2 Gent. And why so? 1 Gent. He that hath miss'd the princess is a thing Endows a man but he. 2 Gent. You speak him far2. 1 Gent. I do extend him, sir, within himself; Crush him together, rather than unfold His measure duly. 2 Gent. What's his name, and birth? 1 Gent. I cannot delve him to the root. His father Was call'd Sicilius, who did join his honour Against the Romans with Cassibelan, But had his titles by Tenantius, whom Died with their swords in hand; for which their father To his protection; calls him Posthumus Leonatus ; 2 You speak him FAR.] We might suspect that "far" is a misprint for fair; but as the sense of "far" is not only clear, but stronger than that afforded by fair, we of course adhere to the old reading. The 1 Gent. does more than speak Posthumus fair; he speaks him "far," or carries his praise to an extreme. The next speech confirms this explanation, if confirmation be needed. 3 (Then old and fond of issue)] "Fond of's issue," i. e. fond of his issue, is the altered reading in the corr. fo. 1632; but the change is needless. A glass that feated them; and to the graver, What kind of man he is. 2 Gent. Even out of your report. I honour him, But, pray you, tell me, Is she sole child to the king? His only child. 1 Gent. I' the swathing clothes the other, from their nursery 2 Gent. How long is this ago? 1 Gent. Some twenty years. 2 Gent. That a king's children should be so convey'd, So slackly guarded, and the search so slow, That could not trace them! 1 Gent. Howsoe'er 'tis strange, Or that the negligence may well be laugh'd at, Yet is it true, sir. 1 Gent. We must forbear. Here comes the gentleman', The queen, and princess. [Exeunt. A glass that FEATED them ;] "Feat," according to Minsheu, is fine, neat, brave. Shakespeare makes a verb out of the adjective, but according to a quotation by Mr. Singer from Palsgrave, he was by no means the first to do so, for we there read, "I am well feted or shapen of my lymmes; Je suis bien aligné.” The only example of the use of feat as a verb in Richardson's Dict., is this place in "Cymbeline:" the same is the case in Todd's Johnson, and we are therefore the more obliged to Mr. Singer. 5 To his mistress,] This is amended to "for his mistress" in the corr. fo. 1632, but "to his mistress" has the same meaning as for, viz. "as to his mistress." "To" and for were often, of old, used almost indifferently. 6 THAT a king's children should be so convey'd.] The old corrector of the fo. 1632, perhaps to render the sense more clear, and in conformity with the recitation of the passage to which his ear may have been accustomed, gives the line thus :Strange! a king's children should be so convey'd," &c. The emendation receives some countenance from the next speech, which begins, "Howsoe'er 'tis strange," &c., as if the 1 Gent. had repeated the word just spoken by the person with whom he was conversing. 7 Here comes the GENTLEMAN,] In Malone's Shakespeare by Boswell, the word "gentleman," equally necessary to the sense and metre, is omitted. SCENE II. The Same. Enter the Queen, POSTHUMUS, and IMOGEN. Queen. No, be assur'd, you shall not find me, daughter, After the slander of most step-mothers, Evil-ey'd unto you: you are my prisoner, but Your jailer shall deliver you the keys That lock up your restraint. For I will be known your advocate: marry, yet Post. I will from hence to-day. Queen. Please your highness, You know the peril. I'll fetch a turn about the garden, pitying The pangs of barr'd affections, though the king [Exit Queen. Imo. Oh dissembling courtesy! How fine this tyrant Can tickle where she wounds!-My dearest husband, His rage can do on me. You must be gone; Of angry eyes; not comforted to live, Post. My queen! my mistress! Oh, lady! weep no more, lest I give cause To be suspected of more tenderness 8 Scene II.] Marked as a new scene in the old, as well as in modern impressions; but there is evidently no change of place, which on the English stage was usually necessary in order to constitute such a division of the dialogue. Oh dissembling courtesy !] The Rev. Mr. Dyce occupies nearly a page of his "Remarks" (p. 251) in showing that the interjection "Oh" ought to be placed in a line by itself. All we need say is, that in verse, often so intentionally irregular as that of Shakespeare, we do not see the necessity for it. Than doth become a man. I will remain The loyal'st husband that did e'er plight troth: Who to my father was a friend, to me Known but by letter. Thither write, my queen, Queen. Re-enter QUEEN. Be brief, I pray you: If the king come, I shall incur I know not How much of his displeasure. [Aside.] Yet I'll move him Post. [Exit. Should we be taking leave As long a term as yet we have to live, Were you but riding forth to air yourself, When Imogen is dead. Post. How! how! another? You gentle gods, give me but this I have, And seal up my embracements from a next1 With bonds of death!-Remain, remain thou here, [Putting on the ring. While sense can keep it on. And sweetest, fairest, As I my poor self did exchange for you, To your so infinite loss, so in our trifles Imo. When shall we see again? [Putting a bracelet on her arm. Oh, the gods! 1 And SEAL up my embracements from a next] The old copies have sear for "seal," which judicious emendation is made by Mr. Singer, and to him we are indebted for it. We adopt it, although sear is continued unaltered in the corr. fo. 1632; and we are glad to acknowledge the obligation. Post. Enter CYMBELINE and Lords. Alack! the king. Cym. Thou basest thing, avoid! hence, from my sight! If after this command thou fraught the court With thy unworthiness, thou diest. Away! Thou'rt poison to my blood. I beseech you, sir, Harm not yourself with your vexation: I am senseless of your wrath; a touch more rare Cym. Thou took'st a beggar; wouldst have made my throne A seat for baseness'. Imo. A lustre to it. No! I rather added Cym. Oh thou vile one'! 2 That shouldst repair my youth, thou heapest A year's age on me.] The first line is clearly defective, and Sir T. Hanmer would eke it out by the word many after "heapest," to which there seems little objection, excepting that there is nothing to prove that it proceeded from Shakespeare's pen. We prefer to leave the imperfection untouched (as indeed it is in the corr. fo. 1632), merely remarking upon it. Surely the sense of "repair" requires no illustration; but the commentators have by no means thought so. 3 And did avoid a PUTTOCK.] A "puttock" is a hawk of a degenerate and worthless breed. 4 A seat for baseness.] In the preceding line the corr. fo. 1632 alters "wouldst" to would; but thou seems understood, and not who. 5 Oh thou VILE one!] No doubt this is the correct reading; but as, in the old copies, "vile" is here misspelt vilde, we almost wonder that the Rev. Mr. Dyce has not contended that Cymbeline's exclamation (considering the conduct and disposition of his daughter) ought to have been, "Oh thou wild one." The fact is, as we have before remarked, that the old misprinting of "vile" vild, which |