Caf. Oh noble weakness !

If they had fwallow'd poifon, 'twould appear
By external fwelling; but the looks like sleep;
As fhe would catch another Antony

In her ftrong toil of grace.

Dol. Here, on her breast,

There is a vent of blood, and (5) fomething blown; The like is on her arm.

1 Guard. This is an afpick's trail; and thefe fig-
leaves

Have flime upon them, fuch as th' aspick leaves
Upon the caves of Nile.

Caf. Moft probable,

That fo fhe dy'd; for her phyfician tells me,
She has purfu'd conclufions infinite

Of eafy ways to die. Take up her bed,
And bear her women from the monument.
She fhall be buried by her Antony.
No grave upon the earth fhall clip in it
A pair fo famous. High events as these
Strike thofe that make them; and their story is
No lefs in pity, than his glory, which
Brought them to be lamented. Our army fhall,
In folemn fhew, attend this funeral ;
And then to Rome. Come, Dolabella, fee
High order in this great folemnity.

[Exeunt omnes.

-something blown ;] The flesh is somewhat puffed or

THIS

THI

HIS Play keeps curiofity always bufy, and the paffions always interested. The continual hurry of the action, the variety of incidents, and the quick fucceffion of one perfonage to another, call the mind forward without intermiffion from the first A&t to the laft. But the power of delighting is derived principally from the frequent changes of the scene; for, except the feminine arts, fome of which are too low, which diftinguish Cleopatra, no character is very ftrongly difcriminated. Upton, who did not eafily mifs what he defired to find, has discovered that the language of Antony is, with great skill and learning, made pompous and fuperb, according to his real practice. But I think his diction not diftinguishable from that of others: the moft tumid fpeech in the Play is that which Cafar makes to Octavia.

The events, of which the principal are described according to history, are produced without any art of connection or care of difpofition,

CYMBE

CYMBELINE.

A

TRAGEDY.

Dramatis Perfonæ.

CYMBELINE, King of Britain.

Cloten, Son to the Queen by a former Husbana.
Leonatus Pofthumus, a Gentleman married to the Princess.
Belarius, a banish'd Lord, disguised under the name of
Morgan.

Guiderius, Difguis'd under the names of Paladour and
Arviragus, Cadwal, fuppofed Sons to Belarius.
Philario, an Italian, Friend to Pofthumus.

Iachimo, Friend to Philario.

Caius Lucius, Ambassador from Rome.
Pifanio, Servant to Pofthumus

A French Gentleman.

Cornelius, a Doctor.

Two Gentlemen.

Queen, Wife to Cymbeline.

Imogen, Daughter to Cymbeline by a former Queen.
Helen, Woman to Imogen.

Lords, Ladies, Roman Senators, Tribunes, Ghofts, a Soothsayer, Captains, Soldiers, Meffengers, and other Attendants.

SCENE, fometimes in Britain; fometimes in Italy.

Story taken from Boccace's Decameron, Day 2. Novel 9. little POPE befides the names being hiftorical.

Of this Play there is no edition before that of 1623. Falio,

ACT L

SCENE I.

Cymbeline's Palace in Britain.

Enter two Gentlemen.

1 GENTLEMAN.

U do not meet a man, but frowns: Our bloods

w you

No more obey the heavens than our courtiers;
Still feem, as does the King's.

2 Gent. But what's the matter?

1 Gent. His daughter and the heir of's Kingdom,

whom

(1) You do not meet a man, but frowns; our BLOODS
No more obey the heavens than our Courtiers;
But feem, as does the King's.

He

The thought is this, we are not now (as we were wont) influenced by the weather but by the King's looks. We no more obey the heavens [the fky] than our Courtiers obey the heavens [God]. By which it appears, that the reading our bloods is wrong. For though the blood may be affected with the weather, yet that affection is difcovered not by change of colour, but by change of countenance. And it is the outward not the inward change that is here talked of, as appears from the word feem. We should read therefore,

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ 0 26.r BROWS

No more obey the heavens, &c.

Which is evident from the preceding words,

You do not meet a man but frowns.

And from the following.

-But not a Courtier,

Altho they wear their faces to the bent

Of the King's look, but bath a heart that is

Glad at the thing they fcoul at.

The