A fhop of all the qualities that man

Loves woman for; befides, that hook of wiving,
Fairness, which strikes the eye.-

Cym. I ftand on fire.

Come to the matter.

Iach. All too foon I fhall,

Unless thou wouldst grieve quickly.-This Posthumus, (Most like a noble lord in love, and one

That had a royal lover) took his hint;

And, not difpraifing whom we prais'd (therein
He was as calm as virtue) he began

His mistress' picture; which by his tongue being made,

And then a mind put in't, either our brags
Were crack'd of kitchen-trulls, or his defcription
Prov'd us unfpeaking fots.

Cym. Nay, nay, to the purpose.

Iach. Your daughter's chastity-there it begins.He fpake of her, as Dian had hot dreams, And the alone were cold: whereat, I, wretch ! Made fcruple of his praise; and wag'd with him Pieces of gold, 'gainst this which then he wore

laft quotation from Scaliger well explains what Shakespeare meant by-brief nature;-i. e. inelaborate, hafty, and carelefs as to the elegance of form, in refpect of art, which uses the peculiar addrefs, above explained, to arrive at perfection. WARBURTON.

I cannot help adding, that passages of this kind are but weak proofs that the poet was converfant with what we call at present the fine arts. The pantheons of his own age (feveral of which I have feen) give a moft minute and particular account of the different degrees of beauty imputed to the different deities; and as Shakespeare had at least an opportunity of reading Chapman's traflation of Homer, the first part of which was published in 1596, and with additions in 1598, he might have taken thefe ideas from thence, without being at all indebted to his own particular obfervation or knowledge of the fine arts. It is furely more for the honour of our poet to remark how well he has employed the little knowledge he appears to have had of ftatuary or mythology, than from his frequent allufions to them. to fuppofe he was intimately acquainted with either. STEEV.

T 4

Upon

Upon his honour'd finger, to attain

In fuit the place of his bed, and win this ring
By hers and mine adultery: he, true knight,
No leffer of her honour confident

Than I did truly find her, ftakes this ring;
And would fo, had it been a carbuncle 7
Of Phoebus' wheel; and might fo fafely, had it
Been all the worth of his car. Away to Britain
Poft I in this defign: well may you, Sir,
Remember me at court, where I was taught
Of your chafte daughter, the wide difference
'Twixt amorous, and villainous. Being thus quench'd
Of hope, not longing, mine Italian brain
Gan in your duller Britain operate

Moft vilely; for my 'vantage, excellent:
And, to be brief, my practice fo prevail'd,
That I return'd with fimular proof enough
To make the noble Leonatus mad,
By wounding his belief in her renown,
With tokens thus, and thus; & averring notes
Of chamber-hanging, pictures, this her bracelet,
(Oh, cunning! how I got it!) nay, some marks
Of fecret on her perfon, that he could not
But think her bond of chaftity quite crack'd,
I having ta'en the forfeit: whereupon-
Methinks, I fee him now-

Poft. Ay, fo thou do'st,

[Coming forward,

Italian fiend!-Ah me, moft credulous fool,

Egregious murderer, thief, any thing

That's due to all the villains paft, in being,

To come!-Oh, give me cord, or knife, or poison,
Some upright justicer! Thou, king, send out
For torturers ingenious: it is I

So in Antony and Cleopatra:

"He has deferv'd it, were it carbuncled

"Like Phoebus car.".

STEEVENS.

averring notes] Such marks of the chamber and

pictures, as averred or confirmed my report. JOHNSON.,

That

That all the abhorred things o' the earth amend,
By being worse than they. I am Pofthumus
That kill'd thy daughter:-villain-like, I lie;
That caus'd a leffer villain than myself,
A facrilegious thief, to do't: the temple
Of virtue was fhe; yea, 9 and fhe herself.
Spit, and throw stones, cast mire upon me, fet
The dogs o' the street to bay me.: every villain
Be call'd Pofthumus Leonatus; and

Be villainy less than 'twas !-Oh Imogen!
My queen, my life, my wife! oh Imogen,
Imogen, Imogen!

Imo. Peace, my lord; hear, hear
Poft. Shall's have a play of this?
Thou fcornful page, there lie thy part.

Pif. Oh, gentlemen, help,

[Striking her, fhe falls.

