touching the circumstances of the Empire and Britain during the reign. of Augustus. [Hol. i. H. E. 32/2/3.] Kymbeline or Cimbeline the sonne of Kymbeline. Theomantius 1 was of the Britains made king after the deceasse of his father, in the yeare of the world 3944, after the building his of Guido de Columna. knighted by Augustus, and not obliged to pay tribute.] of Rome 728, and before the birth of our Sauiour 33. This man Fabian out (as some write) was brought vp at Rome, and there made knight [Cymbeline by Augustus Cesar, vnder whome he serued in the warres, and was in such fauour with him, that he was at libertie to pay tribute or not. . . . Touching the continuance of the yeares of Kymbelines reigne, some writers doo varie, but the best approoued [Cymbeline affirme, that he reigned 35 years and then died, & was buried at London, leauing behind him two sonnes, Guiderius and Aruiragus. 3 reigned 35 left two years, and sons, Guide rius and Arviragus.] writers say Britons re tribute to Augustus.) gr ¶ But here is to be noted, that although our histories doo affirme, that as well this Kymbeline, as also his father Theomantius liued in quiet with the Romans, and continuallie to them paied the tributes which the Britains had couenanted with Julius Cesar [Roman to pay, yet we find in the Romane writers, that after Julius Cesars that the death, when Augustus had taken vpon him the rule of the empire, fused to pay the Britains refused to paie that tribute: whereat as Cornelius Tacitus reporteth, Augustus (being otherwise occupied) was contented to winke; howbeit, through earnest calling vpon to recouer his right by such as were desirous to see the vttermost of the British kingdome; at length, to wit, in the tenth yeare after the death of Julius Cesar, which was about the thirteenth yeare of the said Theomantius, Augustus made prouision to passe with an [Augustus armie ouer into Britaine, & was come forward vpon his iournie to invade 1 "Tenantius" (the spelling in Cymb. I. i. 31) occurs as a variant form in Hol. i. H. E. 32/1/58 above. Shakspere seems to have adopted Fab.'s conjecture (reported in Hol. i. H. E. 31/2/22) that Cassibelan, Androgeus, and Tenantius were sons of Lud, Cymbeline's grandfather; for Cymbeline is reminded by Lucius that tribute was imposed by Julius Caesar on "Cassibulan, thine Unkle" (Cymb. III. i. 5). Holinshed preferred the supposition that Cassibelan was Lud's brother (Hol. i. H. E. 23/2/12). 2 Cp. Cymb. III. i. 70: "Thy Cæsar Knighted me; my youth I spent Much vnder him"; ... We learn from Juvenal (Sat. IV. 124-127) that a British prince named Arviragus was a contemporary of Domitian. Cor. Tacitus, in vita lu. Agr. prepares Britain.] Dion Cassius. into Gallia Celtica: or as we maie saie, into these hither parts of France. [He is detained by a rebellion of ans and Dalmatians.] But here receiuing aduertisements that the Pannonians, which the Pannoni- inhabited the countrie now called Hungarie, and the Dalmatians whome now we call Slauons had rebelled, he thought it best first to subdue those rebells neere home,1 rather than to seeke new countries, and leaue such in hazard whereof he had present possession, and so turning his power against the Pannonians and Dalmatians, he left off for a time the warres of Britain. whether or some [I know not But whether this controuersie which appeareth to fall forth betwixt the Britans and Augustus, was occasioned by Kymbeline, prince refus- or some other prince of the Britains, I haue not to auouch: for that by our writers it is reported, that Kymbeline being brought the Romans, Vp in Rome, & knighted in the court of Augustus, euer shewed himselfe a friend to the Romans, & chieflie was loth to breake ed tribute, but Cym beline was friendly to and wished the British youth to be amongst them.] brought up with them, because the youth of the Britaine nation should not be depriued of the benefit to be trained and brought vp among the Romans, whereby they might learne both to behaue themselues like ciuill men, and to atteine to the knowledge of feats of warre.2 [The peace of the Roman Empire while Augustus ruled.] But whether for this respect, or for that it pleased the almightie God so to dispose the minds of men at that present, not onlie the Britains, but in manner all other nations were contented to be obedient to the Romane empire. That this was 1 Cymbeline replies to Lucius (Cymb. III. i. 73-75): "I am perfect, That the Pannonians and Dalmatians for 2 Cp. Posthumus's words (Cymb. II. iv. 20-26): ... "Our Countrymen Are men more order'd then when Julius Cæsar Smil'd at their lacke of skill, but found their courage Worthy his frowning at: Their discipline (Now mingled [wing-led F] with their courages) will make To their Approuers, they are People such As to the military strength of Britain at the time of Caesar's invasion, Hol. says (ii., The first inhabitation of Ireland, 51/1/14): "the British nation was then vnskilfull, and not trained to feats of war, for the Britons then being onelie vsed to the Picts and Irish enimies, people halfe naked, through lacke of skill easilie gaue place to the Romans force," ... shown to the British true in the Britains, it is euident enough by Strabos words, which Strab. Geog. are in effect as followeth. "At this present (saith he) certeine [Respect "princes of Britaine, procuring by ambassadors and dutifull Augustus by "demeanors the amitie of the emperour Augustus, haue offered princes.] "in the capitoll vnto the gods presents or gifts, and haue ordeined "the whole Ile in a manner to be appertinent, proper, and familiar "to the Romans. They are burdened with sore customs which Luxuries "they paie for wares, either to be sent foorth into Gallia, or "brought from thence, which are commonlie yuorie vessels, "sheeres, ouches, or earerings, and other conceits made of amber "& glasses, and such like manner of merchandize." Holinshed (Hol. ii. H. S. 45/1/55) records an embassy from Augustus to Cymbeline, which may have given Shakspere a hint for the less peaceful mission of Caius Lucius. [Hol. ii. H. S. 45/1/55.] About the same time [25 B.C.] also there came vnto Kimbaline king of the Britains an ambassador from Augustus the emperor, with thanks, for that entring into the gouernement of the British state, he had kept his allegiance toward the Romane empire: exhorting him to keepe his subiects in peace with all their neighbors, sith the whole world, through meanes of the same Augustus, was now in quiet, without all warres or troublesome tumults. Caius Lucius demands a yearly tribute of three thousand pounds, which had been imposed on Cassibelan and "his Succession" by Julius Caesar, but had been "lately left vntender'd" by Cymbeline, Cassibelan's nephew (Cymb. III. i. 2-10). This pretension to tribute arose when Caesar, after defeating Cassibelan,2 blockaded the residue of the British levies, so that— [Hol. i. H. E. 30/2/73.] Cassibellane in the end was forced to fall to a composition, in couenanting to paie a yearlie tribute of three thousand pounds. 1 Tenantius, whom Cymbeline succeeded, "paid the tribute to the Romans which Cassibellane [Tenantius's immediate predecessor] had granted."-Hol. i. H. E. 32/1/73. 2 Holinshed's authorities are Hist. Britt. IV. x. 67, and Matthew of Westminster (ed. 1601, p. 38). According to them this success was the result of a third invasion by Caesar. The authentic account is that the Romans' second invasion of Britain closed with the submission of Cassivellaunus (or Cassibelan); and that Caesar, before leaving Britain for the last time, "obsides imperat, et, quid in annos singulos vectigalis populo Romano Britannia penderet, constituit" (De Bello Gallico, V. 22). imported by Britain.] Kimbaline Britains. sador from king of the [An ambas Augustus thanks him for his loyalRomans.] ty to the [Cassibelan agrees to pay a yearly tribute.] Campion, So saith but Galfrid Monu, saith fue thou sand. 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 kingrebelleth 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 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 Britaine is Virgil [, who]-speaking of our Iland-saith ; referred. Et penitus toto diuisos 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 Briter the sea, but that rather by resemblance the great Ocean was compassed with it. Subsequently Maximian is thus addressed: [Hol. i. H. E. 59/2/59.] Glorie you therefore, inuincible emperour, 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, Like Egge-shels mou'd vpon their Surges, crack'd 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.] [By the conBritain quest of Maximian has gained another world.] transports [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 are seen off 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 |