Ia. Lamentable! what!

To hide me from the radiant fun, and folace
I' the dungeon by a snuff!

Imo. I pray you, fir,

Deliver with more openness your answers
To my demands. Why do you pity me?

Iachimo's abrupt and impaffioned demeanour, his undoubted friendship for Leonatus, the apparent interest he takes in the concerns of Imogen, and his reluctance to unfold the nature of her misfortune, adding impatience to her anxiety, and fo augmenting the violence of her emotions, destroy every doubt of his fincerity, and difpofe her implicitly to believe him. He, accordingly, proceeds with boldness, and, under the appearance of forrow and indignation, hazards a more direct impeachment. To have bewailed her unhappy fate, and to have accused Leonatus in terms of bitterness and reproach, would have fuited the injuries fhe had received, and the violence of difappointed paffion. But Shakespeare, fuperior to all

mankind

mankind in the invention of characters, hath fashioned the temper of Imogen with lineaments no lefs peculiar than lovely. Sentiments amiably refined, and a sense of propriety uncommonly exquifite, supprefs the utterance of her forrow, and reftrain her refentment. Knowing that fufpicion is allyed to weakness, and unwilling to afperse the fame of her husband, fhe replies with a spirit of meekness and refignation.

My Lord, I fear,

Has forgot Britain.

Formerly the expreffed hope, when the emotion he felt was fear: here fhe expreffes fear, though fully fatisfied of her misfortune.

There is a certain ftate of mind full of forrow, when the approach of evil is manifeft and unavoidable. Our reafon is then darkened, and the foul finking under the apprehenfion of mifery, fuffers direful

3

direful eclipfe, and trembles, as at the dif folution of nature. Unable to endure the painful impreffion, we almost wish for annihilation, and incapable of averting the threatened danger, we endeavour, though abfurdly, to be ignorant of its approach. "Let me hear no more," cries the Princefs, convinced of her misfortune, and overwhelmed with anguish.

Iachimo, confident of fuccefs, and, perfuaded that the wrongs of Imogen would naturally excite refentment, suggests the idea of revenge. Skilful to infufe suspicion, he knew not the purity of refined affection. Imogen, fhocked and astonished at his infamous offer, is immediately prejudiced againft his evidence: Her mind recovers vigour by the renovated hope of her husband's conftancy, and by indignation against the infidious informer: And fhe vents her difpleasure with fudden and unexpected vehemence,

Ime.

Ime. What ho, Pifanio!

Ia. Let me my service tender on your lips.

Imo. Away! I do condemn mine ears, that have So long attended thee.

This immediate transition from a dejected and defponding tone of mind, to a vi gorous and animated exertion, effectuated by the infufion of hope and just indignation, is very natural and ftriking.

The inquietude of Imogen, foftened by affection, and governed by a fenfe of propriety, exhibits a pattern of the most amiable and exemplary meeknefs. The emo tions fhe discovers belong to follicitude rather than to jealousy. The features of sollicitude are forrowful and tender: Jealoufy is fierce, wrathful, and vindictive. Sollicitude is the object of compaffion mixed with affection; jealoufy excites compaffion, combined with terror.

III. The fame meeknefs and tender dejection that engage our fympathy in N

the

the interefts of Imogen, and render even her fufpicions amiable, preferve their character and influence, when the fuffers actual calamity. Leonatus, deceived by the calumnies of Iachimo, fuffers the pangs of a jealous emotion, and, in the heat of his refentment, commiffions Pifanio to take away her life. But the fagacious attendant, convinced of the malignity of the accufation, difobeys his mafter; and, actuated by compaffion, reveals hist inhuman purpose. The ftroke that inflicts the deepest wound on a virtuous and ingenuous nature, is the accufation of guilt. Those who are incapable of criminal acts and intentions, inftigated by a stronger abhorrence of a guilty conduct than others less virtuous than themselves, imagine, if, by any unhappy mifchance, they are falfely and maliciously accufed, that they are the objects of ftrong abhorrence. Of minds very eafily affected, and fufceptible of every feeling, perfecuted by malice, or