Thinking to bar thee of fucceffion, as
Thou reft'ft me of my lands. Euriphile,
Thou waft their nurfe; they take thee for their mother,
And every day do honour to thy Grave;
My felf Belarius, that am Morgan call'd,

They take for natural father. The game's up. [Exit.

Imo. Thou told'ft me, when we came from horfe,

the place

Was near at hand.

Ne'er long'd my mother fo

To see me firft, as I have now-Pifanio,

Where is Pofthumus? What is in thy mind,

That makes thee ftare thus? wherefore breaks that

figh

From th' inward of thee? one, but painted thus,
Would be interpreted a thing perplex'd
Beyond felf-explication. Put thy felf

Into a 'haviour of lefs fear, ere wilderness
Vanquish my stayder fenfes-what's the matter?
Why tender'ft thou that paper to me, with
A look untender? if't be fummer news,
Smile to't before; if winterly, thou need'st
But keep that count'nance ftill. My husband's hand?
That drug-damn'd Italy hath out-craftied him,
And he's at fome hard point. Speak man; thy tongue
May take off fome extremity, which to read
Would be e'en mortal to me.

Pif. Please you, read;

And you fhall find me, wretched man, a thing
The most difdain'd of fortune.

T

Imogen reads.

HY miftrefs, Pifanio, bath play'd the ftrumpet in ry bed: the teftimonies whereof lye bleeding in me. VOL. VII.

U

Speak

Speak not out of weak furmises, but from proof as strong as my grief, and as certain as I expect my revenge. That part thou, Pifanio, must act for me. If thy faith be not tainted with the breach of hers, let thine hands take away ber life: Ifball give thee opportunity at Milford-Haven. She bath my letter for the purpose; where, if thou fear to ftrike, and to make me certain it is done, thou art the Pander to her dishonour, and equally to me difloyal.

Pif. What fhall I need to draw my sword? the

paper

Hath cut her throat already.

No, 'tis flander; • Whose edge is sharper than the fword, whose tongue • Out-venoms all the worms of Nile; whofe breath Rides on the pofting winds, and doth belye

• All corners of the world. Kings, Queens, and ftates, Maids, matrons, nay, the fecrets of the Grave

• This viperous flander enters. What chear, Madam ? Imo. Falfe to his bed! what is it to be false?

6

To lye in watch there, and to think on him?

To weep 'twixt clock and clock? if fleep charge

nature,

To break it with a fearful dream of him,

And cry my felf awake? that falfe to's bed!

Pif. Alas, good lady!

Imo. I falfe? thy confcience witnefs, Iachimo, Thou didst accuse him of incontinency,

Thou then look'dft like a villain: now, methinks, Thy favour's good enough. Some Jay of Italy {3 Whofe meether was her painting) hath betray'd him:

2

Poor

-Some Jay of Italy] There is a prettiness in this expreffi Putta, in Italian, fignifying both a Jay and a Whore. I fuppofe from the gay feathers of that bird.

3 Whofe MOTHER was her painting-] This puzzles Mr. Theobald much he thinks it may fignify whofe mother was a bird the fame feather; or that it fhould be read, whose mother was planting. What all this means I know not. In Mr. Row's ion the M in mother happening to be reverfed at the prefs, it qut Wother. And what was very ridiculous, Gildon em

ployed

Poor I am ftale, a garment out of fashion ;
And, for I'm richer than to hang by th' walls,
I must be ript: to pieces with me: oh,

Men's vows are womens' traitors.-All good Seeming
By thy revolt, oh husband, shall be thought

Put on for villany: not born, where't grows;
But worn, a bait for ladies.

Pis. Madam, hear me

Imo. True honeft men being heard, like false
Eneas,

"Were in his time thought falfe: and Sinon's Weeping
'Did fcandal many a holy tear; took pity
'From most true wretchedness.

So thou, Pofthumus, Wilt lay the leven to all proper men;

'Goodly, and gallant, fhall be falfe and perjur'd,
'From thy great fail. Come, fellow, be thou honest,
Do thou thy mafter's bidding: when thou seeft him,
A little witness my obedience. Look!

