To have the courtesy your cradle promis'd;
But to be still hot summer's tanlings, and
The shrinking slaves of winter.

Guid. Than be fo,
Better to cease to be. Pray, Sir, to th' army;
I and
my

brother are not known; yourself
So out of thought, and thereto so o'er-grown,
Cannot be question'd.

Arv. By this Sun that shines,
I'll thither ; what thing is it, that I never
Did see man die, scarce ever look'd on blood,
But that of coward hares, hot goats, and venison ?
Never beftrid a horse fave one, that had
A rider like myself who ne'er wore rowel,
Nor iron on his heel? I am alham'd
To look upon the holy Sun, to have
The benefit of his best beams, remaining
So long a poor

unknown.
Guid. By heav'ns, I'll go;
If you will bless me, Sir, and give me leave,
I'll take the better care ; but if you
The hazard therefore due fall on me, by
The hands of Romans !

Arv. So say 1, Amen.

Bel. No reason I (lince of your lives you fet
So flight a valuation) !hould reserve
My crack’d one to more care.

Have with you, boys ;
If in your country wars you chance to die,
That is my bed too, lads; and there I'll lie.
Lead, lead; the time seems long : their blood thinks scorn
'Till it fly out, and Thew them Princes born. [Exeunt.

will not,

SCENE, a Field between the British and

Roman Camps.

Y

Enter Posthumus, with a bloody handkerchief.

POSTHUMU S.
E A, bloody cloth, I'll keep thee; for I wisht,

Thou shouldīt be colour'd thus. You married Ones,
If each of you would take this course, how many
Mult murder wives much better than themselves
For wrying but a little ? oh, Pifanio!
Every good servant does not all Commands;
No bond, but to do just ones. Gods !

you Should have ta’en vengeance on my faults, I ne'er Had liv'd to put on this; fo had you

fav'd The noble Imogen to repent, and struck Me, wretch, more worth your vengeance.

But alack, You snatch some hence for faults; that's love; To have them fall no more :--you some permit (25)

Το (25)

you some permit
To second Ills with Ills, each worse than other,

And make them dread it, to the Doers' tbrift.) The Divinity-Schools have not furnish'd juster Obfervations on the Conduct of Providence, than Pofthumus gives us here in his private Reflections. You Gods, says he, act in a different manner with your different Creatures;

You snatcb fome bence for little Faults; that's Love;

To have them fali no more. Others, says our Poet, you permit to live on, to multiply and inerease in Crimes,

And make tbem dread it, toorbe Doers' Thrift.

Here's a Relative without an antecedent Substantive į which is a Breach of Grammar, We must certainly read,

Ard

*To second ills with ills, each worse than other,
And make them dreaded, to the doers' thrift.
But Imogen's your own : do your best wills,
And make me blest t’obey! I am brought hither
Among th' Italian Gentry, and to fight
Against my lady's Kingdom ; 'tis enough,
That, Britaine, I have kill'd thy mistress : Peace!
I'll give no wound to thee. Therefore, good heav'ns,
Hear patiently my purpose. I'll difrobe nie
Of these Italian weeds, and fuit myself
As does a Briton peasant; fo I'll fight
Against the part I come with; so I'll die
For thee, O Imogen, for whom my life
Is, every breath, a death ; and thus unknown,
Pitied, nor hated, to the face of peril
Myself I'll dedicate. Let me make men know
More valour in me, than my Habits shew;
Gods, put the strength o’th’ Leonati in me!
To shame the guise o'ch' world, I will begin
The fashion, less without, and more within. [Exit.
Enter Lucius, Iachimo, and the Roman army at one door;

and the British army at another : Leonatus Posthumusfollowing like a poor soldier. They march over, and go out. Then enter again in skirmish Jachimo, and Posthumus; he vanquisheth and disarmeth Iachimo, and then leaves him.

lach. The heaviness, and guilt, within my bosom,
Takes off my manhood; I've bely'd a lady,
The Princess of this country; and the air on't
Revengingly enfeebles me: or could this carle,
A very drudge of nature, have subdu'd me
In my profeffion? Knighthoods, and Honours borne,
As I wear mine, are titles but of fcorn;

And make them dreaded, to the Doers' Thrift. i. e. others you permit to aggravate one Crime with more ; which Enormities not only make them revered and dreaded, but turn in other kinds to their Advantage. Dignity, Respect, and Profit, accrue to them from Crimes committed with Impunity,

If

If that thy gentry, Britaine, go before
This lowt, as he exceeds our Lords, the odds
Is, that we scarce are men, and you are Gods. [Exit.
The battle continues; the Britons fly, Cymbeline is taken;

then enter to his rescue, Belarius, Guiderius, and Ar-
viragus.
Bel. Stand, stand; we have th' advantage of the

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

Guid. Arrv. Stand, ftand, and fight.
Enter Posthumus, and seconds the Britons. They rescue

Cymbeline, and exeunt.
Then enter Lucius, Iachimo, and Imogen.
Luc. Away, boy, from the troops, and save thyself;
For friends kill friends, and the disorder's such
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.

[Exeunt. SCE N E, another part of the Field of Battle.

Enter Posthumus, and a British Lord.
Lord. NAm'st thou from where they made the Stand?

Poft. I did.
Though you, it seems, came from the fiers.

Lord. I did.

Poft. No blame be to you, Sir, for all was loft,
But that the heavens fought: the King himself
Of his wings destitute, the army broken,
And but the backs of Britaine seen; all flying
Through a straight lane, the enemy full-hearted,
Lolling the tongue with Naughtring, having work
More plentiful, than tools to do't, Itruck down
Some mortally, fome slightly touch'd, fome falling

Meerly

CAT

Meerly through fear, that the straight Pass was damm’d
With dead men, hurt behind, and cowards living
To die with lengthen'd shame.

Lord. Where was this lane?

Poft. Close by the battle, ditch'd, and wall'd with turf, Which gave advantage to an ancient soldier, (An honest one, I warrant,) who deserv'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, more like to run The country Base, than to commit such slaughter ; With face s fit for masks, or rather fairer Than those for preservation cas'd, or shame,) Made good the passage, cry'd to those that fled, “ Our Britaine'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 shun beastly, and may save “ 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 rest do nothing ;) with this word, “ Stand, ftand," Accommodated by the place, (more charming With their own Nobleness, which could have turn'd A diftaff to a lance) gilded pale looks ; Part, shame, part, spirit-renew'd; that some, 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 Aftop i'th' chaser, a retire; anon, A rout, confusion thick. Forthwith they fly Chickens, the way which they stoop'd eagles : slaves, The strides 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 slain before, some dying ; fome, their friends Vol. VII.

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