Iach. I am down again: But now my heavy conscience sinks my knee, Post. Kneel not to me: To pay our wonted tribute, from the which Sooth. The fingers of the powers above do tune The power that I have on you, is to spare you; And deal with others better. Cym. Nobly doom'd: We'll learn our freeness of a son-in-law; Pardon's the word to all. Arv: You holp us, sir. As you did mean indeed to be our brother; Post. Your servant, princes. Good my lord of Rome, Lessen'd herself, and in the beams o' the sun His favour with the radiant Cymbeline; 15 Which shines here in the west. Cym. Laud we the gods; And let our crooked smokes climb to their nostrils Our peace we'll ratify; seal it with feasts.- Call forth your soothsayer: As I slept, methought, 20 A "When as a lion's whelp shall to himself "unknown, without seeking find, and be em"brac'd by a piece of tender air; and when from 25 Ere bloody hands were wash'd, with such a peace. 30 [Exeunt omnes. A SONG, sung by Guiderius and Arviragus over By Mr. WILLIAM COLLINS. 1. To fair Fidele's grassy tomb, Soft maids and village hinds shall bring " a stately cedar shall be lopt branches, which, 35 Each op'ning sweet, of earliest bloom, "being dead many years, shall after revive, be Which we call mollis aer; and mollis aer Unknown to you, unsought, were clip'd about, Cym. This hath some seeming. Sooth. The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline, Personates thee: and thy lopt branches point, Thy two sons forth: who, by Belarius stolen, When howling winds, and beating rain, For many years thought dead, are now reviv'd, 55 Or 'midst the chace on ev'ry plain, 1 Sprightly shews are ghostly appearances; but should be read spritely sheus. * A collection is a corollary, a consequence deduced from premises. Knights attending on the King, Officers, Messengers, Soldiers, and Attendants. Albany, than Cornwall. Glo. It did always seem so to us: but now, in the division of the kingdom, it appears not which of the dukes he values most; for equalities are so weighed, that curiosity' in neither can make 10 choice of either's moiety. Kent. Is not this your son, my lord ? Glo. His breeding, sir, hath been at my charge: I have so often blush'd to acknowledge him, that now I am braz'd to 't. Kent. I cannot conceive you. Glo. Sir, this young fellow's mother could: whereupon she grew round-womb'd; and had, indeed, sir, a son for her cradle, ere she had a husband for her bed. Do you smell a fault? Kent. I cannot wish the fault undone, the issue of it being so proper. -Do you know this noble gentleman, Edmund? Glo. My lord of Kent. Remember him here after as my honourable friend. [ter. Edm. My services to your lordship. [Trumpets sound within, Enter Lear, Cornwall, Albany, Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, and Attendants. Lear. Attend the lords of France and Burgundy, Gloster. 15 Glo. I shall, myliege. [ExeuntGloster and Edmund. Lear. Mean time we shall express our darker1 purpose. The map there.-Know, that we have divided Glo. But I have, sir, a son by order of law, And you, our no less loving son of Albany, saucily into the world before he was sent for: yet was his mother fair; there was good sport at his Our daughters' several dowers, that future strife making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged. Burgundy, Curiosity is scrupulousness, or captiousness. 2 The strict sense of the word moiety is half, one of two equal parts: but Shakspeare commonly uses it for any part or division. more secret; not for indirect, oblique. • Constant is firm, determined. Durker, for Great Cor. What shall Cordelia do? Love, and be With shadowy forests and with champains rich'd, Scythian, Or he that makes his generation messes Bethis perpetual. --What says our second daughter, 25 Kent. Good my liege, Our dearest Regan, wife to Cornwall? Speak. Reg. I am made of that self metal as my sister, 30 (sesses; Cor. Then poor Cordelia! Lear. Peace, Kent! Come not between the dragon and his wrath : sight! So be my grave my peace, as here I give Who stirs? Call Burgundy. - Cornwall, and Albany, And yet not so; since I am sure, my love 's Lear. To thee, and thine, hereditary ever, Strive to be interess'd; what can you say, to draw 40 With reservation of an hundred knights, [tain Cor. Nothing, my lord. Lear. Nothing? This coronet part between you. [Giving the crown. Cor. Nothing. [again. A third, more opulent than your sisters? Speak. 45 Beloved sons, be yours: which to confirm, Lear. Nothing can come of nothing: speak Cor. