To play till doomfday

bring our crown, and all.

[A noife within

Wherefore this noife?

Enter a Guardfman..

Guards. Here is a rural fellow,

That will not be deny'd your Highness' prefence;
He brings you figs.

Cleo. Let him come in. How poor an inftrument

May do a noble deed!

[Exit Guardfman...

he brings me liberty,

My refolution's plac'd, and I have nothing
Of woman in me; now from head to foot
I'm marble conftant: now the fleeting moon.
No planet is of mine.

Enter Guardfman, and Clown with a basket.
Guard. This is the man.

Cleo. Avoid, and leave him..

[Exit Guardfmane

Haft thou the pretty worm of Nilus there,

That kills and pains not?

Clown. Truly I have him: but I would not be the

6 party fhould defire you to touch him, for his biting is immortal: thofe that do die of it, do feldom or never

6 recover.

Cleo. Remember'ft-thou-any that have dy'd on't?
Clown. Very many, men and women too.

I heard

⚫ of one of them no longer than yesterday, a very honeft woman; but fomething given to lye, as a woman fhould not do, but in the way of honefly. How the dy'd of the biting of it, what pain fhe felt! truly, the makes a very good report o' th' worm: but he that will believe half that they fay, fhall never be faved by all that they do but this is most fallible, the worm's • an odd worm.

6

:

Cleo. Get thee hence, farewel.

Clown I wish you all joy of the worm.

Cleo. Farewel."

Clawn. You must think this, look you, that the worm will do his kind.

Cleo. Ay, ay, farewel.

Clown Look you, the worm is not to be trusted but in the keeping of wife people; for indeed there is no goodness in the worm,

Cleo. Take thou no care, it shall be heeded.

Chorun. Very good: give it nothing, I pray you, for it is not worth the feeding..

Cleo, Will it eat me?

Clown. You must not think I am fo fimple, but I know the devil himself will not eat a woman: [ know, that a woman is a difh for the gods, it the devil drefs her not. But, truly, thefe fame whorefon devils do the gods great harm in their women! for, in every ten that they make, the devils mar five.

Cleo. Well, get thee gone, farewel.

Glo. Yes, forfooth, I wish you joy o'th' worm.. [Exit.. S CE NE VI.

Cleo. "Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have "Immortal longings in me. Now no more. "The juice of Egypt's grape fhall moift this lip. "Yare, yare, good iras; quick

-Methinks I hear

"Antony call, I see him rouse himself.
"To praise my noble act. I hear him mock
"The luck of Cæfar, which the gods give men
"T'excufe their after wrath. Hufband, I come;
"Now to that name my courage prove my title!
"I am fire and air; my other elements

I give to bafer life. So- -have you done? "Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips. Farewel, kind Charmian; Iras, long farewel. [Kiffing them..

"Have I the afpic in my lips? Doft fall?

[To Iras, after he had applied the afp.

"If thou and nature can fo gently part,
"The ftroke of death is as a lover's pinch,

"Which hurts, and is defir'd. Doft thou lie ftill?

"If thus thou vanitheft, thou tell'it the world

"It is not worth leave taking.

[Iras dies.

Char. Diffolve, thick cloud, and rain, that I may fay,

The gods themselves do weep.

Cleo. This proves me base

If the first meet the curled Antony,

He'll make demand of her, and spend that kifs

Which is my heav'n to have. "Come, mortal wretch,

"With thy fharp teeth this knot intrinficate

[To the ferpent, applying it to her breasts.

"Of life at once untie: poor venomous fool,

"Be angry, and dispatch. Oh, could't thou speak, That I might hear thee call great Cæfar afs, Unpolicied?

Char. O eastern star !

Cleo. Peace, peace!

Doft thou not fee my baby at my breaft
That fucks the nurfe afleep?

Char. O break! O break?

Cleo. As fweet as balm, as foft as air, as gentle.
-Nay, I will take thee too.

O Antony!

What fhould I ftay

[Applying another asp to her arme.

Char. In this wild world?fo fare thee well.

Now, boast thee, Death, in thy poffeffion lies

A lafs unparallell d-Downy windows, clofe;
And golden Phoebus never be beheld

Of eyes again fo royal! your crown's awry:
I'll mend it, and then play.

