Lord. I did.

Poft. No blame be to you, Sir; for all was loft, But that the heavens fought. The king himself Of his wings deftitute, the army broken, And but the backs of Britons feen; all flying Through a ftrait lane; the enemy full-hearted, Lolling the tongue with flaughtering, having work More plentiful than tools to do't, ftruck down Some mortally, fome flightly touch'd, fome falling Merely through fear; that the ftrait pafs was dam'd With dead men, hurt behind, and cowards living To die with lengthen'd fhame.

Lord. Where was this lane?

Poft. Clofe by the battle, ditch'd, and wall'd with
turf,

Which gave advantage to an ancient foldier,
An honeft one, I warrant, who deferv'd

So long a breeding as his white beard came to,
In doing this for's his country. Athwart the lane,
He, with two ftriplings (lads, more like to run
The country bafe, than to commit fuch flaughter;
With faces fit for masks, or rather fairer
Than those for prefervation cas'd, or shame)
Made good the paffage; cry'd to those that fled,
"Our Britain's harts die flying, not our men:
"To darkness fleet, fouls that fly backwards!
"Or we are Romans, and will give you that
"Like beafts, which you fhun beastly; and may fave

Stand;

The country bafe,-] i. e. A ruftic game called prifon-bars, vulgarly prifon-bafe. STEEVENS.

2

for prefervation cas'd, or fhame)] Shame, for

modefty. WARBURTON.

Sir T. HANMER reads the paffage thus:

Than fome for prefervation cas'd.

For fhame,

Make good the paffage, cry'd to thofe that fled,
Our Britain's harts die flying, &c.

Theobald's reading is right. JOHNSON.

S 2

« But

"But to look back in frown. Stand, ftand."-These

three,

Three thousand confident (in act as many;
For three performers are the file, when all
The reft do nothing) with this word, "Stand, ftand,"
Accommodated by the place, more charming
With their own nobleness (which could have turn'd
A diftaff to a lance) gilded pale looks;

Part fhame, part fpirit renew'd; that fome, turn'd coward

But by example (oh, a fin in war,

Damn'd in the first beginners!) 'gan to look
The way that they did, and to grin like lions
Upon the pikes o' the hunters. Then began
A ftop i' the chafer, a retire; anon,

3 A rout, confufion thick. Forthwith they fly Chickens, the way which they stoop'd eagles; flaves, The ftrides they victors made: and now our cowards, (Like fragments in hard voyages, became

The life o' the need) having found the back door open
Of the unguarded hearts, heavens, how they wound!
Some flain before, some dying; some their friends
O'er-borne i' the former wave: ten, chac'd by one,
Are now each one the flaughter-man of twenty:
Thofe, that would die or ere refist, are grown
The mortal 4 bugs o' the field.

3. A rout, confufion thick. -] This is read as if it was a thick confufion, and only another term for rout: whereas confufion-thick fhould be read thus, with an hyphen, and is a very beautiful compound epithet to rout. But Shakespeare's fine diction is not a little obfcured throughout by thus disfiguring his compound adjectives. WARBURTON.

I do not fee what great addition is made to fine diction by this compound. Is it not as natural to enforce the principal event in a story by repetition, as to enlarge the principal figure in a figure? JOHNSON.

+

bugs Terrors. JOHNSON.

So in The Spanish Tragedy, 1605,

"Where nought but furies, bugs, and tortures dwell."

STEEVENS.

Lord.

Lord. This was ftrange chance.

A narrow lane! an old man, and two boys!

Poft. 5 Nay, do not wonder at it: you are made Rather to wonder at the things you hear, Than to work any. Will you rhime upon't? And vent it for a mockery? Here is one: "Two boys, an old man twice a boy, a lane, "Preferv'd the Britons, was the Romans' bane." Lord. Nay be not angry, Sir.

Poft. 'Lack! to what end?

Who dares not stand his foe, I'll be his friend:
For if he'll do, as he is made to do,

I know, he'll quickly fly my friendship too.
You have put me into rhimes.

Lord. Farewell; you are angry.

