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 condemned, and must Endure our law. Thou art dead.

This man is better than the man he slew,

As well descended as thyself; and hath

More of thee merited than a band of Clotens

Had ever scar for.-Let his arms alone; [To the Guard. They were not born for bondage.

Cym.

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.

We will die all three;

In that he spake too far.
Cym. And thou shalt die for't.
Bel.
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.

Arv.

Your danger is

Have at it, then.

By leave;-thou hadst, great king, a subject, who

Was called Belarius.

Cym.

A banished traitor.

Bel.

What of him? he is

He it is, that hath

Assumed this age:1 indeed, a banished man;

I know not how, a traitor.

1 As there is no reason to imagine that Belarius had assumed the appearance of being older than he really was, it must have a reference to

Сут.

Take him hence;

The whole world shall not save him.

Bel.

Not too hot;

First pay me for the nursing of thy sons;
And let it be confiscate all so soon

As I have received it.

Сут.

Nursing of my sons!

my knee.

Bel. I am too blunt and saucy. Here's
Ere I arise, I will prefer my sons;

Then, spare not the old father. Mighty sir,
These two young gentlemen, that call me 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.

Сут.

How! my issue?

Bel. So sure as you your father's. I, old Morgan,
Am that Belarius whom you sometime banished.
Your pleasure was my mere offence,1 my punishment
Itself, and all my treason: that I suffered,

Was all the harm I did. These gentle princes
(For such, and so they are) these twenty year
Have I trained 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 moved her to't;
Having received 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

the different appearance which he now makes in comparison with that when Cymbeline last saw him.

1 The old copy reads "neere offence;" the emendation is by Mr. Tyrwhitt. Belarius means to say, "My crime, my punishment, and all the treason that I committed, originated in, and were founded on, your caprice only."

Fall on their heads like dew! for they are worthy
To inlay heaven with stars.

Thou weep'st, and speak'st1

Cym.
The service, that you three have done, is more
Unlike than this thou tell'st. I lost

I lost my children;
If these be they, I know not how to wish
A pair of worthier sons.
Bel.
Be pleased a while.-
This gentleman, whom I call Polydore,
Most worthy prince, as yours, is true Guiderius.
This gentleman, my Cadwal, Arviragus,

Your younger princely son; he, sir, was lapped
In a most curious mantle, wrought by the hand
Of his queen mother, which, for more probation,
I can with ease produce.

Cym.

Guiderius had

Upon his neck a mole, a sanguine star;
It was a mark of wonder.

Bel.

This is he;

Who hath upon him still that natural stamp.
It was wise nature's end, in the donation,
To be his evidence now.

O, what am 1

Cym.
A mother to the birth of three? Ne'er mother
Rejoiced deliverance more.-Blessed may you be,
That after this strange starting from your orbs,
You may reign in them now!-O Imogen,
Thou hast lost by this a kingdom.

Imo.

No, my lord;

I have got two worlds by't.-O my gentle brothers, Have we thus met? O, never say hereafter,

But I am truest speaker: you called me brother,

When I was but your sister; I

When you were so indeed.

Cym.

Arv. Ay, my good lord.

you brothers,

Did you e'er meet?

1 "Thy tears give testimony to the sincerity of thy relation; and I have the less reason to be incredulous, because the actions which you have done within my knowledge are more incredible than the story which you relate." The king reasons very justly.

Gui.

And at first meeting loved;

Continued so, until we thought he died.
Cor. By the queen's dram she swallowed.
Cym.
O rare instinct!
When shall I hear all through? This fierce abridg-

ment

Hath to it circumstantial branches, which

Distinction should be rich in.2-Where? how lived 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 3 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 our long intergatories.1 See,
Posthumus 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.

Cym.

All o'erjoyed,

Save these in bonds; let them be joyful too,

For they shall taste our comfort.

Imo.

I will yet do you service.

Luc.

My good master,

Happy be you!

Cym. The forlorn soldier, that so nobly fought, He would have well becomed this place, and graced The thankings of a king.

1 Fierce is vehement, rapid.

2 i. e. which ought to be rendered distinct by an ample narrative.

3 "Your three motives means "the motives of you three."

4 Intergatories was frequently used for interrogatories.

Post.

I am, sir,

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

The purpose I then followed.-That I was he,
Speak, Tachimo; I had you down, and might
Have made you finish.

you,

Iach. I am down again; [Kneeling. But now my heavy conscience sinks my knee, As then your force did. Take that life, 'beseech 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.

As

Arv.

Nobly doomed.

You holp us, sir,

you did mean indeed to be our brother; Joyed are we, that you are.

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

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

Appeared to me, with other spritely shows1
Of mine own kindred: when I waked, 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.

Philarmonus,

1 Spritely shows are groups of sprites, ghostly appearances.

2 A collection is a corollary, a consequence deduced from premises. So the queen in Hamlet says:

66 Her speech is nothing,

Yet the unshaped use of it doth move

The hearers to collection."

Whose containing means the contents of which.