Imatges de pàgina
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It is a manacle of love, I ll place it

[Putting a Bracelet on her Armo

Upon this faireft pris'ner.

Imo. O, the gods!

When fhall we fee again?

Enter CYMBELINE, and Lords.

Poft. Alack, the King!

-

Cym. Thou bafest thing, avoid; hence, from my fight:

If, after this command, thou fraught the Court
With thy unworthiness, thou dyeit. Away!
Thou'rt poison to my blood.

Poft. The gods protect you,

And blefs the good remainders of the court!

I'm gone.

Imo. There cannot be a pinch in death More fharp than this is.

Cym. O difloyal thing, (5),

(5)

-O difloyal thing,

That shouldeft repair my youth, thou heapest

A year's age on me.]

[Exit

The King loved his daughter, and was much vexeď anď difappointed at her having married against his confent. But furely, his forrow was not very extreme, if the effects of it only added one year to his age. Others have complained of bringing their grey hairs with forrow to the grave: our Cymbeline feems a more temperate mourner. But we muit correct, as my ingenious friend Mr Warburton acutely obferved to me,

A yare age on me.

i. e. a fudden, precipitate old age. For the word fignifies not only nimble, dextrous, as it is many times employed in our Anthor; but likewife, as Skinner expounds it, fervi dus prompus, præceps, impat ens. The mistake might arife, in the firft editors, from the bad orthography of those days, they writing yere for yare. And fo, in fome editions of Chaucer, in his Legend of Philomela, we find it fpelt.

That fhouldeft repair my youth, thou heapest
A yare age on me.

Imo. I befeech you Sir,

Harm not yourself with your vexation;
I'm fenfelefs of your wrath; a touch more rare
Subdues all- pangs, all fears.

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Cym. Paft grace? obedience?

Imo. Paft hope, and in defpair; that way, paft grace.

Cym. Thou mighteft have had the fole fon of my Queen.

Imo. O, bleft, that I might not! I chose an eagle, And did avoid a putteck."

Cym. Thou tookeft a beggar; wouldest have made my throne

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It is your fault that I have loved Fofthumus:
You bred him as my play-fellow; and he is
A man worth any woman; over-buys me
Almoft the fum he pays.

Cym. What!

art thou mad?

Imo. Almoft, Sir; Heaven reftore me! 'would A neat-herd's daughter, and my Leonatus [were Our neighbour-fhepherd's fon!

Enter Queen.

Gym. Thou foolish thing;--

They were again together, you have done

[To the Queen..

This Tercüs let him make his hippes yeare,
And into Greece Limfelf is forthe yfare.

Shippes yeare, i. e. yare, nimble, light veffels, fit for failing.

Not after our command. Away with her,

And pen her up.

Queen. Befeech your patience; peace,

Dear lady daughter, peace. Sweet Sovereign,

Leave us t' ourselves, and make yourself fome coma

Out of your best advice.

Gym. Nay, let her languifh

A drop of blood a-day; and being aged,.

Die of this folly.

Enter PISANIO,

Queen. Fy, you must give way':

[fort.

[Exit.

Here is your fervant. How now, Sir? what news? Pif. My Lord your fon drew on my master.

Queen. Hah!

No harm, I truft, is done?

Pif. There might have been,

But that my mafter rather played than fought,
And had no help of anger: they were parted
By gentlemen at hand.

Queen. I'm very glad on't.

Imo. Your fon's my father's friend, he takeshis part,

To draw upon an exile: O brave Sir !!

I would they were in Afric both together,.
Myfelf by with a needle, that I might prick
The goer-back. Why came you from your master?
Pif. On his command; he would not fuffer me
To bring him to the haven: left these notes
Of what commands I thould be subject to,
When't pleafed you to employ me...

Queen. This hath been

Your faithful fervant: I dare lay mine honour
He will remain fo

Pif. I humbly thank your Highness.

Queen. Pray, walk a while..

Imo. About fome half hour hence, pray you,

fpeak with me;

You fhall, at least, go fee my Lord aboard.

For this time leave me.

Enter CLOTEN and two Lords.

[Exeunt

Lord. Sir, I would advife you to fhift a fhirt; the violence of action hath made you reek as a facrifice. Where air comes out, air comes in; there's none abroad fo wholesome as that you vent.

Clot. If my fhirt were bloody, then to fhift it----Have I hurt him?

2 Lord. No, faith: not fo much as his patience. [Afide. 1 Lord. Hurt him? his body's a paffable carcafs, if he be not hurt. It is a thorough-fare for steel,. if it be not hurt.

2, Lord. His fteel was in debt, it went o' th' backfide the town,

Clot. The villain would not stand me..

[Afide

2 Lord, No, but he fled forward ftill toward your face.

[Afide. I Lord. Stand you? you have land enough of your own; but he added to your having, gave you fome ground.

2. Lord. As many inches as you have oceans, puppies! [Afide.. Clot. I would they had not come between us. 2 Lord. So would I, till you had measured how long a fool you were upon the ground.. [Afide Clot. And that the thould love this fellow and refufe me !-----

2 Lord. If it be a fin to make a true election, she's damned. [Ande. 1 Lord. Sir, as I told you always, her beauty and her brain go not together.. She's a good fign but I have feen fmall reflection of her wit..

2 Lord. She fhines not upon fools, left the reflection fhould hurt her.

[Aide. Clat. Come, I'll to my chamber: 'would there had been fome hurt done!

[Afide.

2 Lord. I with not fo; unless it had been the fall of an afs, which is no great hurt. Clot. You'll go with us?

1 Lord. I'll attend your Lordship. Clot. Nay, come, let's go together. 2 Lord. Well, my Lord.

SCENE, Imogen's Apartments.

Enter IMOGEN and PISANIO.

[Exeunt.

Imo. I would thou grew'ft unto the shores o' th' haven,

And question'd'st every fail: if he should write,
And I not have it, 'twere a paper loft

As offered mercy is. What was the laft
That he fpake with thee?

Pif. 'Twas, " His Queen, his Queen !".
Imo. Then waved his handkerchief?
Pif. And killed it, Madam,

Imo. Senfelefs linen, happier therein than I!
And that was all?

Pif. No, Madam; (6) for fo long

As he could make me with this eye, or ear,

(6)

-for fo long

As he could make me with his eye or ear

Diftinguif him from others,] But how could Pofthumus make himself distinguished by his ear to Pifanio ? By his tongue he might, to the other's car: and this was cer tainly Shakespeare's intention. We must therefore read, as Mr Warburton hinted to me;

As he could make me with this eye, or car,
Diftinguish him from others.

The expreflion is duxlixas, as the Greeks term it: the par

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