Read Cymbeline Online

Authors: William Shakespeare

Cymbeline (17 page)

[
Exit Belarius
]

GUIDERIUS
    Nay, Cadwal, we must lay his head
to th’east.
318

My father hath a reason for’t.

ARVIRAGUS
    ’Tis true.

GUIDERIUS
    Come on then, and
remove
321
him.

ARVIRAGUS
    So, Begin.

Song

Spoken or chanted, not sung?

GUIDERIUS
    Fear no more the heat o’th’sun,

     Nor the furious winter’s rages,

     Thou thy worldly task hast done,

     
Home
art gone, and
ta’en thy wages.
326

     
Golden lads and girls all must
327
,

     
As
328
chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

ARVIRAGUS
    Fear no more the frown o’th’great,

     Thou art past the tyrant’s stroke,

     Care no more to clothe and eat,

     To thee the reed is as the oak.

     The
sceptre, learning, physic
333
, must

     All follow this and come to dust.

GUIDERIUS
    Fear no more the lightning flash,

ARVIRAGUS
    Nor th’all-dreaded
thunder-stone.
336

GUIDERIUS
    Fear not slander, censure rash.

ARVIRAGUS
    Thou hast finished joy and moan.

BOTH
    All lovers young, all lovers must

Consign to thee
340
and come to dust.

GUIDERIUS
    No
exorcizer
341
harm thee,

ARVIRAGUS
    Nor no witchcraft
charm
342
thee.

GUIDERIUS
    
Ghost unlaid forbear thee.
343

ARVIRAGUS
    Nothing ill come near thee.

BOTH
    Quiet
consummation
345
have,

And renownèd be thy grave.

Enter Belarius with the body of Cloten

GUIDERIUS
    We have done our
obsequies
347
: come, lay him down.

BELARIUS
    Here’s a few flowers, but ’bout midnight more:

The herbs that have on them cold dew o’th’night

Are strewings fitt’st for graves:
upon their faces.
350

You were as flowers, now withered: even so

These
herblets shall
352
, which we upon you strew.

Come on, away,
apart upon our knees
353
:

The ground that
gave them first
354
has them again:

Their pleasures here are past, so is their pain.

Exeunt
[
all but Innogen
]

Awakes

INNOGEN
    Yes, sir, to Milford Haven, which is the way?

I thank you: by yond bush? Pray how far thither?

’Od’s pittikins
358
: can it be six mile yet?

I have
gone
359
all night: faith, I’ll lie down and sleep.

Sees Cloten’s body

But soft, no bedfellow!
360
O gods and goddesses!

These flowers are like the pleasures of the world,

This bloody man the
care on’t.
362
I hope I dream:

For
so
363
I thought I was a cave-keeper,

And cook to honest creatures. But ’tis not so:

’Twas but a
bolt
365
of nothing, shot at nothing,

Which the brain makes of
fumes.
366
Our very eyes

Are sometimes like our judgements, blind. Good faith,

I tremble still with fear: but if there be

Yet left in heaven as small a drop of pity

As a
wren’s eye
, feared gods,
a part
370
of it!

The dream’s here still: even when I wake it is

Without me, as within me
: not imagined,
felt.
372

A headless man? The garments of Posthumus?

I know the shape of’s leg: this is his hand:

His foot mercurial:
his martial thigh:
375

The
brawns
376
of Hercules: but his jovial face—

Murder in heaven! How? ’Tis gone. Pisanio,

All curses
madded
Hecuba
378
gave the Greeks,

And mine to boot, be
darted
379
on thee! Thou,

Conspired
with that
irregulous
380
devil, Cloten,

Hath here cut off my lord. To write and read

Be henceforth treacherous! Damned Pisanio

Hath with his forgèd letters — damned Pisanio —

From
this most
bravest
vessel
of
384
the world

Struck the main-top!
385
O Posthumus, alas,

Where is thy head? Where’s that? Ay me! Where’s that?

Pisanio might have killed thee at the heart,

And left this head on. How should this be, Pisanio?

’Tis he and Cloten: malice and
lucre
389
in them

Have
laid
this woe here. O, ’tis
pregnant
390
, pregnant!

The drug he gave me, which he said was precious

And
cordial
392
to me, have I not found it

Murd’rous to th’senses? That confirms it
home
393
:

This is Pisanio’s deed, and Cloten: O,

Give colour to my pale cheek with thy blood
395
,

That we the
horrider
396
may seem to those

Which chance
397
to find us! O my lord, my lord!

Embraces the body

Enter Lucius, Captains and a
Soothsayer

CAPTAIN
    To them the legions garrisoned in
Gallia
398

After
your will have crossed the sea,
attending
399

You here at Milford Haven with your ships:

They are in readiness.

LUCIUS
    But what from Rome?

