Bel. Now, for our mountain sport: Up to yon hill, | Follow'd my banishment; and, this twenty years, Your legs are young; I'll tread these flats. Consider, When you above perceive me like a crow, And you may then revolve what tales I have told you, Of courts, of princes, of the tricks in war: Have never winn'd from view o' the nest ; nor know not What air's from home. Haply, this life is best, Arv. f The freezing hours away? We have seen nothing: Bel. How you speak! The fear's as bad as falling; the toil of the war, I' the name of fame and honour; which dies i' the search; And hath as oft a slanderous epitaph, Gui. Uncertain favour! ! Bel. My fault being nothing, (as I have told oft,) But that two villains, whose false oaths prevail'd Before my perfect honour, swore to Cymbeline, I was confederate with the Romans: so you This rock, and these demesnes, have been my world; The fore-end of my time. - But, up to the mountains ; This is not hunters' language: - He that strikes The venison first, shall be the lord o' the feast; To him the other two shall minister; I' the cave, wherein they bow, their thoughts do hit At three, and two years old, I stole these babes; Thou wast their nurse; they took thee for their Was near at hand: - Ne'er long'd my mother so From the inward of thee? One, but painted thus, Pis Please you, read; And you shall find me, wretched man, a thing The most disdain'd of fortune. Imo. [Reads.] Thy mistress, Pisanio, hath play'd the strumpet in my bed: the testimonies whereof lie bleeding in me. I speak not out of weak surmises, but from proof as strong as my grief, and as certain as I expect my revenge. That part, thou, Pisanio, must act for me, if thy faith be not tainted with the breach of hers. Let thine own hands take away her life: I shall give thee opportunities at MilfordHaven: she hath my letter for the purpose: Where, if thou fear to strike, and to make me certain it is done, thou art the pandar to her dishonour, and equally to me disloyal. Pis. What, shall I need to draw my sword? the paper Hath cut her throat already,—No, 'tis slander; All corners of the world: kings, queens, and states, Imo. False to his bed! What is it to be false? To weep 'twixt clock and clock? if sleep charge nature, To break it with a fearful dream of him, Pis. Alas, good lady! Imo. I false? Thy conscience witness:-Iachimo, Pis. Were, in his time, thought false: and Sinon's weep- No servant of thy master's: Against self-slaughter That cravens my weak hand. Come, here's my Something's afore't:- Soft, soft; we'll no defence; Do feel the treason sharply, yet the traitor I thought you would not back again. Did scandal many a holy tear; took pity Wilt lay the leaven on all proper men; I draw the sword myself: take it, and hit Pis. Then, madam, Most like; Pis. Some villain, ay, and singular in his art, Pis. No, on my life. Imo. And if do not by thy hand, thou art 2 Likeness. If you'll back to the court, 4 The writings. 5 Feedest or preyest on. Imo. No court, no father; nor no more ado Where, then? Pis. Imo. Pis. Imo. First, make yourself but like one. If that his head have ear in musick,) doubtless, With joy he will embrace you; for he's honourable, And, doubling that, most holy. Your means abroad You have me 7, rich; and I will never fail Beginning, nor supplyment. Imo. Thou art all the comfort The gods will diet me with. Pr'ythee, away: There's more to be considered; but we'll even All that good time will give us: This attempt I'm soldier to, and will abide it with A prince's courage. Away, I pr'ythee. Pis. Well, madam, we must take a short farewell: Lest, being miss'd, I be suspected of Your carriage from the court. My noble mistress, Or stomach-qualm'd at land, a dram of this Cym. Thus far; and so farewell. Cym. Our subjects, sir, Will not endure his yoke; and for ourself To show less sovereignty than they, must needs Appear unkingly. Luc. So, sir, I desire of you That we have given him cause. Clo. "Tis all the better; Your valiant Britons have their wishes in it. Cym. Lucius hath wrote already to the emperor How it goes here. It fits us, therefore, ripely, Our chariots and our horsemen be in readiness: The powers that he already hath in Gallia Will soon be drawn to head, from whence he moves His war for Britain. Queen. 'Tis not sleepy business; But must be look'd to speedily, and strongly. Cym. Our expectation that it would be thus, Hath made us forward. But, my gentle queen, Where is our daughter? She hath not appear'd Before the Roman, nor to us hath tender'd The duty of the day: She looks us like A thing more made of malice, than of duty : We have noted it.—Call her before us; for We have been too slight in sufferance. [Exit an Attendant. Queen. Royal sir, Since the exile of Posthumus, most retir'd Hath her life been; the cure whereof, my lord, 'Tis time must do. 'Beseech your majesty, Forbear sharp speeches to her: she's a lady So tender of rebukes, that words are strokes, And strokes death to her. look after. [Exit CLOTEN. Pisanio, thou that stand'st so for Posthúmus! How now, my son? Clo. 