Imo.

Not he, I hope.

Iach. Not he; but yet heaven's bounty towards him might Be us'd more thankfully. In himself, 'tis much; In you, which I account beyond all talents",Whilst I am bound to wonder, I am bound

To pity too.

Imo.

What do you pity, sir?

Iach. Two creatures, heartily.

Imo.

Am I one, sir?

You look on me: what wreck discern you in me,

Deserves your pity?

Iach.

Lamentable! What!

To hide me from the radiant sun, and solace

I' the dungeon by a snuff?

Imo.
I pray you, sir,
Deliver with more openness your answers
To my demands. Why do you pity me?
Iach. That others do,

I was about to say, enjoy your-But
It is an office of the gods to venge it,
Not mine to speak on't.

You do seem to know

Imo.
Something of me, or what concerns me: pray you,
(Since doubting things go ill often hurts more,
Than to be sure they do; for certainties
Either are past remedies, or, timely knowing,
The remedy then born) discover to me

What both you spur and stop.

Had I this cheek

Iach.
To bathe my lips upon; this hand, whose touch,
Whose every touch, would force the feeler's soul
To the oath of loyalty; this object, which
Takes prisoner the wild motion of mine eye,
Fixing it only here; should I (damn'd then)
Slaver with lips as common as the stairs

That mount the Capitol; join gripes with hands

5 In you,-which I account beyond all talents,] In the corr. fo. 1632 the old annotator has put his pen through the pronoun "his" in this line, to the improvement of the verse, and to the improvement also of the sense of the passage. The ordinary text has been,

"In you,—which I account his beyond all talents ;"

but Iachimo clearly means to express his own admiration of Imogen.

6 FIXING it only here;] The first folio has fiering. The correction was made in the second folio.

Made hard with hourly falsehood (falsehood as
With labour) then bo-peeping in an eye',
Base and illustrous as the smoky light
That's fed with stinking tallow, it were fit,
That all the plagues of hell should, at one time,
Encounter such revolt.

Imo.

Has forgot Britain.

Iach.

My lord, I fear,

And himself. Not I,

Inclin'd to this intelligence, pronounce

The beggary of his change; but 'tis your graces
That, from my mutest conscience to my tongue,
Charms this report out.

Imo.

Let me hear no more.

Iach. Oh dearest soul! your cause doth strike my heart With pity, that doth make me sick. A lady

So fair, and fasten'd to an empery,

Would make the great'st king double, to be partner'd
With tomboys, hir'd with that self exhibition

Which your own coffers yield! with diseas'd ventures,
That play with all infirmities for gold'

Which rottenness can lend nature! such boil'd stuff,
As well might poison poison! Be reveng'd,
Or she that bore you was no queen, and you
Recoil from your great stock.

How should I be reveng'd? If this be true, (As I have such a heart, that both mine ears

7

then BO-PEEPING in an eye,] This is the happy emendation in the corr. fo. 1632, for "by peeping" of the old copies, which Malone and some others altered to "lie peeping." The allusion is to the game of bo-peep, often mentioned in old dramatists: thus in "The London Prodigal," one of the plays imputed to Shakespeare and printed in 1605, Frances says "Ha, ha! sister: there you played bo-peep with Tom." In "The Captain" (Dyce's Beaumont and Fletcher, iii. p. 295), Jacomo says to Frederick, 'Nay, an you play bo-peep, I'll ha' no mercy." In Patient Grissel," A. i. sc. 1, Babulo observes, "The sun hath played bo-peep in the element any time these two hours." Nothing could be more easy than to multiply instances. In the surreptitious edition of Sidney's 'Astrophel and Stella," 4to, 1591, Sonn. ii., "bo-peep" is misprinted "to peep," as is shown by the more accurate impression of 1598.

66

Base and ILLUSTROUS] All modern editors (anterior to 1843) change "illustrous to unlustrous, which may be more strictly correct; but the word is "illustrous" (misprinted illustrious) in all the folios, and it ought on every account to be preferred, as that which came from the author's pen.

9 That PLAY with all infirmities for gold] The corr. fo. 1632 has pay for "play," but we make no alteration.

Must not in haste abuse) if it be true,

How should I be reveng'd?

Iach.

Should he make me

Live, like Diana's priest, betwixt cold sheets,
Whiles he is vaulting variable ramps,

In your despite, upon your purse? Revenge it.
I dedicate myself to your sweet pleasure,
More noble than that runagate to your bed,
And will continue fast to your affection,
Still close, as sure.