[Exit. Poft. Still going? This is a lord! oh noble mifery! To be i' the field, and afk what news of me! To-day, how many would have given their honours To have fav'd their carcaffes? took heel to do't, And yet died too? I, in mine own woe charm'd, Could not find death, where I did hear him groan; Nor feel him, where he ftruck. Being an ugly

monster,

Nay, do not wonder at it :-] Sure, this is mock reafoning with a vengeance. What! because he was made fitter to wonder at great actions, than to perform any, is he therefore forbid to wonder? Not and but are perpetually mistaken for one another in the old editions. THEOBALD.

There is no need of alteration. Pofthumus first bids him not wonder, then tells him in another mode of reproach, that wonder is all that he was made for. JOHNSON.

6 ——————————— I, in mine own woe charm'd,] Alluding to the common fuperftition of charms being powerful enough to keep men unhurt in battle. It was derived from our Saxon ancestors, and fo is common to us with the Germans, who are above all other people given to this fuperftition; which made Erafmus, where, in his Moria Encomium, he gives to each nation its proper characteristic, fay, "Germani corporum proceritate & magiæ cognitione fibi placent." And PRIOR, in his Alma, "North Britons hence have fecond fight; S3

"And Germans free from gun-fhot fight." WARB.

'Tis

'Tis strange he hides him in fresh cups, foft beds, Sweet words; or hath more minifters than we, That draw his knives i' the war-Well, I will find

him:

For, being now a 7 favourer to the Roman,
No more a Briton, I have refum'd again
The part I came in. Fight I will no more,
But yield me to the verieft hind, that shall
Once touch my fhoulder. Great the flaughter is
Here made by the Roman;

8

great the answer be
Britons must take. For me, my ranfom's death;
On either fide I come to spend my breath;
Which neither here I'll keep, nor bear again,
But end it by fome means for Imogen.

Enter two British Captains, and Soldiers.

1 Cap. Great Jupiter be prais'd! Lucius is taken: 'Tis thought the old man and his fons were angels. 2 Cap. There was a fourth man, in a filly habit, 9 That gave the affront with them.

1 Cap. So 'tis reported;

But none of them can be found.-Stand! Who's there?
Poft. A Roman;

Who had not now been drooping here, if feconds
Had anfwer'd him.

2 Cap. Lay hands on him; a dog!

A leg of Rome fhall not return to tell

What crows have peck'd them here. He brags his fervice,

As if he were of note: bring him to the king.

7

favourer to the Roman,] The editions before Hanmer's for Reman read Briton; and Dr. Warburton reads Briton ftill. JOHNSON.

8

great the anjiwer be] Anfwer, as once in this play before, is retaliation. JOHNSON.

9 That gave the affront with them.] That is, that turned their faces to the enemy. JOHNSON.

Enter

Enter Cymbeline, Belarius, Guiderius, Arviragus, Pifanic, and Roman captives. The captains prefent Pofthumus to Cymbeline, who delivers him over to a gaoler. After which, all go out.

1 Gaol. You fhall not now be stolen, you have

locks upon you;

So, graze, as you find pasture.

2 Gaol. Ay, or stomach.

[Exeunt Gaolers.

Poft. Moft welcome, bondage! for thou art a way, I think, to liberty: yet am I better

Than one that's fick o' the gout; fince he had rather Groan fo in perpetuity, than be cur'd

By the fure phyfician, death; who is the key

To unbar thefe locks. My confcience! thou art fetter'd More than my fhanks and wrifts: you, good gods, give me

The penitent inftrument to pick that bolt,
Then, free for ever! Is't enough, I am forry?
So children temporal fathers do appeafe;
Gods are more full of mercy. Muft I repent?
I cannot do it better than in gyves,
Defir'd, more than constrain'd: 2 to fatisfy,
I doff my freedom; 'tis the main part; take
No ftricter render of me, than my all.

You shall not now be ftolen,

I know

1 This wit of the gaoler

alludes to the custom of putting a lock on a horíe's leg, when he is turned to pafture. JOHNSON.

to fatisfy,

If of my freedom 'tis the main part, take

No fridler render of me, than my all.] What we can difcover from the nonfenfe of these lines is, that the speaker, in a fit of penitency, compares his circumftances with a debtor's,

$ 4

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