Spit, and throw stones, cast mire upon me, set
The dogs o' the street to bay me: every villain
Be call'd Posthúmus Leonatus; and
Be villany less than 'twas!-O Imogen!
My queen, my life, my wife! O Imogen,
Imogen, Imogen!
Imo.
Peace, my lord; hear, hear-
Post. Shall's have a play of this? thou scornful
page,

There lies thy part. [Striking her: she falls.
Pis.
O, gentlemen, help, help
Mine and your mistress:-0, my lord Posthumus!
You ne'er kill'd Imogen till now:-Help, help!-
Mine honor'd lady!
Cym.

Does the world go round?
Post. How come these staggers on me?
Pis.
Wake, my mistress!
Cym. If this be so, the gods do mean to strike me
To death with mortal joy.

Pis.

How fares my mistress? Imo. O, get thee from my sight; Thou gav'st me poison: dangerous fellow, hence! Breathe not where princes are.

Cym.

Pis. Lady,

The tune of Imogen!

The gods throw stones of sulphur at 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?

It poison'd me.

Imo. Cor. 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 a cordial, she is serv'd As I would serve a rat.

Cym.

What's this, Cornelius?

Cor. The queen, sir, very oft importun'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.

My boys,

This is sure, Fidele.

There was our error.
Gui.
Imo. Why did you throw your wedded lady from
you?

Think, that you are upon a rock; and now
Throw me again.
[Embracing him.
Hang there like fruit, my soul,

Post.

Till the tree die! Cym.

How now, my flesh, my child? What, mak'st thou me a dullard in this act? Wilt thou not speak to me? Imo. Your blessing, sir. [Kneeling. Bel. Though you did love this youth, I blame you not;

Cym.

Marry, the gods forefend !5

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.

Stay, sir king:

This man is better than the man he slew,
As well descended as thyself; and hath
More of thee inerited, than a band of Clotens
Had ever scar for.-Let his arms alone;

[To the Guard.
Why, old soldier,
Wilt thou undo the worth thou art unpaid for,
By tasting of our wrath? How of descent
As good as we?
Arv.
In that he spake too far.
Cym. And thou shalt die for't.
Bel.
We will die all three:
But I will prove, that two of us are as good
As I have given out him.-My sons, I must,
For mine own part, unfold a dangerous speech,
Though, haply, well for you.
Your danger is

They were not born for bondage.
Cym.

First pay me for the nursing of thy sons;
And let it be confiscate all, so soon
As I have receiv'd it.
Cym.
Nursing of my sons?
Bel. I am too blunt and saucy: Here's my knee;
Ere I arise, I will prefer my sons;
Then, spare not the old father. Mighty sir,
These two young gentlemen, that call ine father,
And think they are my sons, are none of mine;
They are the issue of your loins, my liege,
And blood of your begetting.
Cym.

How! my issue?
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 shaped
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.

Mix, compound.

Forbid.

Hath to it circumstantial branches, which Distinction should be rich in.6-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-dependencies,
From chance to chance; but nor the time, nor place,
Will serve long interrogatories. See,
Posth mus anchors upon Inogen;

And she, like harmless lightning, throws her eye
On him, her brothers, me, her master; hitting
Each object with 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.

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

Post. Your servant, princes.-Good my lord of
Rome,

Call forth your soothsaver. As I slept, methought,
Great Jupiter, upon his eagle back,

Appear'd to me, with other sprightly shows7
Of mine own kindred: when I waked, I found
This label on my bosom; whose containing
Is so from sense and 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 lopp'd 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 tit 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 aër; 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'ds about
With this most tender air.
Cym.

This hath some seeming.

Sooth. The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline, Personates thee: and thy lopp'd branches point Thy two sons forth: who, by Belarius stolen, For many years thought dead, are now reviv'd, To the majestic cedar join'd; whose issue Promises Britain peace and plenty.

Cym.

Well, My peace we will begin :-And, Caius Lucius, 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 Ler 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 favor with the radiant Cymbeline, Which shines here in the west.

Cym. Laud we the gods; And let our crooked smokes climb to their nostrils From our bless'd altars! Publish we this peace

To all our subjects. Set we forward: Lei

A Roman and a British ensign wave

Friendly together: so through Lud's town march:
And in the temple of great Jupiter

Our peace we'll ratify; seal it with feasts.-
Set on there :-Never was a war did cease,
Ere bloody hands were wash'd, with such a peace.
[Exeunt.

No wither'd witch shall here be seen,
No goblins lead their nightly crew:
The female fays shall haunt the green,
And dress thy grave with pearly dew.

The red-breast oft at evening hours
Shall kindly lend his little aid,
With hoary moss, and gather'd flowers,
To deck the ground where thou art laid.

When howling winds, and beating rain,
In tempests shake the sylvan cell;
Or midst the chuse on every plain,

The tender thought on thee shall dwell,

Each lonely scene shall thee restore; For thee the tear be duly shed: Belor'd, till life could charm no more; And mourn'd, till pity's self be dead.

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 BASSIANUS and his Followers, on the other; with Drum and Colors.

Sut. 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 honors live in me,
Nor wrong mine age with this indignity.
Bas. Romans,-friends, followers, favorers
my right,-

If ever Bassianus. Cæsar's son,

of

That, with his sons, a terror to our foes,
Hath yok'd a nation strong, train'd up in arms.
Ten years are spent, since first he undertook
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 honor's spoils,
Returns the good Andronicus to Rome,
Renowned Titus, flourishing in arms.
Let us entreat,-By honor of his name,
Whom, worthily, you would have now succeed,
And in the Capitol and senate's right,
Whom you pretend to honor and adore,-
That you withdraw you, and abate your strength:
Dismiss your followers, and, as suitors should,
Plead your deserts in peace and humbleness.

Sut. How fair the tribune speaks to calin my thoughts!

Bas. Marcus Andronicus, so do I affy In thy uprightness and integrity,

And so I love and honor thee and thine,

Thy nobler brother Titus and his sons,
And her, to whom my thoughts are humbled all,
Gracious Lavinia, Rome's rich ornament,
That I will here dismiss my loving friends;
And to my fortunes, and the people's favor,
Commit my cause in balance to be wei, h'd.

[Exeunt the Followers of BASSLANUS. Sat. Friends, that have been thus forward i mỹ right,

I thank you all, and here dismiss you all;
And to the love and favor of my country
Commit myself, my person, and the cause.

[Exeunt the Followers of SATURNINUS.

Rome, be as just and gracious unto me,
As I am confident and kind to thee.-
Open the gates, and let me in.

Bus. Tribunes! and me, a poor competitor.

[SAT. and BAS. go into the Capitol, and

exeunt with Senators, MARCUS,

&c.