Jost to-day at bowls, I'll win to-night of him. Come. | May bare the raven's eye: I lodge in fear;
go.
Though this a heavenly angel, hell is here.

2 Lord. I'll attend your lordship.
[Exeunt Cloten and first Lord.
That such a crafty devil as is his mother
Should yield the world this ass! A woman, that
Bears all down with her brain; and this her son
Cannot take two from twenty for his heart,
And leave eighteen. Alas, poor princess,
Thou divine Imogen, what thou endurest!
Betwixt a father by thy step-dame govern'd;
A mother hourly coining plots; a wooer,
More hateful than the foul expulsion is
Of thy dear husband, than that horrid act
Of the divorce he'd niake! The heavens hold firm
The walls of thy dear honour; keep unshaked
That temple, thy fair mind; that thou may'st
stand,

To enjoy thy banish'd lord, and this great land!
[Exit.
SCENE II-A Bed-Chamber; in one Part of it a
Trunk.

IMOGEN reading in her Bed; a LADY attending.
Imo. Who's there? my woman Helen?
Lady. Please you, madam.

Imo. What hour is it?

Lady. Almost midnight, madam.

Imo. I have read three hours then: mine eyes
are weak :-

Fold down the leaf where I have left to bed:
Take not away the taper, leave it burning;
And if thou canst awake by four o' the clock,
I pr'ythee, call me. Sleep hath seized me wholly.
[Exit Lady.

To your protection I commend me, gods!
From fairies, and the tempters of the night,
Guard me, beseech ye!

[Sleeps.-Iachimo, from the Trunk. Iach. The crickets sing, and man's o'er-labour'd

story,

Ah, but some natural notes about her body,
Above ten thousand meaner moveables
Would testify, to enrich mine inventory :
O sleep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her!
And be her sense but as a monument,
Thus in a chapel lying!-Come off, come off;-
[Taking off her Bracelet.
As slippery, as the Gordian knot was hard!—
'Tis mine; and this will witness outwardly,
As strongly as the conscience does within,
To the madding of her lord. On her left breast
A mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops
I' the bottom of a cowslip: here's a voucher,
Stronger than ever law could make this secret
Will force him think I have pick'd the lock, and

ta'en

The treasure of her honour. No more.-To what end?

Why should I write this down, that's rivetted,
Screw'd to my memory? She hath been reading
late

The tale of Tereus; here the leaf's turn'd down,
Where Philomel gave up;-I have enough:
To the trunk again, and shut the spring of it.
Swift, swift, you dragons of the night 1-that dawn-
ing

It was anciently the custom to strew chambers with rushes.

ti. e. The white skin laced with blue veins. 1 Tapestry.

One, two, three,-Time, time!

[Clock strikes. [Goes into the Trunk.-The Scene closes.

SCENE III.--An Ante-Chamber adjoining Imogen's
Apartment.

Enter CLOTEN and LORDS.

1 Lord. Your lordship is the most patient man in loss, the most coldest that ever turn'd up ace. Clo. It would make any man cold to lose.

1 Lord. But not every man patient, after the noble temper of your lordship; you are most hot, and furious, when you win.

Clo. Winning would put any man into courage: if I could get this foolish Imogen, I should have gold enough: It's almost morning, is't not?

1 Lord. Day, my lord.

Clo. I would this music would come: I am advised to give her music o' mornings; they say, it will penetrate.

Enter MUSICIANS.

Come on; tune: if you can penetrate her with your fingering, so; we'll try with tongue too: if none will do, let her remain; but I'll never give o'er. First, a very excellent good-conceited thing; after, a wonderful sweet air, with admirable rich words to it,-and then let her consider.

SONG.

Hark! hark! the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phabus 'gins arise,

His steeds to water at those springs
On chaliced flowers that lies;

And winking Mary-buds begin

To ope their golden eyes ;
With every thing that pretty bin:
My lady swect, arise;
Arise, arise.

So, get you gone: if this penetrate, I will consider
your music the better+: if it do not, it is a vice in
her ears, which horse-hairs, and cats-guts, nor the
voice of unpaved eunuch to boot, can never amend.
[Exeunt Musicians.

Enter CYMBELINE and QUEEN.