I draw the sword my self, take it, and hit
The innocent manfion of my love, my heart;
Fear not, 'tis empty of all things, but grief;

ployed himself (properly enough indeed) in finding a meaning for it. In fhort, the true word is MEETHER, a north country word, fignifying beauty. So that the fense of, her meether was her painting, is, that fhe had only an appearance of beauty, for which he was beholden to her paint.

4

So thou, Pofthumus,

Wilt lay the leven to all proper men ;] When Pofthumus thought his wife falfe, he unjustly fcandalized the whole fex. His wife here, under the fame impreffions of his infidelity, attended with more provoking circumstances, acquits his fex, and lays the fault where it was due. The poet paints from nature. This is life and manners. The man thinks it a dishonour t e fuperiority of his understanding to be jilted, and thereforers his vanity into a conceit that the disgrace was inevitable from the general infidelity of the fex. The woman, on the contrary, not imagining her credit to be at all affected in the matter, never seeks out for fo extravagant a confolation; but at once eases her malice and her grief, by laying the crime and damage at the door of fome obnoxious coquet.

Thy mafter, is not there; who was, indeed,
The riches of it. Do his Bidding, ftrike;
Thou may'st be valiant in a better caufe,
But now thou feem'ft a coward.
Pif. Hence, vile inftrument!
Thou shalt not damn my hand.
Imo. Why, I must die;

And, if I do not by thy hand, thou art
No fervant of thy mafter's.

'Gainft felf-flaughter

There is a prohibition fo divine,

5 That cravens my weak hand: come, here's my

heart

(Something's afore't)-foft, foft, we'll no defence;

[Opening her breast.

Obedient as the fcabbard!What is here?

The Scriptures of the loyal Leonatus
All turn'd to Herefie? away, away,

[Pulling his letters out of her bofom. Corrupters of my faith! you fhall no more

Be ftomachers to my heart: thus may poor fools
Believe falfe teachers: tho' thofe, that are betray'd,
Do feel the treason fharply, yet the traitor
Stands in worfe cafe of woe. And thou, Pofthumus,
That fet my difobedience 'gainst the King,
And mad❜ft me put into contempt the fuits
Of princely fellows, fhalt hereafter find,
It is no act of common paffage, but
A ftrain of rarenefs: and I grieve my self,
To think, when thou shalt be dif-edg❜d by her
Whom now thou tir❜ft on, how thy memory
Will then be pang'd by me.-Pr'ythee, difpatch;
The lamb entreats the butcher. Where's thy knife?
Thou art too flow to do thy master's bidding,
When I defire it too.

Pif. O gracious lady!

5 That cravens my weak hand :] i. e. makes me a coward.

Mr. Pope.

Since I receiv'd command to do this business,

I have not slept one wink.

Imo. Do't, and to bed then.

Pif. I'll break mine eye-balls first.

Imo. Ah, wherefore then

Didst undertake it? why haft thou abus'd
So many miles, with a pretence? this place?
Mine action? and thine own? our horfes' labour?
The time inviting thee? the perturb'd Court,
For my being abfent? whereunto I never
Purpose Return. Why haft thou gone fo far,
To be unbent, when thou haft ta'en thy ftand,
Th' elected deer before thee?

Pif. But to win time

To lose so bad employment, in the which
I have confider'd of a courfe; good lady,
Hear me with patience.

Imo. Talk thy tongue weary, speak,
I've heard, I am a ftrumpet; and mine ear
(Therein false struck) can take no greater wound,
Nor tent to bottom That. But, fpeak.

Pif. Then, Madam,

I thought, you would not back again.
Imo. Moft like,
Bringing me here to kill me.

Pif. Not fo neither;

But if I were as wife as honest, then

My purpose would prove well; it cannot be,
But that my mafter is abus'd; fome villain,
And fingular in his art, hath done you both
This curfed injury.

Imo. Some Roman Curtezan-
Pif. No, on my life.

I'll give him notice you are dead, and fend him
Some bloody fign of it: for 'tis commanded,
I fhould do fo. You fhall be miss'd at Court,
And that will well confirm it.