Guiderius. [Guiderius refuses tribute to the Romans.] Kimbaline king of the Britains dieth. Shakspere forsook his authority in making Cymbeline refuse tribute. The refusal came from Guiderius, as the following excerpt shows. [Hol. i. H. E. 33/1/63.] Guiderius the first sonne of Kymbeline (of whom Harison saieth nothing) began his reigne in the seuententh yeere after th' incarnation of Christ. This Guiderius being a man of stout courage, gaue occasion of breach of peace betwixt the Britains and Romans, denieng to paie them tribute, and procuring the people to new insurrections, which by one meane or other made open rebellion, as Gyldas saith.2 In Holinshed's second volume, Guiderius's rebellion is thus narrated. [Hol. ii. H. S. 45/2/42.] ... Kimbaline king of the Britains died, who for that he had beene brought vp in Rome, obserued his promised obedience towards the empire; but Guiderius succeeding, disdained to see the libertie of his countrie oppressed by the Romans, and therefore procuring the Britains to assist king rebelleth him, assembled a power, and inuaded the Romans with such violence, that none escaped with life, but such as saued themselues within castels & fortresses. Guiderius the British against the Romans. Unto what portion Britaine is referred. The next point to be noticed is Cloten's rejection of tribute because "Britaine's a world by it selfe" (Cymb. III. i. 12, 13); a view which Shakspere may have gathered from one or all of the following passages. [Hol. i. Description of Britaine, 2/1/30.] And whereas by Virgil [, who]-speaking of our Iland-saith; Et penitus toto divisos orbe Britannos,3 And some other authors not vnwoorthie to be read and perused, it is not certeine vnto which portion of the earth our Ilands, and Thule, with sundrie the like scattered in the north seas should be ascribed, bicause they excluded them (as you see) from the rest of the whole earth: I haue thought good, for facilitie sake 1 In The Faerie Queene, II. x. 50, the Romans are said to have made war on Cymbeline because "their tribute he refusd to let be payd." "Soone after" the birth of Christ this war began. In the next stanza Arviragus is spoken of as Cymbeline's brother. 2 Gildas records Boadicea's revolt (Historia Gildae, IV.). His book contains no mention of Guiderius. 3 Ecl. I. 67. of diuision, to refer them all which lie within the first minute of longitude, set downe by Ptolome, to Europa. [Hol. i. H. E. 34/1/10.] The souldiers [of Aulus Plautius] hearing of this voiage [to Britain], were loth to go with him, as men not willing to make warre in another world. Holinshed's Chronicles include a panegyric by Claudius Mamertinus, whose congratulations were offered to the Emperor Maximian I., upon the reunion of Britain to the Empire, after the fall (A.D. 296) of the British Emperor Allectus, the panegyrist calling to mind how Caesar called [Hol. i. H. E. 57/2/60.] writ that he had found an other [Caesar world, supposing it to be so big, that it was not compassed with Britain the sea, but that rather by resemblance the great Ocean was compassed with it. Subsequently Maximian is thus addressed: another world.] Britain quest of Maximian has gained [Hol. i. H. E. 59/2/59.] Glorie you therefore, inuincible [By the conemperour, for that you haue as it were got an other world, & in restoring to the Romane puissance the glory of conquest by sea, haue added to the Romane empire an element greater than all the compasse of the earth, that is, the mightie maine ocean. Cloten having renounced tribute, the Queen-scornfully appraising the value of that "kinde of conquest" which "Caesar made heere"declares (III. i. 26-29) how his Shipping (Poore ignorant baubles !) on our terrible Seas, Caesar, when he first invaded Britain, landed without his cavalry; the eighteen transports conveying those troops not having, pursuant to his orders, followed the fleet which bore him and the foot-soldiers. Failing in their attempt to prevent his disembarkation, the Britons sued for peace, and complied with his demand for hostages (De Bello Gallico, IV. 23-31). another world.] transports seen off [Hol. i. H. E. 25/2/60.] Peace being thus established after [Caesar's 18 the fourth day of the Romans arriuall in Britain, the 18 ships the cost of which (as