CAPTAIN
    The senate hath stirred up the
confiners
403

And gentlemen of Italy, most willing spirits,

That promise noble service: and they come

Under the conduct of bold Iachimo,

Siena’s
407
brother.

LUCIUS
    When expect you them?

CAPTAIN
    With the next
benefit
409
o’th’wind.

LUCIUS
    This
forwardness
410

Makes our hopes fair. Command our present numbers

Be mustered: bid the captains look to’t. Now, sir,

What have you dreamed of late of this war’s
purpose?
413

SOOTHSAYER
    Last night the very gods showed me a vision —

I
fast
, and prayed for their
intelligence
415
— thus:

I saw Jove’s bird, the Roman eagle,
winged
416

From the
spongy
417
south to this part of the west,

There vanished in the sunbeams: which
portends
418

Unless my
sins abuse my divination
419

Success to th’Roman
host.
420

LUCIUS
    Dream often so,

Sees Cloten’s body

And never false.— Soft ho, what
trunk
422
is here?

Without
his
top? The ruin
speaks
423
that sometime

It was a worthy building. How, a page?

Or
425
dead or sleeping on him? But dead rather:

For
nature doth abhor
426
to make his bed

With the
defunct
427
, or sleep upon the dead.

Let’s see the boy’s face.

CAPTAIN
    He’s alive, my lord.

LUCIUS
    He’ll then
instruct us of
430
this body. Young one,

Inform us of thy fortunes, for it seems

They
crave to be demanded
432
: who is this

Thou mak’st thy bloody pillow? Or who was he

That, otherwise than noble nature did,

Hath
altered that good picture?
435
What’s thy interest

In this sad
wreck?
436
How came’t? Who is’t?

What art thou?

INNOGEN
    I am nothing; or if not,

Nothing to be were better. This was my master,

A very valiant Briton, and a good,

That here by mountaineers lies slain. Alas,

There
is
442
no more such masters: I may wander

From east to
occident
, cry out for
service
443
,

Try many, all good, serve truly, never

Find such another master.

LUCIUS
    
’Lack
446
, good youth,

Thou mov’st no less with thy
complaining
447
than

Thy master in bleeding: say his name, good friend.

Aside

INNOGEN
    Richard du Champ.— If I do lie and do

No harm by it, though the gods hear, I hope

They’ll pardon it.—
Say you
451
, sir?

LUCIUS
    Thy name?

INNOGEN
    Fidele, sir.

LUCIUS
    Thou dost
approve thyself the very same
454
:

Thy name well fits thy faith, thy faith thy name.

Wilt take thy chance with me? I will not say

Thou shalt be so well mastered, but be sure

No less beloved. The Roman emperor’s letters,

Sent by a consul to me, should not sooner

Than thine own worth
prefer
460
thee: go with me.

INNOGEN
    I’ll follow, sir. But first,
an’t
461
please the gods,

I’ll hide my master from the flies, as deep

As these
poor pickaxes
463
can dig: and when

With wildwood leaves and weeds I ha’ strewed his grave,

And on it said a
century of
465
prayers,

Such as I
can
466
, twice o’er, I’ll weep and sigh,

And leaving so his service, follow you,

So please you entertain me.
468

LUCIUS
    Ay, good youth,

And rather father thee than master thee.

My friends,

The boy hath taught us manly duties: let us

Find out the prettiest daisied plot we can,

And make him with our
pikes
and
partisans
474

A grave: come,
arm him.
Boy, he is
preferred
475

By thee to us, and he shall be interred

As soldiers
can.
477
Be cheerful, wipe thine eyes:

Some falls are means the happier to arise.

Exeunt

Act 4 Scene 3

running scene 15

Enter Cymbeline, Lords and Pisanio
[
with Attendants
]

CYMBELINE
    
Again
1
, and bring me word how ’tis with her.

[
Exit an Attendant
]

A fever
with
2
the absence of her son,

A madness
of
3
which her life’s in danger: heavens,

How deeply you at once do
touch
4
me! Innogen,

The great part of my comfort, gone: my queen

Upon a desperate bed
6
, and in a time

When fearful wars point at me: her son gone,

So needful for this
present.
8
It strikes me, past

The hope of comfort. But for thee, fellow,

Who needs must know of her departure and

Dost seem so ignorant, we’ll
enforce it from thee
11

By a sharp torture.

PISANIO
    Sir, my life is yours,

I humbly set it at your will: but for my mistress,

I
nothing know
15
where she remains, why gone,

Nor when she
purposes
16
return. Beseech your highness,

Hold
17
me your loyal servant.

FIRST LORD
    Good my liege,

The day that she was missing he was here:

I dare be bound he’s true, and shall perform

All parts of his
subjection
21
loyally. For Cloten,

There
wants
22
no diligence in seeking him,

And
will
23
no doubt be found.

CYMBELINE
    The time is troublesome.—

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