Mine, and your miftrefs-Oh, my lord Pofthumus! You ne'er kill'd Imogen till now. -Help, help!

Mine honour'd lady

Cym. Does the world go round?

Poft. How come 'these staggers on me?

Pif. Wake, my mistress!

Cym. If this be fo, the gods do mean to strike me

To death with mortal joy.

Pif. How fares my mistress?

Imo. O, get thee from my fight;

Thou gav'ft me poifon : dangerous fellow, hence!
Breathe not, where princes are.

Cym. The tune of Imogen!

Pif. Lady, the gods throw ftones of fulphur on
me, if

That box I gave you was not thought by me
A precious thing; I had it from the queen.
Cym. New matter still?

9

and fhe herfelf.] That is, She was not only the temple of virtue, but virtue herself. JOHNSON.

thefe staggers-] This wild and delirious perturbation.

Staggers is the horfe's apoplexy. JOHNSON.

Imo.

Imo. It poifon'd me.
Cor. Oh gods!

I left out one thing which the queen confefs'd,
Which must approve thee honeft. If Pifanio
Have, faid fhe, given his mistress that confection,
Which I gave him for cordial, fhe is ferv'd
As I would ferve a rat.

Cym. What's this, Cornelius?

Cor. The queen, Sir, very oft importun'd me
To temper poifons for her; ftill pretending
The fatisfaction of her knowledge, only
In killing creatures vile, as cats and dogs
Of no efteem: I, dreading that her purpose
Was of more danger, did compound for her
A certain ftuff, which, being ta'en, would cease
The present power of life; but, in short time,
All offices of nature should again

Do their due functions. Have you ta'en of it?
Imo. Moft like I did, for I was dead.

Bel. My boys, there was our error.

Guid. This is fure Fidele.

Imo. Why did you throw your wedded lady from you?

2 Think, that you are upon a rock; and now Throw me again.

2 Think, that you are upon a rock ;- -1 In this fpeech, or in the answer, there is little meaning. I fuppofe, she would fay, Confider fuch another act as equally fatal to me with precipitation from a rock, and now let me fee whether you will repeat it. JOHNSON.

Perhaps only a ftage direction is wanting to clear this paffage from obfcurity. Imogen firft upbraids her husband for the violent treatment fhe had juft experienced; then confident of the return of paffion which the knew muft fucceed to the dif covery of her innocence, the poet might have meant her to rush into his arms, and while fhe clung about him faft, to dare him to throw her off a fecond time, left that precipitation should prove as fatal to them both as if the fituation where they stood had been a rock. To which he replies, bang there, i. e. round my neck, till the frame that now fupports you fhall perish. STEEV.

Poft. Hang there like fruit, my foul, 'Till the tree die!

Cym. How now, my flesh?
flesh? my child?
What, mak'st thou me a dullard in this act?
Wilt thou not speak to me?

Imo. Your bleffing, Sir.

[Kneeling.

Bel. Tho' you did love this youth, I blame you not;

You had a motive for't. [To Guiderius and Arviragus.
Cym. My tears, that fall,

Prove holy water on thee! Imogen,
Thy mother's dead.

Imo. I am forry for❜t, my lord.

Cym. Oh, fhe was naught; and 'long of her it was, That we meet here fo ftrangely; but her fon Is gone, we know not how, nor where.

Pif. My lord,

Now fear is from me, I'll speak truth. Lord Cloten, Upon my lady's miffing, came to me

With his fword drawn; foam'd at the mouth, and swore, If I discover'd not which way she was gone,

It was my inftant death. By accident

I had a feigned letter of my master's
Then in my pocket; which directed him

To feek him on the mountains near to Milford;'
Where, in a frenzy, in my master's garments,
Which he inforc'd from me, away he pofts
With unchafte purpose, and with oath to violate
My lady's honour. What became of him,
I further know not.

Guid. Let me end the story:

I flew him there.

Cym. Marry, the gods forefend!

I would not, thy good deeds fhould from my lips
Pluck a hard fentence; pr'ythee, valiant youth,
Deny't again.

Guid. I have spoke it, and I did it.

Cym. He was a prince.

Guid. A moft incivil one. The wrongs he did me

Were nothing prince-like; for he did provoke me

With