Queen. Re-enter the Queen. Be brief, I pray you : If the King come, I shall incur I know not How much of his displeasure. — [Aside.] Yet I'll move him To walk this way: I never do him wrong, Pays dear for my offences.8 Post. Should we be taking leave As long a term as yet we have to live, The lothness to depart would grow. Adieu! Were you but riding forth to air yourself, When Imogen is dead. Post. How, how! another? You gentle gods, give me but this I have, And cere up my embracements from a next With bonds of death !9- Remain, remain thou here [Exit. [Putting on the ring. While sense can keep it on! 10 And, sweetest, fairest, As I my poor self did exchange for you, I still win of you: for my sake wear this; 8 Meaning that the King is so infatuated with her, that the more she offends him, the more he lavishes kindnesses upon her, in order to purchase her good-will. 9 Shakespeare calls the cere-cloths, in which the dead are wrapped, the bonds of death. In Hamlet, i. 4, he uses cerements in much the same way. 10 While I have sensation to retain it. There can be no doubt that it refers to the ring, and it is equally obvious that thee would have been more proper. But Shakespeare has many such inaccuracies of language. Upon this fairest prisoner. [Putting a bracelet upon her arm. Imo. When shall we see again? Post. O the gods ! Alack, the King! Enter CYMBELINE and Lords. Cym. Thou basest thing, avoid! hence, from my sight! If after this command thou fraught the Court With thy unworthiness, thou diest: away! Post. The gods protect you! [Exit. And bless the good remainders of the Court! I'm gone. Imo. There cannot be a pinch in death More sharp than this is. I'm senseless of your wrath; a touch more rare Subdues all pangs, all fears. Cym. Past grace? obedience? Imo. Past hope, and in despair; that way, past grace. Cym. That mightst have had the sole son of my Queen! Imo. O bless'd, that I might not! I chose an eagle, And did avoid a puttock.13 Cym. Thou took'st a beggar; wouldst have made my throne 11 To repair is, properly, to restore to the first state, to renew. 12 This expression has been thought much too tame for the occasion. Gervinus regards it, and, I think, justly, as an instance of the King's general weakness: his whole character is without vigour; and whenever he undertakes to say or do a strong thing, he collapses into tameness. 13 A puttock is a mean degenerate hawk, not worth training. It is your fault that I have loved Posthúmus: Cym. What! art thou mad? Imo. Almost, sir: Heaven restore me ! A neat-herd's daughter, and my Leonatus Our neighbour shepherd's son ! Would I were Cym. Thou foolish thing! Re-enter the Queen. They were again together: you have done Not after our command. And pen her up. Queen. Away with her! Beseech your patience. - Peace, Dear lady daughter, peace! - Sweet sovereign, leave Us to ourselves; and make yourself some comfort Out of your best advice.14 Cym. A drop of blood a day; and, being agèd, Nay, let her languish Die of this folly ! 15 Queen. [Exeunt CYMBELINE and Lords. Fie! you must give way. Enter PISANIO. 14 Advice is consideration or reflection. Often so. 15 Another apt instance of the weakness that permits the old King to be such a hen-pecked husband. By "this folly" he means Imogen's love for Posthumus; and she would ask no greater happiness than to die at a good old age of that disease. Of course, the King means it for a curse; but he has not snap enough to make it such. |