I cannot tremble at it; were it toad, adder, fpider," 'Twould move me fooner. Clot. To thy further fear, Nay, to thy mere confufion, thou fhalt know I am fon to the queen. Guid. I am forry for't; not seeming So worthy as thy birth. Clot. Art not afraid? Guid. Thofe that I reverence, thofe I fear; the wife: At fools I laugh, not fear them. Clot. Die the death: When I have flain thee with my proper hand, I'll follow thofe that even now fled hence, And on the gates of Lud's town fet 8 Yield, ruftic mountaineer. your heads. [Fight, and exeunt. 8 Yield, ruftic mountaineer.] I believe, upon examination, the character of Cloten will not prove a very confiflent one. A&t i. fcene 4. the lords who are converfing with him on the subject of his rencontre with Pofthumus, reprefent the latter as having neither put forth his ftrength or courage, but ftill advancing forwards to the prince, who retired before him; yet at this his laft appearance, we fee him fighting gallantly, and falling by the hand of Arviragus. The fame perfons afterwards speak of him as of a mere afs or idiot; and yet, act iii. fcene 1. he returns one of the noblet and most reafonable anfwers to the Roman envoy: and the rest of his converfation on the fame fubject, though it may lack form a little, by no means resembles the language of folly. He behaves with proper dignity and civility at parting with Lucius, and yet is ridiculous and brutal in his treatment of Imogen. Belarius defcribes him as not having fenfe enough to know what fear is (which he defines as being fometimes the effect of judgment); and yet he forms very artful fchemes for gaining the afection of his miftrefs, by means of her attendants; to get her perfon into his power afterwards; and feems to be no lefs acquainted with the character of his father, and the afcendancy the queen maintained over his uxorious weakness. We find him, in fhort, represented at once as brave and daftardly, civil and brutal, fagacious and fcolifh, without that fubtilty of diftinction which constitutes the excellence of fuch mixed characters as the Nurfe in Romeo and Juliet, and Polonius in the tragedy of Hamlet. STEEVENS. Enter Enter Belarius and Arviragus. Bel. No company's abroad. Arv. None in the world: you did `mistake him, fure. Bel. I cannot tell: long is it fince I saw him, But time hath nothing blurr'd thofe lines of favour Which then he wore; 9 the fnatches in his voice, And burst of speaking, were as his: I am abfolute 'Twas very Cloten. Arv. In this place we left them; I wish my brother make good time with him, I Bel. Being fcarce made up, I mean, to man, he had not apprehension 9 the fnatches in his voice, Enter And burst of Speaking,] This is one of our author's ftrokes of obfervation. An abrupt and tumultuous utterance very frequently accompanies a confufed and cloudy underftanding. JOHNSON. In the old editions, Being fearce made up, I mean, to man, he had not apprehenfion 66 -] If I understand this paffage, it is mock reafoning as it ftands, and the text must have been flightly corrupted. Belarius is giving a defcription of what Cloten formerly was; and in answer to what Arviragus fays of his being fo fell. Ay, fays Belarius, he was fo fell; "and being scarce then at man's eftate, he had no apprehenfion "of roaring terrors, i. e. of any thing that could check him "with fears." But then, how does the inference come in, built upon this? For defect of judgment is oft the cause of fear. I think, the poet meant to have faid the mere contrary. Cloten was defective in judgment, and therefore did not fear. Apprehenfions of fear grow from a judgment in weighing dangers. And a very easy change, from the traces of the letters, Enter Guiderius, with Cloten's head. Guid. This Cloten was a fool; an empty purse, There was no money in't: not Hercules Could have knock'd out his brains, for he had none. Yet I not doing this, the fool had borne My head, as I do his. Bel. What haft thou done? 2 Guid. I am perfect, what: cut off one Cloten's head, Son to the queen, after his own report; Who call'd me traitor, mountaineer; and fwore Difplace our heads, where, thank the gods, they grow, Bel. We are all undone! Guid. Why, worthy father, what have we to lose But what he swore to take, our lives? The law Protects not us; then why fhould we be tender, To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us? Play judge, and executioner, all himself, For we do fear the law? What company Discover you abroad? Bel. No fingle foul Can we fet eye on; but, in all fafe reason, letters, gives us this fenfe, and reconciles the reafoning of the whole passage: for th' effect of judgment Is oft the caufe of fear. THEOBALD. HANMER reads, with equal juftnefs of fentiment, for defect of judgment Is oft the cure of fear. But, I think, the play of effect and caufe more refembling the manner of our author. JOHNSON. I'm perfect, what: -] I am will informed, what. So in this play, 3 I'm perfect, the Pannonians are in arms. JOHNSON. take us in ;] To take in, was the phrafe in ufe for to apprehend an out-law, or to make him amenable to public justice. JOHNSON. He He must have fome attendants. To come alone, nor he fo undertaking, Nor they fo fuffering: then on good ground we fear, If we do fear this body hath a tail More perilous than the head. Arv. Let ordinance Come, as the gods forefay it: howsoe'er, Bel. I had no mind To hunt this day: the boy Fidele's fickness 5 Did make my way long forth. Guid. With his own fword, Which he did wave against my throat, I have ta'en Though his honour Was nothing but mutation, &c.] What has his honour to do here, in his being changeable in this fort? in his acting as a madman, or not? I have ventured to substitute humour, against the authority of the printed copies; and the meaning feems plainly this Though he was always fickle to the laft degree, "and governed by humour, not found fenfe; yet not madness "itfelf could make him fo hardy to attempt an enterprize of "this nature alone, and unfeconded." THEOBALD. " Though his honour Was nothing but mutation;-] Mr. THEOBALD, as ufual, not understanding this, turns bonour to humour. But the text is right, and means, that the only notion he had of honour, was the fashion, which was perpetually changing. A fine stroke of fatire, well expreffed: yet the Oxford Editor follows Mr. Theobald. WARBURTON. Did make my way long forth.] Fidele's ficknefs made my walk forth from the cave tedious. JOHNSON. His His head from him; I'll throw it into the creek And tell the fifhes, he's the queen's fon, Cloten : That's all I reck. Bel. I fear 'twill be reveng'd. [Exit. 'Would, Polydore, thou hadst not done't! though valour Becomes thee well enough. Arv. Would I had done't, So the revenge alone purfu'd me! Polydore, 6 Thou'ft robb'd me of this deed: I would, revenges That poffible ftrength might meet, would feek us thro,' And put us to our answer. Bel. Well, 'tis done. We'll hunt no more to-day, nor feek for danger Till hafty Polydore return, and bring him Arv. Poor fick Fidele! I'll willingly to him; to gain his colour, 7 I'd let a parish of fuch Clotens blood, And praise myself for charity. 6 revenges [Exit. That poffible strength might meet,] Such purfuit of vengeance as fell within any poffibility of oppofition. JOHNS. 7 I'd let a PARISH of fuch Clotens blood,] This nonfenfe fhould be corrected thus; I'd let a marish of fuch Clotens blood, i. e. a marsh or lake. So SMITH, in his account of Virginia, "Yea Venice, at this time the admiration of the earth, was at firft but a marish, inhabited by poor fifhermen." In the first book of Maccabees, chap. ix. ver. 24. the translators use the word in the fame fenfe. WARBURTON. The learned commentator has dealt the reproach of nonfenfe very liberally through this play. Why this is nonfenfe, I cannot discover. I would, fays the young prince, to recover Fidele, kill as many Clotens as would fill a parish. JOHNSON. Bel, |