But Imogen's your own. * Do your best wills,
And make me bleft t' obey!I am brought hither
Among th' Italian Gentry, and to fight

Againft my lady's Kingdom. 'Tis enough,

That, Britain, I have kill'd thy miftrefs.

Peace! I'll give no wound to thee. Therefore, good heav'nsy Hear patiently my purpofe. I'll difrobe me Of these Italian weeds, and fuit myself As does a Britain pleafant; fo I'll fight Againft the part I come with; fo I'll die For thee, O Imogen, even for whom my life Is, every breath, a death; and thus unknown, Pitied, not hated, to the face of peril Myfelf I'll dedicate. Let me make men know More valour in me, than my Habits fhow; Gods, puts the ftrength o' th' Leonati in me! To fhaine the guife o' th' world, I will begin The fashion. Lefs without, and more within. [Exit.

Enter Lucius, Iachimo, and the Roman army at one door; and the Britain army at another; Leonatus Pofthumus following the British like a poor foldier. They march over, and go out. Then enter again in Skirmish Iachimo, and Pofthumus; he vanquisheth and difarmeth Iachimo, and then leaves him.

Jach. The heavinefs, and guilt, within my bofom, Takes off my manhood. I've bely'd a lady, The Princefs of this country; and the air on't Revengingly enfeebles me, or could this carle, A very drudge of nature, have fubdu'd me In my profeffion? Knighthoods and Honours born As I wear mine are titles but of fcorn.

If that thy gentry, Britain, go before

This lowt, as he exceeds our Lords, the odds
İs, that we fcarce are men, and you are Gods. [Exit.

The battle continues; the Britons fly, Cymbeline is taken; then enters to his rescue, Belarius, Guiderius, and Arviragus.

Bel. Stand, ftand. We have th' advantage of the ground;

That lane is guarded; nothing routs us, but
The villany of our fears.

Guid. Arv. Stand; ftand and fight.

Enter Pofthumus, and feconds the Britons. They refcue Cymbeline, and exeunt.

Then enter Lucius, Iachimo, and Imogen.

Luc. Away, boy, from the troops, and fave thy

felf;

For friends kill friends, and the diforder's fuch

As war were hood-wink'd.

Iach. 'Tis their fresh supplies.

Luc. It is a day turn'd ftrangely. Or betimes Let's re-inforce, or fly.

SCENE II.

Another Part of the Field of Battle.

Enter Pofthumus, and a British Lord.

Lord. CA

[Exeunt.

Am'ft thou from where they made the
Stand?

Poft. I did.

Though you, it feems, came from the fliers.
Lord. I did.

Poft. No blame be to you, Sir, for all was loft,
But that the heavens fought. The King himself
Bb 2

Of

Of his wings deftitute, the army broken,
And but the backs of Britain feen; all flying
Through a strait lane, the enemy full-hearted,
Lolling the tongue with flaught'ring, having work
More plentiful, than tools to do't, ftruck down
Some mortally, fome flightly touch'd, fome falling
Meerly through fear, that the ftrait Pass was
damm'd

With dead men, hurt behind, and cowards living
To die with lengthen'd fhame.

Lord. Where was this lane?

Poft. Clofe by the battle; ditch'd, and wall'd with turf,

Which gave advantage to an ancient foldier,
An honeft one, I warrant, who deferv'd
So long a breeding as his white beard came to,
In doing this for 's Country. "Thwart the lane,
He, with two ftriplings, lads, ore like to run
The country Bafe, than to commit fuch flaughter;
With faces fit for masks, or rather fairer
Than thofe for prefervation cas'd, or shame,
Made good the paffage; cry'd to those that fied,
"Our Britain's Harts die flying, not our men;
"To darkness fleet fouls, that fly backwards! Stand;
"Or we are Romans, and will give you That
"Like beasts, which you fhun beastly, and may fave
"But to look back in frown. Stand, stand."-Thefe
three,

Three thousand confident, (in act as many;
For three performers are the file, when all
The reft do nothing) with this word, "Stand, stand,"

9 for prefervation cas'd, or
fhame,] Shame, for modefty.