Enter the Guard, rushing in.

1 Guard. Where's the Queen?

Char. Speak foftly, wake her not.

1 Guard. Cæfar hath fent.

སྙ

[Dies...

[Charmian applies the afp.

Char. Too flow a meffenger.

Oh, come apace, dispatch, I partly feel thee..

I Guard. Approach, ho! all's not well. Cæfar's beguil d.

2 Guard. There's Dolabella fent from Cæfar: call him.

1 Guard. What work is here, Charmian? is this:

well done?

Char. It is well done, and fitting for a princefs

Defcended of fo many royal Kings."

Ah, foldiers !—

Enter Dolabella..

Dol. How goes it here!

2 Guard. All dead!

Dol. Cæfar, thy thoughts

[Charmian dies...

Touch their effects in this; thy felf art coming
To fee perform'd the dreaded act, which thou
So fought it to hinder.

Enter Cæfar and attendants.

All. Make way there, make way for Cæfar.
Dol. Oh, Sir, you are too fure an augurer ;
That you did fear, is done.

Caf. Bravelt at last.

She levell'd at our purpofe, and, being royal,

Took her own way.

The manner of their deaths. !

I do not fee them bleed.

Dol. Who was laft with them?

1 Guard. A fimple country-man, that brought her figs, This was his basket.

Caf. Poifon'd then?

1 Guard. Oh Cæfar!

This Charmian liv'd but now, the flood and fpake,
I found her trimming up the diadem

On her dead miftrefs; tremblingly fhe food,
And on the fudden dropt.

Caf. Oh noble weakness !

If they had fwallow'd poifon, 'twould appear
By external fwelling; but the looks like sleep;
As fhe would catch another Antony

In her ftrong toil of grace.

Dol. Here, on her breast,

There is a vent of blood, and fomething blown:
The like is on her arm.

1 Guard. This is an afpic's trail;

And these fig-leaves have flime upon them, fuch

As th' afpic leaves upon the caves of Nile.

Caf. Moft probable,

That fo fhe dy'd; for her phyfician tells me,
She has purfu'd conclufions infinite

Of easy ways to die. Take up her bed,

And bear her women from the monument:
She fhall be buried by her Antony.
No grave upon the earth fhall clip in it
A pair fo famous. High events as these
Strike thofe that make them; and their story is.
No less in pity, than his glory, which
Brought them to be lamented.

Our army shall

In folemn fhew, attend this funeral;
And then to Rome. Come, Dolabella, fee
High order in this great folemnity.

[Exeunt omnes..

DRAMATIS

CYMBELINE, King of Britain.
Cloten, fon to the Queen by a
former husband.

Leonatus Pofthumus, a Gentle-
man in love with the Princess,
and privately married to her.
'Difguis'd under the
Guiderius, names of Paladour
Arviragus, and Cadwal, fuppo-
jed fons to Belarius.

Belarius, a banifh'd Lord, difqui-
fed under the name of Mor-

gan.

Philario, an Italian, friend to
Pofthumus.

Iachimo, friend to Philario.

PERSONE.

Caius Lucius, Ambassador from
Rome.

Pifanio, fervant to Poffhumus.
A French Gentleman friend të
Philario.

Cornelius, a Doctor, fervant to
the Queen,

Two Gentlemen.

Quien, wife to Cymbeline. Imogen, daughter to Cymbeline of former Queen.

a

Helen, woman to Imogen.
Lords, Ladies, Roman Senators,
Tribunes, Ghofts, a Soothsayer,
Captains, Soldiers, Messengers,
and other attendants.

SCENE, fometimes in Britain, fometimes in Italy.

I Gent.

ACTI.

SCENE I

Cymbeline's palace in Britain..

Enter two Gentlemen.

OU do not meet a man but frowns,
Our brows

You

No more obey the heavens than our courtiers,

But feem, as does the King's,

2 Gent. But what's the matter?

1 Gent. His daughter, and the heir of's kingdom, (whom

*The story is partly taken from Boccace's Decameron, day a Nov. 9. little befides the names being historical.