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But we saw him dead.
Bel. Be silent; let's see further.
Pis.

It is my mistress :
[Aside.

Since she is living, let the time run on,
To good, or bad.

[CYMBELINE and IMOGEN come forward.
Come, stand thou by our side;
Sir, [to IACH.] step

Cym.
Make thy demand aloud.
you forth;

Give answer to this boy, and do it freely;
Or, by our greatness, and the grace of it,
Which is our honour, bitter torture shall
Winnow the truth from falsehood. -On, speak to
him.

Imo. My boon is, that this gentleman may render
Of whom he had this ring.

Post.

What's that to him?

Cym. That diamond upon your finger say, How came it yours?

[Aside.

Iach. Thou'lt torture me to leave unspoken that
Which, to be spoke, would torture thee.
Cym.

How! me? Iach. I am glad to be constrain'd to utter that which

Torments me to conceal. By villainy

I got this ring; 'twas Leonatus' jewel:

The mansion where !) 'twas at a feast, (O 'would
Our viands had been poison'd! or, at least,
Those which I heav'd to head!) the good Posthúmus,
(What should I say? he was too good, to be
Where ill men were; and was the best of all
Among'st the rar'st of good ones,) sitting sadly,
Hearing us praise our loves of Italy

For beauty that made barren the swell'd boast
Of him that best could speak: for feature, laming
The shrine of Venus, or straight-pight Minerva,
Postures beyond brief nature; for condition,
A shop of all the qualities that man
Loves woman for; besides, that hook of wiving,
Fairness, which strikes the eye: —
I stand on fire:

Cym.

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Cym.

Nay, nay, to the purpose.
Iach. Your daughter's chastity. There it begins.
He spake of her, as Dian had hot dreams,
And she alone were cold: Whereat, I, wretch!
Made scruple of his praise; and wager'd with him
Pieces of gold, 'gainst this which then he wore
Upon his honour'd finger, to attain

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

Than I did truly find her, stakes this ring;
And would so, had it been a carbuncle
Of Phoebus' wheel; and might so safely, had it
Been all the worth of his car. Away to Britain
Post I in this design: Well may you, sir,
Remember me at court, where I was taught
Of your chaste 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
Most vilely; for my vantage, excellent ;
And, to be brief, my practice so prevail'd,
That I return'd with simular 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,

Whom thou didst banish; and (which more, may (O, cunning, how I got it!) nay, some marks

grieve thee,

As it doth me,) a nobler sir ne'er liv'd

'Twixt sky and ground. Wilt thou hear more, my

lord?

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Imo.

Cor.

It poison'd me. O gods! I left out one thing which the queen confess'd, Which must approve thee honest: If Pisanio Have, said she, given his mistress that confection Which I gave him for cordial, she is serv'd As I would serve a rat. Сут. What's this, Cornelius ? Cor. The queen, sir, very oft impórtun'd me To temper poisons for her; still pretending The satisfaction of her knowledge, only In killing creatures vile, as cats and dogs Of no esteem: I, dreading that her purpose Was of more danger, did compound for her A certain stuff, 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. Most like I did, for I was dead. Bel. There was our error.

Gui.

My boys, This is sure, Fidele.

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

Think, that you are upon a rock; and now

Throw me again.

Post.

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I would not thy good deeds should from my lips
Pluck a hard sentence: pr'ythee, valiant youth,
Deny't again.

Gui.
I have spoke it, and I did it.
Cym. He was a prince.

Gui. A most uncivil one: The wrongs he did me
Were nothing prince-like; for he did provoke me
With language that would make me spurn the sea,
If it could so roar to me: I cut off's head;
And am right glad, he is not standing here
To tell this tale of mine.

Cym. I am sorry for thee. By thine own tongue thou art condemn'd, and must Endure our law: Thou art dead.

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[Embracing him. Hang there like fruit, my soul,

How now, my flesh, my child?

Arv.

Ours.

Gui. And our good his.

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Till the tree die!

Cym.

What, mak'st thou me a dullard in this act?

Wilt thou not speak to me?

Imo.

Cel. Though you did love this youth, I blame

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Your danger is

Have at it then.

Thou hadst, great king, a subject, who

Was call'd Belarius.

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Bel. So sure as you your father's. I, old Morgan, Am that Belarius whom you sometime banish'd : Your pleasure was my mere offence, my punishment Itself, and all my treason; that I suffer'd, Was all the harm I did. These gentle princes (For such, and so they are,) these twenty years Have I train'd up: those arts they have, as I Could put into them; my breeding was, sir, as Your highness knows. Their nurse, Euriphile, Whom for the theft I wedded, stole these children Upon my banishment: I mov'd her to't; Having receiv'd the punishment before, For that which I did then: Beaten for loyalty, Excited me to treason: Their dear loss, The more of you 'twas felt, the more it shap'd Unto my end of stealing them. But, gracious sir, Here are your sons again; and I must lose Two of the sweet'st companions in the world: The benediction of these covering heavens Fall on their heads like dew! for they are worthy To inlay heaven with stars. Cym.

Thou weep'st, and speak'st. The service, that you three have done, is more Unlike than this thou tell'st: I lost my children; If these be they, I know not how to wish A pair of worthier sons.

Bel.

Be pleas'd awhile. This gentleman, whom I call Polydore, Most worthy prince, as yours, is true Guiderius: This gentleman, my Cadwal, Arvirágus, Your younger princely son; he, sir, was lapp'd In a most curious mantle, wrought by the hand Of his queen mother, which, for more probation, I can with ease produce.

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Continued so, until we thought he died.