WARBURTON.
Sir T. Hanmer reads the paf-
fage thus:
Than fome for prefervation cas'd.

For fhame,

Make good the paffage, cry'd to thofe that fled, Our Britain's Harts die flying, &c. The old reading is right.

Accom

Accommodated by the place, more charming

With their own Noblenefs which could have turn'd A distaff to a lance, gilded pale looks;

Part shame, part fpirit renew'd; that fome, turn'd coward

But by example, (oh, a fin in war,

Damn'd in the first beginners!) 'gan to look
The way that they did, and to grin like lions
Upon the pikes o' th' hunters. Then began
A ftop i' th' chafer, a retire; anon,

A rout, confufion thick. Forthwith they fly Chickens, the way which they stoop'd eagles; flaves, The ftrides they victors made: and now our cowards, Like fragments in hard voyages, became

The life o' th' need; having found the back door open
Of the unguarded hearts, heav'ns, how they wound
Some flain before, fome dying; fome their fiends
O'er-borne i' th' former wave; ten, chac'd by one,
Are now each one the flaughter man of twenty;
Thofe, that would die or ere refift, are grown
The mortal bugs o' th' field.

2

Lord. This was ftrange chance.

3

A narrow lane! an old man, and two boys! Post. Nay, do not wonder at it; you are made the principal figure in a picture

A rout, confufion thick.] This is read as if it was a thick confufion, and only another term for rout: whereas confufion-thick fhould be read thus with an hyphen, and is a very beautiful compound epithet to rout. But Shakespear's fine diction is not a little obfcured throughout by thus disfiguring his compound adjec

2

-bug Terrors.

3 Nay, do not wonder at it ;] Sure, this is mock reafoning with a vengeance. What! because he was made fitter to wonder at great actions, than to perform any, is he therefore forbid to wonder? Not and but are perpetually miftaken for one another in the old editions. THEOBALD.

There is no need of alteration. Pofthumus first bids him not wonder, then tells him in another mode of reproach, that wonder is all that he was made for.

Bb 3

Rather

it a

Rather to wonder at the things you hear,
Than to work any. Will you rhime upon
And vent it for a mockery? here is one :
"Two boys, an old man twice a boy, a lane,
"Preferv'd the Britons, was the Roman' bane."
Lord. Nay, be not angry, Sir.

Poft. 'Lack! to what end?

Who dares not ftand his foe, I'll be his friend;
For if he'll do, as he is made to do,

I know, he'll quickly fly my friendship too.
You have put me into rhimes.

Lord. Farewel, you are angry.

[Exit. Poft. Still going? This is a Lord! oh noble mifery, To be i' th' field, and ask what news, of me! To-day, how many would have given their honours To've fav'd their carcaffes? took heel to do't,

4

And yet died too? I, in mine own woe charm'd, Could not find death, where I did hear him groan; Nor feel him, where he ftruck. Being an ugly mon

fter,

'Tis ftrange he hides him in fresh cups, foft beds, Sweet words; or hath more minifters than we,

That draw his knives i' th' war-Weal

him:

For being now a 5 favourer to the Roman,
No more a Briton, I've refum'd again

AI, in mine own woe charm'd] Alluding to the common fuperftition of Charms being powerful enough to keep men unhurt in battle. It was derived from our Saxon anceflors, and fo is common to us with the Germans, who are above all other people given to this fuperfition, which made Erafmus, where, in his Moria Encomium, he gives to each nation its pro

I will find

per chara&eriftic, fay, Germani corporum proceritate & magia cognitione fibi placent: and Prior, in his Alma,

North Britons hence have fecond fight:

And Germans free from gunfhot fight. WARB.

5-favourer to the Roman,] The editions before Hanmer's for Roman read Briton; and Dr. Warburton reads Briton still,

The