The princely blood flows in his cheek, he sweats, Strains his young nerves, and puts himself in posture That acts my words. The younger brother, Cadwal, (Once Arvirágus,) in as like a figure, Strikes life into my speech, and shows much more His own conceiving. Hark! the game is rous'd!— O Cymbeline! heaven, and my conscience, knows, Thou didst unjustly banish me: whereon, At three, and two years old, I stole these babes ;* Thinking to bar thee of succession, as Thou reft'st me of my lands. Euriphile, Thou wast their nurse; they took thee for their mother, And every day do honour to her grave: Myself, Belarius, that am Morgan call'd, They take for natural father. The game is up. SCENE IV. Near Milford-Haven. Enter PISANIO and IMOGEN. [Exit. Imo. Thou told'st me, when we came from horse, the place Was near at hand:-Ne'er long'd my mother so sigh I stole these babes;] Shakspeare seems to intend Belarius for a good character, yet he makes him forget the injury which he has done to the young princes, whom he has robbed of a kingdom only to rob their father of heirs.-The latter part of this soliloquy is very inartificial, there being no particular reason why Belarius should now tell to himself what he could not know better by telling it. JOHNSON. From the inward of thee? One, but painted thus, Into a haviour of less fear, ere wildness That drug-damn'd' Italy hath out-craftied him, tongue May take off some extremity, which to read Pis. Please you, read; And you shall find me, wretched man, a thing The most disdain'd of fortune. Imo. [Reads.] Thy mistress, Pisanio, hath played the strumpet in my bed; the testimonies whereof lie bleeding in me. speak not out of weak surmises; from proof as strong as my grief, and as certain as I expect my revenge. That part, thou, Pisanio, must act for me, if thy faith be not tainted with the breach of hers. Let thine own hands take away her life: I shall give thee opportunities at Milford-Haven: & she hath my letter for the purpose: Where, if thou fear to strike, and to make me certain it is done, thou art the pandar to her dishonour, and equally to me disloyal. 5 Pis. What shall I need to draw my sword? the paper haviour-] This word, as often as it occurs in Shakspeare, should not be printed as an abbreviation of behaviour. Haviour was a word commonly used in his time. drug-dumn'd-] This is another allusion to Italian poisons. Hath cut her throat already,-No, 'tis slander; To lie in watch there, and to think on him? To weep 'twixt clock and clock? if sleep charge. nature, To break it with a fearful dream of him, Pis. Alas, good lady! Imo. I false? Thy conscience witness:-Iachimo, Thou didst accuse him of incontinency; 8 Thou then look'dst like a villain; now, methinks, Pis. Good madam, hear me. Imo. True honest men being heard, like false Æneas, 7 states,] Persons of highest rank. Whose mother was her painting,] Some jay of Italy, made by art; the creature, not of nature, but of painting. In this sense painting may not be improperly termed her mother. 9 And, for I am richer than to hang by the walls, I must be ripp'd:] To hang by the walls, does not mean, to be converted into hangings for a room, but to be hung up, as useless, among the neglected contents of a wardrobe. VOL. VIII. F Were, in his time, thought false: and Sinon's weeping Did scandal many a holy tear; took pity From most true wretchedness: So, thou, Posthúmus, Wilt lay the leaven on all proper men ;' Goodly, and gallant, shall be false, and perjur'd, From thy great fail.-Come, fellow, be thou honest: Do thou thy master's bidding: When thou see'st him, A little witness my obedience: Look! I draw the sword myself: take it; and hit Pis. Hence, vile instrument ! Thou shalt not damn my hand. Imo. Why, I must die; And if I do not by thy hand, thou art No servant of thy master's: Against self-slaughter There is a prohibition so divine, That cravens my weak hand. Come, here's my heart; Something's afore't:-Soft, soft; we'll no defence; Corrupters of my faith! you shall no more Be stomachers to my heart! Thus may poor fools Believe false teachers: Though those that are betray'd Do feel the treason sharply, yet the traitor Wilt lay the leaven on all proper men; &c.] i. e. says Mr. Upton, "wilt infect and corrupt their good name, (like sour dough that leaveneth the whole mass,) and wilt render them suspected.' "That cravens my weak hand.] i. e, makes me a coward. Stands in worse case of woe. And thou, Posthumus, thou that did'st set up Pis. O gracious lady, Since I receiv'd command to do this business, Imo. Do't, and to bed then. Pis. I'll wake mine eye-balls blind first. Imo. Wherefore then Didst undertake it? Why hast thou abus'da So many miles, with a pretence? this place? Mine action, and thine own? our horses' labour? The time inviting thee? the perturb'd court, For my being absent; whereunto I never Purpose return? Why hast thou gone so far, To be unbent, when thou hast ta'en thy stand, The elected deer before thee? Pis. But to win time 1 Imo. Talk thy tongue weary; speak: I have heard, I am a strumpet; and mine ear, Therein false struck, can take no greater wound, That now thou tir'st on,] A hawk is said to tire upon which she pecks; from tirer, French. that * To be unbent,] To have thy bow unbent, alluding to an hunter. |