Iach. Let me my service tender on your lips.
Imo. Away!-I do contemn mine cars', that have
So long attended thee.-If thou wert honourable,
Thou wouldst have told this tale for virtue, not
For such an end thou seek'st, as base, as strange.
Thou wrong'st a gentleman, who is as far
From thy report, as thou from honour; and
Solicit'st here a lady, that disdains

Thee and the devil alike.-What ho, Pisanio!-
The king my father shall be made acquainted
Of thy assault: if he shall think it fit,
A saucy stranger, in his court, to mart
As in a Romish stew, and to expound
His beastly mind to us, he hath a court
He little cares for, and a daughter whom
He not respects at all.-What ho, Pisanio!-
Iach. Oh happy Leonatus! I may say;
The credit that thy lady hath of thee
Deserves thy trust; and thy most perfect goodness
Her assur'd credit.-Blessed live you long!

A lady to the worthiest sir, that ever

Country call'd his; and you his mistress, only
For the most worthiest fit. Give me your pardon.
I have spoke this, to know if your affiance
Were deeply rooted; and shall make your lord,
That which he is, new o'er: and he is one

The truest manner'd; such a holy witch,

1 I do CONTEMN mine ears,] It is condemn in all editions, but amended to " contemn," a much more forcible word, in the corr. fo. 1632. Condemn is certainly intelligible, but we cannot doubt that Shakespeare's expression was "I do contemn mine ears," i. e. "I do despise mine ears, that have so long listened to thy base imputations."

That he enchants societies unto him':

Half all men's hearts are his.

Imo.

You make amends.

Iach. He sits 'mongst men, like a descended god3:
He hath a kind of honour sets him off,
More than a mortal seeming. Be not angry,
Most mighty princess, that I have adventur'd
To try your taking of a false report; which hath
Honour'd with confirmation your great judgment
In the election of a sir so rare,

Which, you know, cannot err. The love I bear him
Made me to fan you thus; but the gods made you,
Unlike all others, chaffless. Pray, your pardon.

Imo. All's well, sir. Take my power i' the court for your's.
Iach. My humble thanks. I had almost forgot

T'entreat your grace but in a small request,
And yet of moment too; for it concerns
Your lord, myself, and other noble friends
Are partners in the business.

Imo.

Pray, what is't?

Iach. Some dozen Romans of us, and your lord, (The best feather of our wing) have mingled sums To buy a present for the emperor;

Which I, the factor for the rest, have done
In France: 'tis plate of rare device, and jewels
Of rich and exquisite form. Their value's great',
And I am something curious, being strange,

To have them in safe stowage: may it please you
To take them in protection?

Imo.

Willingly,

2 That he enchants societies UNTO him :] "Societies into him," in the old copies. Malone appositely quotes the following from Shakespeare's "Lover's Complaint," printed at the end of his Sonnets, 4to, 1609:—

"That he did in the general bosom reign

Of young, of old; and sexes both enchanted

Consents bewitch'd, ere he desire have granted."

Malone makes a slight misquotation in the second line, which Mr. Singer, copying Malone, repeats: the words are, "Of young, of old," and not "Of young and old." The difference, though trifling, is not immaterial.

3 - like a DESCENDED god:] The first folio has defended, corrected to "descended" in the second folio. The error of course arose from a mistake by the compositor of the long s for the letter f.

Their VALUE's great,] The old copies read values: we thank the Rev. Mr. Dyce for reminding us that values ought to be printed "value's" if we had again omitted the apostrophe, probably the reader would have supplied it.

And pawn mine honour for their safety: since
My lord hath interest in them, I will keep them
In my bed-chamber.

Iach.

They are in a trunk,

Attended by my men; I will make bold

To send them to you, only for this night;

I must aboard to-morrow.

Iach. Yes, I beseech; or I shall short my word, By lengthening my return. From Gallia

I cross'd the seas on purpose, and on promise,

To see your grace.

Imo.

I thank you for your pains;

But not away to-morrow ?

Oh! I must, madam :

Iach.
Therefore, I shall beseech you, if you please
To greet your lord with writing, do't to-night.
I have outstood my time', which is material
To the tender of our present.

I will write.

Imo.
Send your trunk to me: it shall safe be kept,
And truly yielded you. You're very welcome.

[Exeunt.

ACT II. SCENE I.

Court before CYMBELINE's Palace.

Enter CLOTEN, and two Lords".

Clo. Was there ever man had such luck! when I kissed the jack' upon an up-cast, to be hit away! I had a hundred pound on't: and then a whoreson jackanapes must take me

5 I have OUTSTOOD my time,] In the corr. fo. 1632 it is "I have outstay'd my time," and perhaps the line was sometimes so delivered, but alteration would be unadvisable. It may be added that in short-hand "outstood" and outstay'd would be spelt with the same letters.

7

6 Enter Cloten, and two Lords.] "As from the Bowling-alley," corr. fo. 1632. when I kissed the JACK] At bowls, what we now always term "the jack," in Shakespeare's time was most frequently called the mistress, but sometimes the master, and rarely "the jack," as in our text.