The action of my life is like it, which
I'll keep if but for fympathy.

Enter Gaoler.

Gaol. Come, Sir, are you ready for death? Poft. Over-roafted rather: ready long ago. Gaol. Hanging is the word, Sir; if you be ready For that, you are well cook'd.

Poft. So, if I prove a good repast to the spectators, the difh pays the fhot.

Gaol. A heavy reckoning for you, Sir: but the comfort is, you fhall be call'd to no more payments, fear no more tavern bills; which are often the fadnefs of parting, as the procuring of mirth: you come in faint for want of meat, depart reeling with too much drink; forry that you have paid too much, and forry that you are paid too much; purfe and brain, both

arifes from part of it being spoke of the prophefy, and part to it. This writing on the tablet (fays he) is till a dream, or elfe the raving of madnefs. Do thou, O tablet, either both, or nothing; either let thy words and fenfe go together, or be thy bofom a rafa tabula. As the words now ftand they are nonfenfe, or at least involve in them a fenfe which I cannot develope. WARBURTON.

The meaning, which is too thin to be eafily caught, I take to be this: This is a dream or madness, or both-or nothing but whether it be a speech without confcioufnefs, as in a dream, or a speech unintelligible, as in madness, be it as it is, it is like my courfe of life. We might perhaps read,

Whether both, or nothing

JOHNSON.

8 and forry that you are paid too much;- Tavern bills, fays the gaoler, are the fadness of parting, as the procuring of mirth-you depart reeling with too much drink; forry that you have paid too much, and-what? forry that you are paid too much. Where is the oppofition? I read, dnd merry that you are paid fo much. I take the fecond paid to be paid, for appaid, filled, fatiated. JoHNSON.

forry that you have paid too much, and ferry that you are paid too much;] i. e. forry that you have paid too much out of your pocket, and forry that you are jubdued too much by the liquor. So Falstaff,

66

feven of the eleven I pay'd." STEEVENS.

empty;

empty; the brain the heavier, for being too light: the purfe too light, being drawn of heavinefs. Oh, of this contradiction you fhall now be quit: oh, the charity of a penny cord! it fums up thoufands in a trice; you have no true 9 debtor and creditor but it; of what's paft, is, and to come, the discharge your neck, Sir, is pen, book, and counters; fo the acquittance follows.

Poft. I am merrier to die, than thou art to live.

Gaol. Indeed, Sir, he that fleeps, feels not the tooth-ach: but a man that were to fleep your sleep, and a hangman to help him to bed, I think, he would change places with his officer: for look you, Sir, 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 fpeed 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 fuch as wink, and will not use them.

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

Enter a Meffenger.

Mef. Knock off his manacles. Bring your prisoner to the king.

9 debtor and creditor

-jump the after-enquiry-] That is, venture at it

-] For an accounting book.

JOHNSON.

without thought. So Macbeth,

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

Poft.

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

Gaol. I'll be hang'd then.

2

Poft. Thou shalt be then freer than a gaoler; no bolts for the dead. [Exeunt Pofthumus and Messenger. Gaol. Unlefs a man would marry a gallows, and 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 wish hath a preferment in't. [Exit.

SCENE V.
Cymbeline's tent.

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 breast Stept before targes of proof, cannot be found; He shall 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:

2

I never faw one so prone.—] i. e. forward. In this fenfe the word is ufed 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 vigor

"ous." STEEVENS.

Such

I

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 ask of whence you are:-Report it.

Bel. Sir,

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

Cym. Bow your knees.

[They kneel

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

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!

one that promis'd nought

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

But beggary and poor luck.

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

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

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

Cym. Whom worfe 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 herself. What she confefs'd,
I will report, fo please you: these her women
Can trip me, if I err; who, with wet cheeks,
Were prefent when the finish'd.

Cym. Pr'ythee, fay.

Cor. Firft, fhe confefs'd, fhe 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 spoke it dying, I would not

Believe her lips in opening it. Proceed.

Cor. Your daughter, whom fhe 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 poifon.

Cym. O moft delicate fiend! Who is't can read a woman? Cor. More, Sir, and worfe. had

Is there more?

She did confefs, fhe

For you a mortal mineral; which, being took,
Should by the minute feed on life, and ling'ring
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 he 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

VOL. IX.

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