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

Cym.
Thou weep'st, and speak'st.1
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.

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.
Guiderius had

Cym.

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.

Cym.

O, what am I

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

Imo.

be,

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 you brothers,
When you were so indeed.

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 fierce1 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
3
your three motives to the battle, with

I know not how much more, should be demanded;
And all the other by-dependencies,

4

From chance to chance; but nor the time, nor place,
Will serve our long intergatories. 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.

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.

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.

Iach.

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.

We'll learn our freeness of a son-in-law;

Pardon's the word to all.

Arv.

Nobly doomed.

You holp us, sir,

As 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

2

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:—

Her speech is nothing,

Yet the unshaped use of it doth move

The hearers to collection."

Whose containing means the contents of which.

SC. V.]

CYMBELINE.

333

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 fortunate, 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
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 clipped about
With this most tender air.

Cym.

This hath some seeming. Sooth. The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline, Personates thee; and thy lopped branches point Thy two sons forth; who, by Belarius stolen, For many years thought dead, are now revived, To the majestic cedar joined; whose issue Promises Britain peace and plenty.

Well,

Cym.
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 her and hers,)
Have laid most heavy hand.

2

1 It should apparently be, " By peace we will begin. The soothsayer says, that the label promised to Britain "peace and plenty." To which Cymbeline replies, "We will begin with peace, to fulfil the prophecy."

2 i. e. have laid most heavy hand on. Many such elliptical passages are found in Shakspeare.

334

CYMBELINE.

[ACT V

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 accomplished. For the Roman eagle, From south to west on wing soaring aloft, Lessened herself, and in the beams o'the sun So vanished; which foreshowed 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 blest altars! Publish we this peace

To all our subjects. Set we forward.

A Roman and a British ensign wave

Let

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 washed, with such a peace.

[Exeunt