeds

"For use of war fo prone and fit." STEEVENS.

3 Scene V.] Let thofe who talk fo confidently about the skill of Shakspeare's contemporary, Jonfon, point out the conclufion of any one of his plays which is wrought with more artifice, and yet a lefs degree of dramatic violence than this. In the fcene before us, all the furviving characters are affembled; and at the expence of whatever incongruity the former events may have been produced, perhaps little can be discovered on this occafion to offend the moft fcrupulous advocate for regularity: and, I think, as little is found wanting to fatisfy the fpectator by a catastrophe which is intricate without confufion, and not more rich in ornament than in nature. STEEVENS.

He fhall be happy that can find him, if
Our grace can make him fo.

Bel. I never faw

Such noble fury in fo poor a thing;

Such precious deeds in one that promis'd nought
But beggary and poor looks.

Cym. No tidings of him?

Pif. He hath been fearch'd among the dead and living,

But no trace of him.

Cym. To my grief, I am

The heir of his reward; which I will add
To you, the liver, heart, and brain of Britain,
[To Belarius, Guiderius, and Arviragus.

By whom, I grant, fhe lives: 'Tis now the time
To afk of whence you are:-report it.

Bel. Sir,

In Cambria are we born, and gentlemen:
Further to boast, were neither true nor modeft,
Unless I add, we are honeft.

Cym. Bow your knees:

Arife. my knights o' the battle; I create you
Companions to our perfon, and will fit you
With dignities becoming your eftates.

-one that promis'd nought

But beggary and poor looks.] But how can it be faid, that one, whofe poor looks promife beggary, promifed poor looks too? It was not the poor look which was promifed; that was visible. We must read:

But beggary and poor luck.

This fets the matter right, and makes Belarius fpeak fense and to the purpofe. For there was the extraordinary thing; he promifed nothing but poor luck, and yet performed all thefe wonders.

WARBURTON.

To promife nothing but poor looks, may be, to give no promise of courageous behaviour. JOHNSON.

So in K. Richard II.

"To look fo poorly and to fpeak fo fair." STEEVENS. -knights o' the battle;-] Thus in Stowe's Chronicle, p. 164, edit. 1615: " knight of the fielde." STEEVENS. Philip of France made Arthur Plantagenet

Enter

Enter Cornelius, and Ladies.

There's business in thefe faces :-Why fo fadly
Greet you our victory? you look like Romans,
And not o' the court of Britain.

Cor. Hail, great king!

To four your happiness, I must report
The queen is dead.

Cym. Whom worse than a phyfician
Would this report become? But I confider,
By medicine life may be prolong'd, yet death
Will feize the doctor too. How ended the?

Cor. With horror, madly dying, like her life;
Which, being cruel to the world, concluded
Moft cruel to herfelf. What fhe confefs'd,
I will report, fo please you: Thefe her women
Can trip me, if I err; who, with wet cheeks,
Were prefent when she finish'd.

Cym. Pr'ythee, say.

Cor. First, the confefs'd she never lov'd you; only Affected greatnefs got by you, not you:

Married your royalty, was wife to your place;

Abhorr'd your perfon.

Cym. She alone knew this:

And, but the fpoke it dying, I would not

Believe her lips in opening it. Proceed.

Cor. Your daughter, whom she bore in hand to love

With fuch integrity, fhe did confefs

Was as a fcorpion to her fight; whofe life,

But that her flight prevented it, fhe had

Ta'en off by poison.

Cym. O moft delicate fiend!

Who is't can read a woman?-Is there more?
Cor. More, fir, 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

By inches wafte you: In which time fhe purpos'd,
By watching, weeping, tendance, kiffing, to
O'ercome you with her fhew: yes, and in time,
(When she had fitted you with her craft) to work
Her fon into the adoption of the crown.
But failing of her end by his ftrange abfence,
Grew fhameless-defperate; open'd, in defpight
Of heaven and men, her purposes; repented
The ills fhe hatch'd were not effected; fo,
Defpairing, dy'd.

Cym. Heard you all this, her women?
Lady. We did, fo please your highness.
Cym. Mine eyes

Were not in fault, for fhe was beautiful;

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

To have miftrufted 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, and other Roman prifoners ;
Pofthumus behind, and Imogen.

Thou com'ft not, Caius, now for tribute; that
The Britons have raz'd out, though with the lofs
Of many a bold one; whose kinsmen have made fuit,
That their good fouls may be appeas'd with flaughter
Of
you their captives, which ourself have granted:
So, think of your estate.

Luc. Confider, fir, the chance of war: the day Was yours by accident; had it gone with us, We should not, when the blood was cold, have threaten'd

Our prifoners with the fword. But fince the gods
Will have it thus, that nothing but our lives
May be call'd ranfom, let it come: fufficeth,
A Roman with a Roman's heart can fuffer:

Auguftus