Shakespearean Breviates; an Adjustment of Twenty-Four of the Longer Plays of Shakespeare to Convenient Reading Limits

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1882 edition. Excerpt: ... cymbeline. Omit Acts I., ii. Ye lovely ladies and ye men of might, 'Tis Cymbeline shall be our play to-night; But, since at large to read the text were long, Our gentle Shakespeare will forgive the wrong, If I the fore-plot of the piece rehearse In lines foreshortened and shortcoming verse. Know, then, till perjured Iachimo appear, We all, to-night, are Ancient Britons here; And this room, England; ere the English name And tongue of Shakespeare with the Saxons came. Great Julius dead, Augustus in his room Sits Capitol'd, and gives the world its doom, All but Britannia. Here, the vast machine Of Roman rule stands stopped by Cymbeline, Our Island king, who, of the slavish West, Alone defies the foreigner's behest, And yields no tribute, and no master owns, Within the freedom-breathing guardian zones Of's own four seas: but, in his household part, 'Twixt Queen and daughter, suffers cruel smart. His first queen, long deceased, him duly bare Two boys, both brave ones, and this daughter fair; But the boy-babes, it chanced upon a day, Were from their father's palace filched away, And never since, above or under ground, Have tidings of the princely youths been found. Fair Imogen, his daughter, ere he wed His second Queen, who now partakes his bed, Had grown to time of love in company With young Posthumus, a poor noble he, Bred up at Court, whose sire, 'tis meet you know (Silicius Leonatus, surnamed so For's prowess)--with two elder sons, in fight For Britain, perished ere he saw the light; And in the giving him to light of day His widowed mother, too, had passed away. Sure, then, our youth's the most forlorn of men; Not so, good lack! the love of Imogen, Soft growing on where youthful friendship ends, For father, mother, brothers, makes amends;...