ye haue heard) were appointed to conuey the horssemen Britain.] ouer, loosed from the further hauen with a soft wind. Which when they approched so neere the shore of Britaine, that the Romans which were in Cesars campe might see them, suddenlie there arose so great a tempest, that none of them was able to [They are dispersed by keepe his course, so that they were not onelie driuen in sunder a tempest.] (some being caried againe into Gallia, and some westward) but also the other ships that lay at anchor, and had brought ouer [The ships at the armie, were so pitifullie beaten, tossed and shaken, that a anchor are 'pitifullie beaten'; some are driven out to sea, and others are near sinking.] [Caesar hears that his ships have been much tempest, and dashed on great number of them did not onelie lose their tackle, but also were caried by force of wind into the high sea; the rest being likewise so filled with water, that they were in danger by sinking to perish and to be quite lost.1 The same misfortune befell Caesar on his second expedition to Britain. He landed unopposed, and, marching inland with the bulk of his forces, drove the Britons from a stronghold where they awaited his attack (De Bello Gallico, V. 8, 9). [Hol. i. H. E. 28/2/2.] The next day, as he had sent foorth such as should haue pursued the Britains, word came to him from brised by a Quintus Atrius,2 that his nauie by rigour of a sore and hideous tempest was greeuouslie molested, and throwne vpon the shore, so that the cabels and tackle being broken and destroied with force of the vnmercifull rage of wind, the maisters and mariners were not able to helpe the matter. the shore.] Cæsar de bello Gallico, lib. 4. The Queen's assertion (1. 26), that Caesar was "twice beaten" by the Britons, rests on the authority of chroniclers whose truthfulness was perhaps doubted even in Shakspere's day, though he found their narratives quoted along with the Commentaries upon the Gallic War. Caesar's account of his first expedition to these shores having been set forth by Holinshed, there follows what professes to be the British version of the events of this campaign. [Hol. i. H. E. 27/1/15.] Thus writeth Cesar touching his first iournie made into Britaine. But the British historie (which 1 Below we read that "not hauing other stuffe to repaire his ships, he [Caesar] caused 12 of those that were vtterlie past recouerie by the hurts receiued through violence of the tempest, to be broken, wherewith the other (in which some recouerie was perceiued) might be repaired and amended."Hol. i. H. E. 26/1/31. (The famous words, "Veni, Vidi, Vici," are translated "I came, I saw, I ouercame," in the life of Julius Caesar in North's Plutarch, ed. 1579, p. 787.) It is possible that, before writing the Queen's harangue,the aim of which is to show how Caesar's prosperity deserted him in Britain,Shakspere glanced at Caesar's remark upon the unforeseen lack of cavalry to pursue the retreating Britons, after the legionaries had effected their landing : "And this one thing seemed onelie to disappoint the luckie fortune that was accustomed to follow Cesar in all his other enterprises."-Hol. i. H. E. 25/2/28 (B. G. IV. 26). 2 Whom Caesar had left in charge of the fleet. Polydor calleth the new historie) 1 declareth that Cesar in a pitcht field was vanquished at the first encounter, and so withdrew backe into France. (The British clares that history de Caesar was beaten in a pitched battle, and withdrew to Caesar's account of his second invasion was also contradicted, Gaul.] another victory being claimed by the Britons. Matt. West. [Hol. i. H. E. 30/2/9.] Thus according to that which Cesar himselfe and other autentike authors haue written, was Britaine made tributarie to the Romans by the conduct of the same Cesar. ¶ But our histor[i]es farre differ from this, affirming that Cesar Gal. Mon. comming the second time, was by the Britains with valiancie and martiall prowesse beaten and repelled, as he was at the first, and speciallie by meanes that Cassibellane had pight in the Thames great piles of trees piked with yron, through which his ships being entred the riuer, were perished and lost. And after his comming a land, he was vanquished in battell, and constrained to flee into Gallia with those ships