Cor. By the queen's dram she swallow'd. Cym. O rare instinct ! When shall I hear all through? This fierce abridge

ment,

Hath to it circumstantial branches, which Distinction should be rich in. - Where, how liv'd

you,

And when came you to serve our Roman captive? How parted with your brothers? how first met them? Why fled you from the court? and whither? These, And your three motives to the battle, with

I know not how much more, should be demanded;
And all the other by-dependancies,

From chance to chance; but nor the time, nor place,
Will serve our long intergatories. See,
Posthúmus anchors upon Imogen;
And she, like harmless lightning, throws her eye
On him, her brothers, me, her master; hitting
Each object with a joy; the counterchange
Is severally in all. Let's quit this ground,
And smoke the temple with our sacrifices.
Thou art my brother; So we'll hold thee ever.
[TO BELARIUS,

Imo. You are my father too; and did relieve me, To see this gracious season. All o'erjoy'd, Save these in bonds; let them be joyful too, For they shall taste our comfort.

Cym.

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The soldier that did company these three
In poor beseeming; 'twas a fitment for

The purpose I then follow'd;- That I was he,
Speak, Iachimo: I had you down, and might
Have made you finish.

Iach. I am down again: [Kneeling. But now my heavy conscience sinks my knee, As then your force did. Take that life, 'beseech you, Which I so often owe: but, your ring first; And here the bracelet of the truest princess, That ever swore her faith.

Post.

Kneel not to me;

The power that I have on you, is to spare you; The malice towards you, to forgive you: Live, And deal with others better.

Cym.

We'll learn our freeness of a son-in-law; Pardon's the word to all.

Arv.

Nobly doom'd;

You holp us, sir,

Good my lord o

As you did mean indeed to be our brother; Joy'd are we, that you are.

Post. Your servant, princes.

Rome,

Call forth your soothsayer: As I slept, methought,
Great Jupiter, upon his eagle back,
Appear'd to me, with other spritely shows
Of mine own kindred: when I wak'd, I found
This label on my bosom; whose containing

Is so from sense in hardness, that I can
Make no collection of it; let him show
His skill in the construction.

Luc.

Sooth. Here, my good lord. Luc.

Philarmonus,

Read, and declare the meaning. Sooth. [Reads.] When as a lion's whelp shall, to himself unknown, without seeking find, and be embraced by a piece of tender air; and when from a stately cedar shall be lopped branches, which, being dead many years, shall after revive, be jointed to the old stock, and freshly grow; then shall Posthumus end his miseries, Britain be fortunate, and flourish in peace and plenty.

Thou, Leonatus, art the lion's whelp;
The fit and apt construction of thy name,
Being Leo-natus, doth import so much :
The piece of tender air, thy virtuous daughter,
[To CYMBELINE.
Which we call mollis aer; and mollis aer
We term it mulier: which mulier I divine,
Is this most constant wife; who, even now,
Answering the letter of the oracle,

Unknown to you, unsought, were clipp'd about
With this most tender air.

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Cym.

Well, And, Caius Lucius,

My peace we will begin : -
Although the victor, we submit to Cæsar,
And to the Roman empire; promising
To pay our wonted tribute, from the which
We were dissuaded by our wicked queen:
Whom heavens, in justice, (both on her, and hers,)
Have laid most heavy hand.

Sooth. The fingers of the powers above do tune
The harmony of this peace. The vision
Which I made known to Lucius, ere the stroke
Of this yet scarce-cold battle, at this instant
Is full accomplish'd: For the Roman eagle,
From south to west on wing soaring aloft,
Lessen'd herself, and in the beams o' the sun
So vanish'd: which foreshow'd our princely eagle,
The imperial Cæsar, should again unite
His favour with the radiant Cymbeline,
Which shines here in the west.

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SCENE I. - Rome. Before the Capitol.
The tomb of the Andronici appearing; the Tribunes
and Senators aloft, as in the Senate. Enter, below,
SATURNINUS and his Followers, on one side; and
BASSIAN'S and his Followers, on the other; with
drum, and colours.

Sat. Noble patricians, patrons of my right,
Defend the justice of my cause with arms;
And, countrymen, my loving followers,
Plead my successive title with your swords:
I am his first-born son, that was the last
That ware the imperial diadem of Rome;
Then let my father's honours live in me,
Nor wrong mine age with this indignity.
Bas. Romans,

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my right,

Enter MARCUS ANDRONICUS, aloft, with the crown.
Mar. Princes-that strive by factions, and by
friends,
Ambitiously for rule and empery,
Know, that the people of Rome, for whom we stand
A special party, have, by common voice,
In election for the Roman empery,
Chosen Andronicus, surnamed Pius
For many good and great deserts to Rome;
A nobler man, a braver warrior,

Lives not this day within the city walls:
He by the senate is accited home,

From weary wars against the barbarous Goths;
That, with his sons, a terror to our foes,
Hath yok'd a nation strong, train'd up in arms.

friends, followers, favourers of Ten years are spent, since first he undertook

If ever Bassianus, Cæsar's son,
Were gracious in the eyes of royal Rome,
Keep then this passage to the Capitol ;
And suffer not disaonour to approach
The imperial seat, to virtue consecrate,
To justice, continence, and nobility:
But let desert in pure election shine;
Ad, Romans, fight for freedom in your choice.

792

This cause of Rome, and chastised with arms
Our enemies' pride: Five times he hath return'd
Bleeding to Rome, bearing his valiant sons

In coffins from the field;

And now at last, laden with honour's spoils,
Returns the good Andronicus to Rome,
Renowned Titus, flourishing in arms.

Let us entreat.

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- By honour of his name, Whom, worthily, you would have now succeed,

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