*

nationalities, but it is not at all unlikely that Shakespeare was also acquainted with Boccaccio's narrative.

curious English version appeared in a tract entitled "Westward for Smelts," which was published in 1620; its chief interest lies perhaps in the fact that the story is there associated with English history, and referred to the times of Edward IV.†

Certain elements of

III. Imogen and Snow-white. the plot have still to be accounted for :-e.g. (i.) the story of the wicked step-dame, with her subtle interest in the poisonous properties of herbs: (ii.) the stealing of the princes, and their free life in the wilds and in their cavehome: (iii.) Fidele's happy life with them in the cave; its sudden end; the re-awakening from death. These, and other points, serve to knit together the two main threads of the plot, but they are nowhere to be found in Holinshed, nor in Boccaccio, nor in the many variants of the "wager-story." The bare enumeration of the three elements must, I think, serve to establish Shakespeare's obligation to another source,-to a folk-story still among the most popular of all nursery tales,-the story of "Little Snow-white." The fairy tale as known to modern English children has come to them from Germany, but there can be little doubt that an English "Snow-white was known to Shakespeare in his own youth, and was perhaps even dearer to him than the stories of "Childe Rowland" and " Mr. Fox" (vide King Lear, III. iv. 188, and Much Ado About Nothing, I. i. 216-218). These latter fairy tales are happily still preserved among the

*It is interesting to note that not only was the story of "The Four Merchants" well known in Denmark in the XVIth century, but during the same century Iceland had ballads and rhymes on the same theme; the writer possesses transcripts of several such

versions.

† Malone alludes to an edition of 1603; but he probably made a mistake; the book may have existed in manuscript years befor. its publication.

treasures of "English Fairy Tales": some day perhaps Shakespeare's "Snow-white" may be added; one would, however, be much surprised if it differed strikingly from the tale so dear to us from infancy.

66

was

In the tale as in the play we have (i.) a weak king surrendering his child to the tender mercies of a cruel stepmother, who, to quote from the popular version, a beautiful woman, but proud and haughty"; (ii.) the cottage of the dwarfs which gives Snow-white shelter is described in the best and truest versions as a cave in the forest; (iii.) Snow-white, hungry and thirsty, enters the cave uninvited, and is found by the kindly dwarfs, much in the same way as Fidele by Belarius, Guiderius and Arviragus. "Oh, heavens! oh, heavens!" cried the dwarfs, what a lovely child!" By Jupiter an Angel!' quoth Belarius,

An earthly paragon!'

(iv.) The dwarfs said, "If you will take care of our house, cook, and make the beds, wash, sew, and knit, you can stay with us and you shall want for nothing." Even so was it with Fidele.

'But his neat cookery! he cut our roots

In characters,

And sauced our broths, as Juno had been sick
And he her dieter.'

(v.) "Snow-white," the story tells us, "kept the house in
order for them; in the mornings they went to the moun-
tains and looked for copper and gold, in the evenings
they came back, and then their supper had to be ready.
The girl was alone the whole day, so the good dwarfs
warned her and said, 'Beware of your stepmother, she
will soon know that you are here; be sure to let no one
come in.'"
The situation is practically iden-
tical in the play, save that Imogen's wicked stepmother
need not visit her, for she works her evil power by means
of the poisoned cordial. Both in the play and in the tale

the poison sends the victim into a death-like trance. (vi) The simple narrative of the nursery story is perhaps the best commentary on the sweetest scene of the play, the finding of Fidele dead-' the bird is dead that we have made so much on'-and the burial, the sorrow of the princes, and their dirge. "Snow-white was dead, and remained dead. The dwarfs laid her upon a bier, and all seven of them sat round it and wept for her, and wept three days long. Then they were going to bury her, but she still looked as if she were living, and still had her pretty red cheeks. They said we cannot bury her in the dark ground,' and they had a transparent coffin of glass made. They put the coffin out upon the mountains, and one of them always stayed by it and watched it. And birds came too, and wept for Snow-white; first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove." Beneath all the complexity of plot created by Shakespeare, this original can still clearly be detected; in the play the homely rooın, 'the ruddock,' does service for the owl, the raven, and the dove of the story. The parallels might easily be 1.ultiplied. These will perhaps suffice to show that Imogen, the sweetest, fairest lily,' and Fidele, that sweet rosy lad,' owed something of their beauty to the child "white as snow, as red as blood, and with hair as black as ebony.' "Imogen" is in very deed "Snow-white," the best beloved of childhood's heroines, transfigured as manhood's ideal of all womanly perfection.

"Hang there like Fruit, my Soul,
Till the Tree Die.”

Coin of Cymbeline (the Cunobelinus of early British history).

Critical Comments.

I.

Argument.

I. The displeasure of Cymbeline, King of Britain, is aroused against Posthumus, a gentleman who has presumed to wed the King's daughter, Imogen, and Posthumus is sent into exile. Arriving in Rome, he encounters an evil-minded Italian named Iachimo, who casts aspersions on the chastity of all women, and offers to wager that he will work the dishonour of Imogen. Posthumus has such confidence in his wife's integrity that he consents to the trial. Iachimo proceeds to the British court and, not succeeding in his open overtures with Imogen, has recourse to stealth.

II. He gains admittance to her bedchamber by having himself carried there in a trunk. While she sleeps he takes off a bracelet from her arm and obtains a mental description of her room and person. Armed with this circumstantial evidence, he returns to Posthumus and is enabled thereby to convince him of Imogen's guilt.

III. The misguided husband sends an order to his faithful servant Pisanio to put Imogen to death; which order is disregarded by Pisanio, who instead induces Imogen to disguise herself in male attire and go in search of Posthumus. By this flight she is likewise enabled to escape the malice of the Queen, her stepmother, and the disagreeable attentions of the Queen's son, Cloten. While traversing the mountainous country of Wales, Imogen by chance pauses faint and hungry

before a cave wherein dwells Belarius, a banished nobleman, disguised as a peasant, who, in revenge for his unjust banishment, had abducted the king's two sons some twenty years before. The princes, now fully grown, though ignorant of their descent and also of the identity of the stranger, are strongly attracted to Imogen by the subtle tie of blood, and entertain her hospitably.

IV. Cloten arrives before the cave in pursuit of Imogen, and is slain in a duel by one of the princes. His headless body is left lightly covered with leaves and flowers. Imogen, having on her person a poison prepared by the Queen, swallows it under the belief that it is a soothing cordial, and immediately falls into a deep sleep resembling death. The heart-broken princes lay her body beside that of Cloten. Shortly after she awakes from her stupor and mistakes the headless body for that of her lost lord Posthumus. In her despair she seeks service as page with a Roman general who is just then invading Britain.

V. With the Roman army come Iachimo and Posthumus. A battle is fought against the forces of Cymbeline. Posthumus in the garb of a peasant fights valorously for Britain. Belarius and the two princes also render signal service to Cymbeline, aiding him to rout the Romans. The service paves the way for a reconciliation between Belarius and the king, in which the former reveals the identity of the two long-lost princes.

Among the prisoners. taken are Iachimo and Imogen, the supposed page. The Italian makes confession of his villainy, and Imogen is restored to Posthumus, whom the king receives again into favour. The malicious Queen dies in despair at the frustration of her designs.

MCSPADDEN: Shakespearian Synopses.