Poft. Ay, fo thou doft,

[Coming forward.

Italian fiend! ah me, most credulous fool,
Egregious murderer, thief, any thing
That's due to all the villains pait, in being,
To come---oh, give me cord, or knife, or poifon,
Some upright jufticer! Thou, King, send out
For torturers ingenious; it is I

That all th' abhorred things o' th' earth amend,
By being worse than they. I am Pofthumus,
That killed thy daughter :---villain-like, I lie;
That caufed a leffer villain than myself,
A facrilegious thief, to do't. The temple
Of virtue was fhe, yea, and fhe herself.---
Spit, and throw ftones, caft mire upon me, fet
The dogs o' th' ftreet to bay me: every villain
Be called Pofthumus Leonatus, and
Be villainy lefs than 'twas !---Oh Imogen!
My Queen, my life, my wife! oh Imogen,
Imogen, Imogen!

Imo. Peace, my Lord, hear, hear---.
Poft. Shall's have a play of this?

Thou fcornful page, there ly thy part.

Pif. Oh, gentlemen, help,

[Striking her, fhe falls

help, help,

Mine and your mistress---Oh, my Lord Pofthumus !..

You ne'er killed Imogen till now.

Mine honoured Lady—

Cym. Does the world go round?

Poft. How come thefe ftaggers on me?

Pif. Wake, my mistress!

Cyn. If this be fo, the Gods do mean to ftrike me.

To death with mortal joy.

Pif. How fares my miftrefs?

Imo. O, get thee from my fight;

Thou gav'ft me poifon dangerous fellow, hence!

Breathe not where Princes are.
Cym. The tune of Imogen!

Pif. Lady, the Gods throw ftones of fulphur on If what I gave you was not thought by me [me, A precious thing: I had it from the Queen. Cym. New matter ftill?

Imo. It poifoned me..

Cor. Oh Gods!

left out one thing which the Queen confeffed, Which must approve thee honeft. If Pifanio Have, faid fhe, given his mistress that confection Which I gave him for cordial, fhe is ferved As I would fervé a rat..

Cym. What's this, Cornelius?

Cor. The Queen, Sir, very oft importuned me
To temper poifons for her; ftill pretending
The fatisfaction of her knowledge, only
In killing creatures vile, as cats and dogs
Of no efteem; I, dreading that her purpose
Was of more danger, did compound for her
A certain stuff, which, being ta'en, would feize
The prefent power of life; but, in fhort time,,
All offices of nature, fhould again

Do their due functions. Have you ta'en of it?
Imo. Moft like I did, for I was dead.
Bel. My boys, there was our error.--
Guid. This is, fure, Fidelė:

Imo. Why did you throw your wedded lady from Think that you are upon a rock, and now [you? Throw me again.

Poft. Hang there like fruit, my foul,

'Till the tree die!

Cym. How now, my

Alefh? my child?

What, mak't thou me a dullard in this act?

Wilt thou not speak to me?

Imo. Your bleffing, Sir.

[Kneeling

[To Guid. Arv.

Bel.Tho' you did love this youth, I blame you not,

You had a motive for't.

Gym. My tears, that fall,

Prove holy-water on thee! Imogen,

Thy mother's dead.

Imo I'm forry for't, my Lord..

Cym. Oh, fhe was naught; and 'long of her it was That we meet here fo ftrangely; but her fon Is gone, we know not how, nor where.

Pif. My Lord,

Now fear is from me, I'll speak truth. Lord Cloten, Upon my Lady's milfing, came to me

With his fword drawn, foamed at the mouth, and fwore,

If I discovered not which way fhe went,
It was my instant death. By accident
I had a feigned letter of my master's
Then in my pocket; which directed her
To feck him on the mountains near to Milford:
Where, in a frenzy, in my mafter's garments,
Which he enforced from me, away he pofts.
With unchafte purpose, and with oath to violate
My Lady's honour. What became of him,
I further know not..

Guid. Let me end the story;

I flew him there.

Gym. Marry, the Gods forefend!

I would not thy good deeds fhould from my lipsPluck a hard fentence; pr'ythee, valiant youth, Deny it again.

Guid. I've spoke it, and I did it.

Cym. He was a Prince.

Guid. A molt incivil one. The wrongs he did me,

Were nothing prince-like; for he did provoke me
With language that would make me fpurn the fea,
Could it fo 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'm forry for thee;

By thine own tongue thou art condemned, and mußt Endure our law: thou'rt dead.

Imo. That headless man

I thought had been my Lord.
Cym. Bind the offender,
And take him from our prefence.

Bel. Stay, Sir King,

This man is better than the man he flew,

As well defcended as thyfelf; and hath

More of thee merited, than a band of Clotens

Had ever fcar for..

-Let his arms alone;

They were not born for bondage.

Cym. Why, old Soldier,

[To the Guard.

Wilt thou undo the worth thou art unpaid for,
By tafting of our wrath? how of defcent

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 on's are as good
As I've given out of him. My sons, I must,
For mine own part, unfold a dangerous fpeech,
Though, haply, well for you.

Av. Your danger's ours.

Guid. And our good, his.

Bel. Have at it then, by leave:

Thou hadt, great King, a fubject, who was called Bellarius,

Cym. What of him? a banished traitor.
Bel. He it is that hath

Affumed this age; indeed, a banished man;
I know not how a traitor.

Cym. Take him hence,

The whole world fhall not fave him.

Bel. Not too hot:

First, pay me for the nurfing of thy fons;
And let it be confifcate all, fe foon

As I've received it.

Gym. Nurfing of my fons?

Bel. I am too blunt and faucy; here's my knee Ere I arife, I will prefer my fons,.

Then spare not the old father. Mighty Sir,
These two young gentlemen, that call me father,
And think they are my fons, are none of mine;
They are the iffue of your loins, my Liege,
And blood of your begetting.

Cym. How? my iffue?

Bel. So fure as you your father's: I, old Morgan,
Am that Bellarius whom you fometime banished;
Your pleasure was my near offence, my punishment
Itfelf, and all my treafon : that I fuffered,
Was all the harm I did. Thefe gentle Princes
(For fuch and fo they are) thefe twenty years
Have I trained up; fuch arts they have, as I
Could put into them. Sir, my breeding was,
As your Grace knows. Their nurfe Euriphile,
Whom for the theft I wedded, ftole thefe 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 treafon. Their dear loss,
The more of you 'twas felt, the more it shaped
Unto my end of ftealing them. But, Sir,