William Shakespeare - William Shakespeare - Complete Works

The woman's; flattering, hers; deceiving, hers;

Lust and rank thoughts, hers, hers; revenges, hers;

Ambitions, covetings, change of prides, disdain,

Nice longing, slanders, mutability,

All faults that man may name, nay, that hell knows,

Why, hers, in part or all; but rather all;

For even to vice

They are not constant, but are changing still

One vice but of a minute old for one

Not half so old as that. I'll write against them,

Detest them, curse them. Yet 'tis greater skill

In a true hate to pray they have their will:

The very devils cannot plague them better. Exit

Enter in state, CYMBELINE, QUEEN, CLOTEN, and LORDS at one door, and at another CAIUS LUCIUS and attendants

CYMBELINE. Now say, what would Augustus Caesar with us?

LUCIUS. When Julius Caesar- whose remembrance yet

Lives in men's eyes, and will to ears and tongues

Be theme and hearing ever- was in this Britain,

And conquer'd it, Cassibelan, thine uncle,

Famous in Caesar's praises no whit less

Than in his feats deserving it, for him

And his succession granted Rome a tribute,

Yearly three thousand pounds, which by thee lately

Is left untender'd.

QUEEN. And, to kill the marvel,

Shall be so ever.

CLOTEN. There be many Caesars

Ere such another Julius. Britain is

A world by itself, and we will nothing pay

For wearing our own noses.

QUEEN. That opportunity,

Which then they had to take from 's, to resume

We have again. Remember, sir, my liege,

The kings your ancestors, together with

The natural bravery of your isle, which stands

As Neptune's park, ribb'd and pal'd in

With rocks unscalable and roaring waters,

With sands that will not bear your enemies' boats

But suck them up to th' top-mast. A kind of conquest

Caesar made here; but made not here his brag

Of 'came, and saw, and overcame.' With shame-

The first that ever touch'd him- he was carried

From off our coast, twice beaten; and his shipping-

Poor ignorant baubles!- on our terrible seas,

Like egg-shells mov'd upon their surges, crack'd

As easily 'gainst our rocks; for joy whereof

The fam'd Cassibelan, who was once at point-

O, giglot fortune!- to master Caesar's sword,

Made Lud's Town with rejoicing fires bright

And Britons strut with courage.

CLOTEN. Come, there's no more tribute to be paid. Our kingdom is

stronger than it was at that time; and, as I said, there is no

moe such Caesars. Other of them may have crook'd noses; but to

owe such straight arms, none.

CYMBELINE. Son, let your mother end.

CLOTEN. We have yet many among us can gripe as hard as Cassibelan.

I do not say I am one; but I have a hand. Why tribute? Why should

we pay tribute? If Caesar can hide the sun from us with a blanket,

or put the moon in his pocket, we will pay him tribute for light;

else, sir, no more tribute, pray you now.

CYMBELINE. You must know,

Till the injurious Romans did extort

This tribute from us, we were free. Caesar's ambition-

Which swell'd so much that it did almost stretch

The sides o' th' world- against all colour here

Did put the yoke upon's; which to shake of

Becomes a warlike people, whom we reckon

Ourselves to be.

CLOTEN. We do.

CYMBELINE. Say then to Caesar,

Our ancestor was that Mulmutius which

Ordain'd our laws- whose use the sword of Caesar

Hath too much mangled; whose repair and franchise

Shall, by the power we hold, be our good deed,

Though Rome be therefore angry. Mulmutius made our laws,

Who was the first of Britain which did put

His brows within a golden crown, and call'd

Himself a king.

LUCIUS. I am sorry, Cymbeline,

That I am to pronounce Augustus Caesar-

Caesar, that hath moe kings his servants than

Thyself domestic officers- thine enemy.

Receive it from me, then: war and confusion

In Caesar's name pronounce I 'gainst thee; look

For fury not to be resisted. Thus defied,

I thank thee for myself.

CYMBELINE. Thou art welcome, Caius.

Thy Caesar knighted me; my youth I spent

Much under him; of him I gather'd honour,

Which he to seek of me again, perforce,

Behoves me keep at utterance. I am perfect

That the Pannonians and Dalmatians for

Their liberties are now in arms, a precedent

Which not to read would show the Britons cold;

So Caesar shall not find them.

LUCIUS. Let proof speak.

CLOTEN. His majesty bids you welcome. Make pastime with us a day or

two, or longer. If you seek us afterwards in other terms, you

shall find us in our salt-water girdle. If you beat us out of it,

it is yours; if you fall in the adventure, our crows shall fare

the better for you; and there's an end.

LUCIUS. So, sir.

CYMBELINE. I know your master's pleasure, and he mine;

All the remain is, welcome. Exeunt

Enter PISANIO reading of a letter

PISANIO. How? of adultery? Wherefore write you not

What monsters her accuse? Leonatus!

O master, what a strange infection

Is fall'n into thy ear! What false Italian-

As poisonous-tongu'd as handed- hath prevail'd

On thy too ready hearing? Disloyal? No.

She's punish'd for her truth, and undergoes,

More goddess-like than wife-like, such assaults

As would take in some virtue. O my master!

Thy mind to her is now as low as were

Thy fortunes. How? that I should murder her?

Upon the love, and truth, and vows, which I

Have made to thy command? I, her? Her blood?

If it be so to do good service, never

Let me be counted serviceable. How look I

That I should seem to lack humanity

So much as this fact comes to? [Reads] 'Do't. The letter

That I have sent her, by her own command

Shall give thee opportunity.' O damn'd paper,

Black as the ink that's on thee! Senseless bauble,

Art thou a fedary for this act, and look'st

So virgin-like without? Lo, here she comes.

Enter IMOGEN

I am ignorant in what I am commanded.

IMOGEN. How now, Pisanio!

PISANIO. Madam, here is a letter from my lord.

IMOGEN. Who? thy lord? That is my lord- Leonatus?

O, learn'd indeed were that astronomer

That knew the stars as I his characters-

He'd lay the future open. You good gods,

Let what is here contain'd relish of love,

Of my lord's health, of his content; yet not

That we two are asunder- let that grieve him!

Some griefs are med'cinable; that is one of them,

For it doth physic love- of his content,

All but in that. Good wax, thy leave. Blest be

You bees that make these locks of counsel! Lovers

And men in dangerous bonds pray not alike;

Though forfeiters you cast in prison, yet

You clasp young Cupid's tables. Good news, gods!

[Reads]

'Justice and your father's wrath, should he take me in his

dominion, could not be so cruel to me as you, O the dearest of

creatures, would even renew me with your eyes. Take notice that I

am in Cambria, at Milford Haven. What your own love will out of

this advise you, follow. So he wishes you all happiness that

remains loyal to his vow, and your increasing in love

LEONATUS POSTHUMUS.'

O for a horse with wings! Hear'st thou, Pisanio?

He is at Milford Haven. Read, and tell me

How far 'tis thither. If one of mean affairs

May plod it in a week, why may not I

Glide thither in a day? Then, true Pisanio-