Fall on their heads like dew! for they are worthy Cym. A pair of worthier sons. Bel. Your younger princely son; he, sir, was lapped Cym. Upon his neck a mole, a sanguine star; Bel. This is he; Who hath upon him still that natural stamp. Cym. O, what am I A mother to the birth of three? Ne'er mother Imo. be, No, my lord; I have got two worlds by't.-O my gentle brothers, But I am truest speaker: you called me brother, you e'er meet? 1 "Thy tears give testimony to the sincerity of thy relation; and I have the less reason to be incredulous, because the actions which you have done within my knowledge are more incredible than the story which you relate." The king reasons very justly. Gui. And at first meeting loved; Continued so, until we thought he died. Cym. ment Hath to it circumstantial branches, which Distinction should be rich in.2-Where? how lived you? And when came you to serve our Roman captive? I know not how much more, should be demanded; 4 From chance to chance; but nor the time, nor place, And she, like harmless lightning, throws her eye [TO BELARIUS. Imo. You are my father too; and did relieve me, To see this gracious season. Cym. All o'erjoyed, Save these in bonds; let them be joyful too, For they shall taste our comfort. My good master, Happy be you! Cym. The forlorn soldier, that so nobly fought, He would have well becomed this place, and graced The thankings of a king. 1 Fierce is vehement, rapid. 2 i. e. which ought to be rendered distinct by an ample narrative. 3 "Your three motives" means "the motives of you three." 4 Intergatories was frequently used for interrogatories. The soldier that did company these three The purpose I then followed.-That I was he, Iach. I am down again; [Kneeling. But now my heavy conscience sinks my knee, And here the bracelet of the truest princess, Post. Kneel not to me; The power that I have on you, is to spare you; Cym. We'll learn our freeness of a son-in-law; Pardon's the word to all. Arv. Nobly doomed. You holp us, sir, As you did mean indeed to be our brother; Post. Your servant, princes.-Good my lord of Call forth your soothsayer. As I slept, methought, Appeared to me, with other spritely shows1 2 Make no collection of it; let him show Luc. Sooth. Here, my good lord. Philarmonus, 1 Spritely shows are groups of sprites, ghostly appearances. 2 A collection is a corollary, a consequence deduced from premises. So the queen in Hamlet says:— Her speech is nothing, Yet the unshaped use of it doth move The hearers to collection." Whose containing means the contents of which. SC. V.] CYMBELINE. 333 Luc. Read and declare the meaning. Sooth. [Reads.] When as a lion's whelp shall, to himself unknown, without seeking find, and be embraced by a piece of tender air; and when from a stately cedar shall be lopped branches, which, being dead many years, shall after revive, be jointed to the old stock, and freshly grow; then shall Posthumus end his miseries, Britain be fortunate, and flourish in peace and plenty. Thou, Leonatus, art the lion's whelp; The fit and apt construction of thy name, The piece of tender air, thy virtuous daughter, [To CYMBELINE Which we call mollis aer; and mollis aer Unknown to you, unsought, were clipped about Cym. This hath some seeming. Sooth. The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline, Personates thee; and thy lopped branches point Thy two sons forth; who, by Belarius stolen, For many years thought dead, are now revived, To the majestic cedar joined; whose issue Promises Britain peace and plenty. Well, Cym. To pay our wonted tribute, from the which Whom Heavens, in justice, (both on her and hers,) 2 1 It should apparently be, " By peace we will begin. The soothsayer says, that the label promised to Britain "peace and plenty." To which Cymbeline replies, "We will begin with peace, to fulfil the prophecy." 2 i. e. have laid most heavy hand on. Many such elliptical passages are found in Shakspeare. 334 CYMBELINE. [ACT V Sooth. The fingers of the powers above do tune The harmony of this peace. The vision Which I made known to Lucius, ere the stroke Of this yet scarce-cold battle, at this instant Is full accomplished. For the Roman eagle, From south to west on wing soaring aloft, Lessened herself, and in the beams o'the sun So vanished; which foreshowed our princely eagle, The imperial Cæsar, should again unite His favor with the radiant Cymbeline, Which shines here in the west. Cym. Laud we the gods; And let our crooked smokes climb to their nostrils To all our subjects. Set we forward. A Roman and a British ensign wave Let Friendly together; so through Lud's town march; Our peace we'll ratify; seal it with feasts.- Ere bloody hands were washed, with such a peace. [Exeunt |