(Once, Arvirágus.) in as like a figure, Strikes life into my speech, and shows much more At three, and two years old, I flole these babes; * Thou reft'ft me of my lands. Euriphile, Thou waft their nurfe; they took thee for their mother, 9 And every day do honour to her grave: [Exit. In this colle&ion one of our author's own poems was originally printed. MALONE. See Mr. Malone's edition of our author's works, Vol. X. p. 341, n. g. 8 STEEVENS. I fole thefe babes;] Shakspeare feems to intend Belarius for a good chara&er, yet he makes him forget the injury which be 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 foliloquy is very inartificial, there being no particular reafon why Belarius fhould now tell to himfelf what he could not know better by telling it. JOHNSON. 9 to her grave:] i. c. to the grave of Euriphile; or, to the grave of their mother, as they fuppofe it to be. The poet ought rather to have written to thy grave. MALONE. Perhaps he did write fo, and the prefent reading is only a cora ruption introduced by his printers or publishers. STEEVENS. > SCENE IV. Near Milford-Haven. Enter PISANIO and IMOGEN. IMO. Thou told'ft me, when we came from horfe, the place Was near at hand:-Ne'er long'd my mother so To fee me firft, as I have now:-Pifanio! Man! Where is Pofthumus? What is in thy mind, 2 Where is Pofthumus?] Shakspeare's apparent ignorance of quantity is not the leaft among many proofs of his want of learning. Almoft throughout this play he calls Pofthumes, Pofthumus, and Arviragus, always Arviragus. It may be faid that quantity in the age of gur author did not appear to have been much regarded. In the tragedie of Darius, by William Alexander of Menftrie (lord Sterling) 1603, Darius is always called Darius, and Euphrates, Euphrates & "The diadem that Darius erft bad borne—— "The famous Euphrates to be your border——.” Again, in the 21ft Song of Drayton's Polyolbion : That gliding go in ftate like fwelling Euphrates." Throughout fir Arthur Gorges' tranflation of Lucan, Euphrates is likewife given inftead of Euphrates. STEEVENS. Shakspeare's ignorance of the quantity of Pofthumus is the rather remarkable, as he gives it rightly both when the name first occurs, and in another place: "To his protection; calls him Pofthumus. RITSON. In A Meeting Dialogue-wife between Nature, the Phenix, and the Turtle-dove, by R. Chefter, 1601, Arviragus is introduced with the fame negle& of quantity as in this play: Windfor, a caftle of exceeding ftrength, "First built by Arvirágus, Britaine's king.' Again, by Heywood, in his Britayne's Troy: "Now Arvirágus reigns, and takes to wife The emperor Claudius's daughter." That makes thee ftare thus? Wherefore breaks that figh From the inward of thee? One, but painted thus, 3 Into a haviour of lefs fear, ere wildness What's the matter? Why tender'st thou that paper to me, with hand! 6 That drug-damn'd5 Italy hath out-craftied him, And he's at fome hard point.-Speak, man; thy tongue It seems to have been the general rule, adopted by scholars as well as others, to pronounce Latin names like English words : Shakspeare's negle& of quantity therefore proves nothing. MALONE. The propriety of the foregoing remark, is not altogether confirmed by the pradice of our ancient tranflators from claffick au thors. STEEVENS. 3 haviour ] This word, as often as it occurs in Shakfpeare, fhould not be printed as an abbreviation of behaviour. Haviour was a word commonly used in his time. See Spenfer, Eglogue IX: 5 "Their ill haviour garres men miffay." STEEVENS. If it be fummer news, Smile to't before: So, in our authors 98th Sounet: Of different flowers in odour and in hue, "Could make me any fummer's fory tell." MALONE. drug-damn'd] This is another allufion to Italian po fons. JOHNSON. 6 out-crafted him,] Thus the old copy, and fo Shakspeare certainly wrote. So, in Coriolanus: "That's curdied by the froft from pureft fnow." Mr. Pope and all the fubfequent editors read-out-crafted, here, and curdled in Coriolanus. MALONE May take off fome extremity, which to read PIS. Please you, read; And you fhall find me, wretched man, a thing The most disdain'd of fortune. IMO. Reads.] Thy miftrefs, Pifanio, hath play'd the trumpet in my bed; the testimonies whereof lie bleeding in me. I speak not out of weak. furmifes; but from proof as frong as my grief, and as certain as I expect my revenge. That part, thou, Pifanio, must act for me, if thy faith be not tainted with the breach of hers. Let thine own hands take away her life: I fhall give thee opportunities at Milford-Haven: he 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 difloyal. PIs. What shall I need to draw my fword? the paper Hath cut her throat already.-No, 'tis flanders Whofe edge is fharper than the fword; whofe tongue Outvenoms all the worms of Nile; whofe breath Rides on the posting winds, and doth belie 1 What shall I need to draw my sword? the paper 8 Hath cut her throat already,] So, in Venus and Adonis : MALONE. 8 Outvenoms all the worms of Nile; &c.] So, in Churchyard's Difcourfe of Rebellion &c. 1570: Of Hit venom caftes as far as Nilus flood, [ brood ] "Hit poyfoneth all it toucheth any wheare." Serpents and dragons by the old writers were called worms. this, feveral inftances are given in the laft a&t of Antony and Cleopatra. STEEVENS. Rides on the pofting winds, ] So, in King Henry V : All corners of the world: kings, queens, and ftates,* To weep 'twixt clock and clock? if fleep charge nature, To break it with a fearful dream of him, PIs. Alas, good lady! IMO. I falfe? Thy conscience witnefs:-Iachimo. Thou didst accufe him of incontinency; Thou then look'dft like a villain; now, methinks, Thy favour's good enough. Some jay of Italy," Whofe mother was her painting, hath betray'd 2 him: 6 fates, Perfons of higheft rank. JOHNSON. See Vol. XVI. p. 300, n. 4. 3 MALONE. What is it, to be falfe? To lie in watch there, and to think on him?] hould be pointed thus: This paffage "To lie in watch there, and to think on him?" Then thou look'dft like a villain; now, methinks Thy favour's good enough. ] So, in King Lear: M. MASON. Thofe wicked creatures yet do look well favour'd, "When others are more wicked." MALONE. ૐ Some jay of Italy, ] There is a prettiness in this expref fon; putta, in Italian, fignifying both a jay and a whore: I fup pofe from the gay feathers of that bird. So, in The Merry Wives of Windfor: turtles from jays." STEEVENS. 6 Whofe mother was her painting,] WARBURTON. "Teach him to know Some jay of Italy, made by art; the creature, not of nature, but of painting. In this fenfe painting may be not improperly termed her mother. JOHNSON. I met with a fimilar expreffion in one of the old comedies, but |