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty Lear. How, how, Cordelia! mend yourspeech a.ittle, Lest it may mar your fortunes. Cor. Good my lord, You have begot me, bred me, lov'd me: I Obey you, love you, and most honour you. Why have my sisters husbands, if they say, Whom I have ever honour'd as my king, 60 When majesty stoops to folly. Reverse thy doom; * That seems to stand without relation, but is referred to find; the first conjunction being inaccurately suppressed. I find that she names my deed, I find that I profess, &c. Square here means compass, comprehension. i. e, from this time. i. e. the execution of all the other business. Validity, for worth, value. [Laying his hand on his sword. Kent. Do; kill thy physician, and the fee bestow Or, whilst I can vent clamour from my throat, On thine allegiance hear me! Lear. Sir, will you, with those infirmities she Election makes not up on such conditions. Lear. Then leave her, sir; for by the power 20 Lear. Hear me, recreant; I tell you all her wealth. -For you, great king, Since thou hast sought to make us break our vow, 25 Almost to acknowledge hers. (Which we durst never yet,) and, with strain'd France. This is most strange ! 1 Upon our kingdom: if on the tenth day following, 30 Cominit a thing so monstrous, to dismantle Should never plant in me. Cor. I yet beseech your majesty, pride', To come betwixt our sentence and our power, (Which nor our nature nor our place can bear,) Our potency made good, take thy reward. Five days we do allot thee for provision To shield thee from disasters of the world; And, on the sixth, to turn thy hated back Thy banish'd trunk be found in our dominions, 35 Must be of faith, that reason without miracle This shall not be revok'd. Kent. Why, fare thee well, king: since thus thou wilt appear, Freedom lives hence, and banishment is here. - 40 I'll do't before I speak) that you make known Re-enter Gloster, with France, Burgundy, and 50 France. Is it no more but this? a tardiness in We first address towards you, who with this king 55 When it is mingled with regards, that stand Have rivall'd for our daughter; What, in the least, Will you require in present dower with her, passing due bounds. * i. e. our power to execute that sentence. Quest of love is amorous expe 6 is here used for corruption and for disgrace. Entire for single. dition. The term originated from romance. A quest was the expedition in which a knight was en gaged. • Seeming is specious. ' i. e. is possessed of. Bur. Royal Lear, Give but that portion which yourself propos'd, Most choice, forsaken; and most lov'd, despis'd! neglect My love should kindle to inflam'd respect.- Is queen of us, and ours, and our fair France: Lear. Thou hast her, France: let her be thine; Gon. You see how full of changes his age is ! the observation we have made of it hath not been little! he always lov'd our sister most; and with what poor judgement he hath now cast her off, 5 appears too grossly. Reg. 'Tis the infirmity of his age: yet he hath ever but slenderly known himself. Gon. The best and soundest of his time hath been but wash; then must we look to receive 10 from his age, not alone the imperfections of longengrafted condition, but therewithal the unruly waywardness that infirm and choleric years bring with them. Reg. Such unconstant starts are we like to 15 have from him, as this of Kent's banishment. Gon. There is further compliment of leavetaking between France and him. Pray you, let us hit together*: If our father carry authority with such dispositions as he bears, this last sur20 render of his will but offend us. 25 Reg. We shall further think of it. SCENE Π. A Castle belonging to the Earl of Gloster. Cor. The jewels of our father, with wash'd eyes Reg. Prescribe not us our duties. Gon. Let your study Be, to content your lord; who hath receiv'd you wanted 2. Cor. Time shall unfold what plaited' cunning Who cover faults, at last shame them derides. France. Come, my fair Cordelia. [Exeunt France and Cordelia. Gon. Sister, it is not a little I have to say, of what most nearly appertains to us both. I think, our father will hence to-night. The curiosity of nations to deprive me, 40 More composition, and fierce quality Than doth, within a dull, stale, tired bed, Reg. That's most certain, and with you; next 55 month with us. Enter Gloster: Glo. Kent banish'd thus! And France in choler parted! And the king gone to-night! subscrib'd' his power! Confin'd to exhibition! All this done Here and where have the power of nouns. - Thou losest this residence to find a better residence in another place. The meaning is, "You well deserve to meet with that want of love from your husband, which you have professed to want for our father." i. e. complicated, involved cunning. i. e. We must strike while the iron's hot. • That is, Wherefore should I ac* i. e. agree. quiesce, submit tamely to the plagues and injustice of custom? Curiosity, in the time of Shakspeare, was a word that signified an over-nice scrupulousness in manners, dress, &c. -The curiosity of 7 nations means, the idle, nice distinctions of the world. • To deprive was, in our author's time, synonymous to disinherit. 1 Subscrib'd for transferred, alienated. Exhibition is allowance. |