that remained. to The Queen also says that Cassibelan "was once at point. master Cæsars Sword" 2 (Cymb. III. i. 30, 31). According to the Historia Britonum-referred to below as "The same historie". -Caesar actually lost his sword during the battle in which he met with the first of those defeats whereof the Queen reminds Caius Lucius. [The British history affirms that second invarepelled, and Caesar's sion was he fled to Gaul.] his sword.] [Hol. i. H. E. 27/1/40.] The same historie also maketh (Caesar loses mention of... Nenius brother to Cassibellane, who in fight happened to get Cesars swoord fastened in his shield by a blow which Cesar stroke at him. 1 The "new historie," as Polydore Vergil calls it, is, I believe, the Historia Britonum; which contains (IV. iii, 58, 59) particulars of the "pitcht field." There is more about this victory, taken from Boece (31/40-80), in Hol. i. H. E. 27/1/73, &c. Posthumus's father Sicilius (Cymb. I. i. 29, 30),— "who did ioyne his House Against the Romanes with Cassibulan " -no doubt took part in this battle, where also, as Hol. records, Tenantius was present, from whom Sicilius "had his Titles" (1. 31). 2 The Queen's expression-" at point to master Cæsar's Sword "—implies that his sword was nearly wrested from him by force, not caught by accident; and she has, it will be observed, attributed to Cassibelan the honour of this partial success. Caesar's sword was placed by Cassibelan in a sarcophagus, with the body of Nennius, who died fifteen days after the battle from a wound inflicted by this weapon, which was named "Crocea mors, quia nullus evadebat vivus qui eo vulnerabatur" (Hist. Britt. IV. iv. 60). [The British rejoicings for Caesar's second defeat was attended by rejoicings which the Queen connects with the Britons' first victory, when he lost his sword. [Hol. i. H. E. 30/2/22.] For ioy of this second victorie (saith their second Galfrid) Cassibellane made a great feast at London, and there did sacrifice to the gods. victory.] The name of The scene of these rejoicings was "Luds-Towne," (Cymb. III. i. 32), known as Troinovant until it became the special care of Lud, Cassibelan's elder brother. [Hol. i. H. E. 23/1/59.] By reason that king Lud so much changed and esteemed that citie1 before all other of his realme, inlarging it called London. Matth. West. so greatlie as he did, and continuallie in manner remained there, the name was changed, so that it was called Caerlud, that is to saie, Luds towne: and after by corruption of speech it was named London. Courteously, but firmly, Cymbeline rejects the Roman demand, and bids Lucius say to Augustus (III. i. 55-62): Our Ancestor was that Mulmutius, which Who was the first of Britaine, which did put His browes within a golden Crowne, and call'd 60 Holinshed relates how, after the deaths of Ferrex and Porrex,2 the last acknowledged descendants of Brutus, Britain was plunged into civil war, then became subject to a pentarchy of kings, and was finally reunited under one sceptre by Mulmucius Dunwallon, son of Cloton King of Cornwall. Among the great deeds of Mulmucius these are recorded: 3 [Hol. i. H. E. 15/2/34] He also made manie good lawes, (by Mulmu- which were long after vsed, called Mulmucius lawes, turned out cius, and 1 Lud built there " a faire temple neere to his... palace, which temple (as some take it) was after turned to a church, and at this daie called Paules." -Hol. i. H. E. 23/1/59. Perhaps the temple in "Luds-Towne,"-assigned by Shakspere to "great Iupiter," where Cymbeline ratified peace with the Romans (Cymb. V. v. 481-483). 2 Sons of Gorboduc, King of Britain. Their history is dramatized in our earliest tragedy, written by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton, and acted on January 18, 1561. The chapter containing these passages (bk. III. chap. i. p. 15) is headed : "Of Mulmucius the first king of Britaine, who was crowned / with a golden crowne, his lawes, / his foundations, with other / his acts and deeds." Mulmucius "began his reigne ouer the whole monarchie of Britaine, in the yeere of the world 3529, after the building of Rome 314, and after the deliuerance of the Israelites out of captiuitie 97, and about the 26 yeere of Darius Artaxerxes Longimanus, the fift king of the Persians."-Ibid. |