'Tis certain she is fled: Go in, and cheer the king; he rages; none Dare come about him. Queen. All the better: May This night forestall him of the coming day! [Exit QUEEN. Clo. I love, and hate her: for she's fair and royal; And that she hath all courtly parts more exquisite Than lady, ladies, woman 8; from every one The best she hath, and she, of all compounded, Outsells them all: I love her therefore; But, Disdaining me, and throwing favours on The low Posthúmus, slanders so her judgment, That what's else rare, is chok'd; and, in that point, I will conclude to hate her, nay, indeed, To be reveng'd upon her For, when fools How can she be with him? When was she missed? He is in Rome. Clo. Where is she, sir? Come nearer ? No further halting: satisfy me home, What is become of her? Pis. O, my all-worthy lord! Clo. She's far enough; and what he learns by this, Aside. Humph' Sir, as I think. Clo. It is Posthumus' hand; I know't.- Sirrah if thou wouldst not be a villain, but do me tru service; undergo those employments, wherein should have cause to use thee, with a serious i dustry,—that is, what villainy soc'er I bid thee do, to perform it, directly and truly,-I would think thee an honest man: thou shouldest neither want my means for thy relief, nor my voice for thy preferment. Pis. Well, my good lord. Clo. Wilt thou serve me? For since patiently and constantly thou hast stuck to the bare fortune of that beggar Posthumus, thou canst not in the course of gratitude but be a diligent follower of mine. Wilt thou serve me? Pis. Sir, I will. Hast Clo. Give me thy hand, here's my purse. any of thy late master's garments in thy possession? Pis. I have, my lord, at my lodgings, the same suit he wore when he took leave of my lady and mistress. Clo. The first service thou dost me, fetch that suit hither let it be thy first service: go. Pis. I shall, my lord. [Erit. Clo. Meet thee at Milford-Haven: -I forgot to ask him one thing: I'll remember't anon: - Ever there, thou villain, Posthumus, will I kill thee. — i would these garments were come. She said upon a time, that she held the very garment of Posthumus in more respect than my noble and natural person, together with the adornment of my qualities. With that suit upon my back, will I ravish ber: First kill him, and in her eyes; there shall she see my valour, which will then be a torment to her contempt. She hath despised me rejoicingly, and I'll be merry in my revenge. Re-enter PISANIO, with the Clothes. Be those the garments? Pis. Ay, my noble lord. Clo. How long is't since she went to MilfordHaven? Pis. She can scarce be there yet. Clo. Bring this apparel to my chamber; that is the second thing that I have commanded thee: the third is, that thou shalt be a voluntary mute to my design. Be but duteous, and true preferment shail tender itself to thee.. My revenge is now at Milford; 'Would I had wings to follow it! Come, and be true. [Erit. - Pis. Thou bids't me to my loss: for true to thee, All-worthy villain! Were to prove false, which I will never be, Discover where thy mistress is, at once, At the next word, No more of worthy lord,— Than any lady, than all ladies, than all womankind. To him that is most true- To Milford go, [Erit. SCENE VI. - Before the Cave of Belarius, Enter IMOGEN, in Boy's Clothes. Imo. I see a man's life is a tedious one; I have tired myself; and for two nights together Have made the ground my bed. I should be sick, But that my resolution helps me. — Milford, When from the mountain-top Pisanio show'd thee, Thou wast within a ken: O Jove! I think, Foundations fly the wretched: such, I mean, Where they should be reliev'd. Two beggars told me, I could not miss my way: Will poor folks lie, That have afflictions on them? knowing 'tis A punishment, or trial? Yes; no wonder, When rich ones scarce tell true: To lapse in fulness Is sorer, than to lie for need; and falsehood Is worse in kings than beggars. My dear lord! Thou art one o' the false ones: Now I think on thee, My hunger's gone; but even before, I was At point to sink for food. But what is this? Here is a path to it: 'Tis some savage hold: I were best not call: I dare not call: yet famine, Ere clean it o'erthrow nature, makes it valiant. Plenty, and peace, breeds cowards; hardness ever Of hardiness is mother. - Ho! who's here? If any thing that's civil, speak; if savage, Take, or lend.-Ho! No answer? then I'll enter. Best draw my sword: and if mine enemy But fear the sword like me, he'll scarcely look on't. Such a foe, good heavens! [She goes into the Cave. Enter BELARIUS, GUIDERIUS, and ARVIRAGUS. Bel. You, Polydore, have prov'd best woodman 9, and - Are master of the feast: Cadwal, and I, I am thoroughly weary. Arv. I am weak with toil, yet strong in appetite. Gui. There is cold meat i' the cave; we'll browze on that, Whilst what we have kill'd be cook'd. Think us no churls; nor measure our good minds I'll make't my comfort, If brothers?-'Would it had been so, that Imo. Great men, Hark, boys. [Whispering That had a court no bigger than this cave, Bel. Gui. Pray, draw near. Arv. The night to the owl, and morn to the lark, less welcome. Imo. Thanks, sir. Arv. Enter two Senators and Tribunes. 1 Sen. This is the tenour of the emperor's writ: That since the common men are now in action 'Gainst the Pannonians and Dalmatians : And that the legions now in Gallia are Full weak to undertake our wars against The fallen-off Britons; that we do incite The gentry to this businsss: He creates Lucius pro-consul: and to you the tribunes, 2 In, for into. |