Imo. It poison'd me. 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 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 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 ye not; You had a motive for't. [To GUIDERIUS and ARVIRAGUS. Cym. My tears that fall, Prove holy water on thee! Imogen, Thy mother's dead. Imo. I am sorry for't, my lord. Cym. O, she was naught; and 'long of her it was, That we meet here so strangely: But her son If I discover'd not which way she was gone, late If it could roar so to me: I cut off's head; Cym. I am sorry for thee: By thine own tongue thou art condemn'd, and Endure our law: Thou art dead. [must Imo. That headless man I thought had been my lord. This man is better than the man he slew, Wilt thou undo the worth thou art unpaid for, Arv. In that he spake too far. But I will prove, that two of us are as good Ours. Gui. And our good his. Bel. Have at it then. Assum'd this age: indeed, a banish'd man; Cym. Take him hence; The whole world shall not save him. First pay me for the nursing of thy sons; Cym. Nursing of my sons? Bel. I am too blunt, and saucy: Here's my Ere I arise, I will prefer my sons; [knee; Then, spare not the old father. Mighty Sir, These two young gentlemen, that call me fa ther, 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 pun ishment 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; Sir, Here are your sons again; and I must lose Cym. Thou weep'st, and speak'st. Bel. Be pleas'd a while. This gentleman, whom I call Polydore, This gentleman, my Cadwal, Arviragus, Cym. Guiderius had Upon his neck a mole, a sanguine star; It was a mark of wonder. Bel. This is he; [tion, Who hath upon him still that natural stamp; Cym. O, what am I A mother to the birth of three? Ne'er mother Rejoic'd deliverance more:-Bless'd may you be, [orbs, That after this strange starting from your [brothers, I have got two worlds by't.-O my gentle Have we thus met? O never say hereafter, But I am truest speaker: you call'd me brother, When I was but your sister; I you brothers, When you were so indeed. Cym. Did you e'er meet? Gui. And at first meeting lov'd; When shall I hear all through? This fierce* abridgment Hath to it circumstantial branches, which And all the other by-dependancies, [place, Cym. All overjoy'd, [me, Save these in bonds; let them be joyful too, I will yet do you service. Vehement, rapid. + I. c. Which ought to be rendered distinct by an ample narrative. Luc. Happy be you! Cym. The forlorn soldier, that so nobly fought, He would have well becom❜d this place, and grac'd The thankings of a king. Post. I am, Sir, The soldier that did company these three lach. 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. Nobly doom'd: We'll learn our freeness of a son-in-law; Arv. You holp us, Sir, 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 soothsayer: As I slept, methought, Great Jupiter, upon his eagle back, Sooth. Here, my good lord. Luc. 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 førtunate, 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 Cym. This hath some seeming. Sooth. The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline, My peace we will begin :-And, Caius Lucius, * Ghostly appearances. The harmony of this peace. The vision The imperial Cesar, should again unite Cym. Laud we the gods; And let our crooked smokes climb to their nostrils From our bless'd altars! Publish we this peace And in the temple of great Jupiter * Rise. [Exeunt. A SONG, Sung by Guiderius and Arviragus over Fidele, supposed to be dead. BY WILLIAM COLLINS. To fair Fidele's grassy tomb, Soft maids and village hinds shall bring And melting virgins own their love. ACT I. 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 Col ours. 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 wore the imperial diadem of Rome; Then let my father's honours live in me, Nor wrong mine age with this indignity. Bas. Romans,-friends, followers, favourers of my right,If ever Bassianus, Cesar's son, Were gracious in the eyes of royal Rome, Keep then this passage to the Capitol; And suffer not dishonour to approach The imperial seat, to virtue consecrate, To justice, continence, and nobility: But let desert in pure election shine; And, Romans, fight for freedom in your choice. Enter MARCUS ANDRONICUS, aloft, with the Crown. A special party, have, by their common voice, Bleeding to Rome, bearing his valiant sons And now at last, laden with honour's spoils, Dismiss your followers, and, as suitors should, Bas. Marcus Andronicus, so I do affy In thy uprightness and integrity, Mar. Princes that strive by factions, and And so I love and honour thee and thine, by friends, Ambitiously for rule and empery, Thy nobler brother Titus, and his sons, all And her, to whom my thoughts are humbled Know, that the people of Rome, for whom we Gracious Lavinia, Rome's rich ornament, stand I. e. My title to the succession. That I will here dismiss my loving friends; * Summoned. And to my fortunes, and the people's favour, Commit my cause in balance to be weigh'd. [Exeunt the Followers of BASSIANUS. Sat. Friends, that have been thus forward in my right, I thank you all, and here dismiss you all; Bas. Tribunes! and me, a poor competitor. SCENE II.-The same. Cap. Romans, make way; The good Andro- Patron of virtue, Rome's best champion, Tit. I give him you; the noblest that surThe eldest son of this distressed queen. [vives, Tam. Stay, Roman brethren; Gracious conqueror, Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed, me. To this your son is mark'd; and die he must, To appease their groaning shadows that are gone. Luc. Away with him! and make a fire straight; And with your swords, upon a pile of wood, Let's hew his limbs, till they be clean consum'd. [Exeunt LUCIUS, QUINTUS, MARTIUS, and MUTIUS, with ALARBUS. Tam. O cruel, irreligious piety! Chi. Was ever Scythia half so barbarous? Alarbus goes to rest; and we survive Dem. Oppose not Scythia to ambitious Rome. Tit. Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning weeds! [fraught, Lo, as the bark that hath discharged her Returns with precious lading to the bay, From whence at first she weigh'd her anchor-To tremble under Titus' threatening look. [al, age, Cometh Andronicus, bound with laurel boughs, These, that I bring unto their latest home, Titus, unkind, and careless of thine own, [The Tomb is opened. That we may hew his limbs, and, on a pile, Freight. + Jupiter, to whom the Capitol was sacred. It was supposed that the ghosts of unburied people appeared to solicit the rites of funeral. [Troy Then, madam, stand resolv'd; but hope with- To quit the bloody wrongs upon her foes. Luc. See, lord and father, how we have perform'd Our Roman rites: Alarbus' limbs are lopp'd, [Trumpets sounded, and the Coffins luid in the Tomb. In peace and honour rest you here, my sons; Rome's readiest champions, repose you here, Secure from worldly chances and mishaps! Here lurks no treason, here no envy swells, Here grow no damned grudges; here, are no storms, No noise, but silence and eternal sleep: Enter LAVINIA. In peace and honour rest you here, my sons! Lav. In peace and honour live lord Titus long; * Suffering. |