Am that Belarius whom you fometime banish'd:
Your pleasure was my mere offence, my punishment
Itself, and all my treafon; that I fuffer'd,

Was all the harm I did. These gentle princes
(For fuch, and fo they are,) these twenty years
Have I train'd up: thofe arts they have, as I
Could put into them; my breeding was, fir, as
Your highness knows. Their nurse, Euriphile,
Whom for the theft I wedded, stole these children
Upon my banishment: I mov'd her to't;

Having receiv'd the punishment before,
For that which I did then: Beaten for loyalty
Excited me to treafon: Their dear lofs,

The more of you 'twas felt, the more it shap'd
Unto my end of stealing them. But, gracious fir,
Here are your fons again; and I must lofe
Two of the fweet'ft companions in the world :—
The benediction of these covering heavens
Fall on their heads like dew! for they are worthy
To inlay heaven with stars.

Crм. Thou weep'st, and speak'st.

The fervice, that you three have done, is more
Unlike than this thou tell'ft: I loft my children;
If these be they, I know not how to wish
A pair of worthier fons.

BEL. Be pleas'd a while.

This gentleman, whom I call Polydore,

Moft worthy prince, as yours, is true Guiderius :
This gentleman, my Cadwal, Arvirágus,

Your younger princely fon; he, fir, was lapp'd
In a moft curious mantle, wrought by the hand
Of his queen mother, which, for more probation,
I can with ease produce.

Crм. Guiderius had

Upon his neck a mole, a fanguine star;
It was a mark of wonder.

BEL. This is he;

Who hath upon him ftill that natural stamp:
It was wife nature's end in the donation,
To be his evidence now.

Crм. O, what am I

A mother to the birth of three? Ne'er mother
Rejoic'd deliverance more :-Blefs'd may you be,
That, after this strange starting from your orbs,
You may reign in them now!-O Imogen,
Thou haft loft by this a kingdom.

IMO. No, my lord;

I have got two worlds by't.-O my gentle brothers,
Have we thus met? O never say hereafter,
But I am truest speaker: you call'd me brother,
When I was but your fifter; I you brothers,
When you were fo indeed.

Crм. Did you e'er meet?

ARV. Ay, my good lord.

GUI. And at first meeting lov'd;

Continued fo, until we thought he died.

COR. By the queen's dram fhe fwallow'd.

Crм. O rare instinct!

When shall I hear all through? This fierce abridgement
Hath to it circumftantial branches, which

Distinction should be rich in.-Where? how liv'd you?
And when came you to ferve our Roman captive?
How parted with your brothers? how firft met them?
Why fled
you from the court? and whither? These,
And your three motives to the battle, with

I know not how much more, fhould be demanded;
VOL. V.

LI

And all the other by-dependencies,

From chance to chance; but nor the time, nor place,
Will ferve our long intergatories. See,
Pofthumus anchors upon Imogen;

And she, like harmless lightning, throws her eye
On him, her brothers, me, her mafter; hitting
Each object with a joy; the counterchange
Is feverally in all. Let's quit this ground,
And smoke the temple with our facrifices.
Thou art my brother; So we'll hold thee ever.
[TO BELARIUS,
IMO. You are my father too; and did relieve me,

To fee this gracious season.

Crм. All o'erjoy'd,

Save these in bonds; let them be joyful too,

For they fhall tafte our comfort,

IMO. My good master,

I will yet do you fervice.

Luc. Happy be you!

Crм. The forlorn foldier, that fo nobly fought, He would have well becom❜d this place, and grac'd The thankings of a king.

POST. I am, fir,

The foldier that did company these three

In poor befeeming; 'twas a fitment for

The purpose I then follow'd ;-That I was he,
Speak, Iachimo; I had you down, and might
Have made you finish.

IACH. I am down again :

[Kneeling.

But now my heavy confcience finks my knee,
As then your force did. Take that life, 'befeech you,
Which I so often owe: but, your ring first;
And here the bracelet of the trueft princess,

That ever fwore her faith.

PosT. Kneel not to me ;

The power that I have on you, is to spare you;
The malice towards you, to forgive you: Live,
And deal with others better.

Crм. Nobly doom'd:

We'll learn our freeness of a fon-in-law;
Pardon's the word to all.

ART. You holp us, fir,

As you did mean indeed to be our brother;

Joy'd are we, that

you are.

Post. Your fervant, princes.-Good my lord of Rome Call forth your foothfayer: As I flept, methought, Great Jupiter, upon his eagle back'd,

Appear'd to me, with other spritely shows

Of mine own kindred: when I wak'd, I found
This label on my bofom; whose containing
Is fo from fenfe in hardness, that I can
Make no collection of it: let him fhow
His fkill in the construction.

Luc. Philarmonus,

SOOTH. Here, my good lord.

Luc. Read, and declare the meaning.

SOOTH. [Reads.] When as a lion's whelp fhall, to himself unknown, without feeking find, and be embraced by a piece of tender air; and when from a fiately cedar fhall be lopp'd branches, which, being dead many years, shall after revive, be jointed to the old flock, and freshly grow; then shall Posthumus end his miferies, Britain be fortunate, and flourish in peace and plenty.

Thou, Leonatus, art the lion's whelp;

The fit and apt conftruction of thy name,
Being Leo-natus, doth import so much :

The piece of tender air, thy virtuous daughter,

[To GYMBELINE.
Which we call mollis aer; and mollis aer
We term it mulier : which mulier, I divine,
Is this moft conftant wife; who, even now,
Answering the letter of the oracle,

Unknown to you, unfought, were clipp'd about
With this moft tender air.

Crм. This hath some seeming.

SOOTH. The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline, Perfonates thee: and thy lopp'd branches point Thy two fons forth: who, by Belarius ftolen, For many years thought dead, are now reviv'd, To the majestick cedar join'd; whose issue Promises Britain peace and plenty.

Crм. Well,

My peace we will begin :-And, Caius Lucius,
Although the victor, we fubmit to Cæfar,
And to the Roman empire; promising
To pay our wonted tribute, from the which
We were diffuaded by our wicked queen;

Whom heavens, in justice, (both on her, and hers,)
Have laid moft heavy hand.

SOOTH. The fingers of the powers above do tune
The harmony of this peace. The vifion
Which I made known to Lucius, ere the ftroke
Of this yet fcarce-cold battle, at this instant
Is full accomplish'd: For the Roman eagle,
From fouth to weft on wing foaring aloft,
Leffen'd herself, and in the beams o'the fun
So vanish'd which fore-show'd our princely eagle,
The imperial Cæfar, fhould again unite
His favour with the radiant Cymbeline,