2 Lord. Here comes the king. Clo. I am glad, I was up so late; for that's the reason I was up so early: he cannot choose but take this service I have done, fatherly.--Good mor row to your majesty, and to my gracious mother. Cym. Attend you here the door of our stern daughter?

Will she not forth?

Clo. I have assail'd her with music, but she vonchsafes no notice.

Cym. The exile of her minion is too new;
She hath not yet forgot him: some more time
Must wear the print of his remembrance out,
And then she's yours.

Queen. You are most bound to the king;
Who lets go by no vantages, that may
Prefer you to his daughter: frame yourself
To orderly solicits; and be friended
With aptness of the season: make denials
Increase your services: so seem, as if

You were inspired to do those duties which
You tender to her; that you in all obey her,
Save when command to your dismission tends,
And therein you are senseless.
Clo. Senseless? not so.

2

employ you towards this Roman.-Come, our |
queen. [Exeunt Cymbeline, Queen, Lords,
and Mess.
Cle. If she be up, I'll speak with her; if not,
Let her lie still, and dream.-By your leave ho!
[Knocks.
how her women are about her; what
FI do line one of their hands? 'Tis gold
Wach buys admittance; oft it doth; yea, and
makes

Emma's rangers false themselves, yield up
Their deer to the stand of the stealer; and 'tis gold
Which makes the true man kill'd, and saves the
thief;

Yay, sometime, hangs both thief and true man ;
What

Can it not do, and undo? I will make
One of her women lawyer to me; for
Iyet not understand the case myself.
By your leave.

[Knocks.

Than some, whose tailors are as dear as yours,

Can justly boast of: What's your lordship's plea

sure?

sin:

I will not.

Imo. Fools are not mad folks.

Clo. Do you call me fool?

Imo. As I am mad, I do :

If you'll be patient, I'll no more be mad ;

That cures us both. I am much sorry, Sir,
You put me to forget a lady's manners,

By being so verbal and learn now, for all,
That I, which know my heart, do here pronounce,
By the very truth of it, I care not for you;
And am so near the lack of charity,

To accuse myself) I hate you: which I had rather
You felt, than make't my boast.

Clo. You sin against

Obedience, which you owe your father. For
The contract you pretend with that base wretch,
(One, bred of alms, and foster'd with cold dishes,
With scraps o' the court), it is no contract, none:
And though it be allow'd in meaner parties,
(Yet who, than he, more mean ?) to knit their souls
(On whom there is no more dependency
But brats and beggary) in self-figured knot;
you are curb'd from that enlargement by

Yet

The consequence o' the crown; and must not soil
The precious note of it with a base slave,
A hilding for a livery, a squire's cloth,
A pantler, not so eminent.

Imo. Profane fellow!

Wert thou the son of Jupiter, and no more,

So verbose, so full of talk.
In knots of their own tying.

A low fellow, only fit to wear a livery.

If I would lose it for a revenue

Of any king's in Europe. I do think,

I saw't this morning: confident I am,
Last night 'twas on mine arm; I kiss'd it:

I hope, it be not gone, to tell my lord
That I kiss aught but he.

Pis. Twill not be lost.

Imo. I hope so: go, and search.
Clo. You have abused me:-

His meanest garment?

Imo. Ay; I said so, Sir.

[Exit Pis.

If you will make't an action, call witness to't.
Clo. I will inform your father.
Imo. Your mother too:

She's my good lady; and will conceive, I hope,
But the worst of me. So I leave you, Sir,
To the worst of discontent.

Clo. I'll be revenged:-
His meanest garment?-Well.

[Exit.

[Exit.

SCENE IV.-Rome.-An Apartment in Philario's

House.

Enter POSTHUMUS and PHILARIO.

Post. Fear it not, Sir: I would, I were so sure
To win the king, as I am bold, her honour
Will remain hers.

Phi. What means do you make to him?
Post. Not any; but abide the change of time;
Quake in the present winter's state, and wish
That warmer days would come: in these fear'd
I barely gratify your love; they failing,
hopes,
I must die much your debtor.

Phi. Your very goodness, and your company,
O'erpays all I can do. By this, your king
Hath heard of great Augustus: Caius Lucius
Will do his commission throughly: and, I think,
He'll grant the tribute, send the arrearages,
Or look upon our Romans, whose remembrance
Is yet fresh in their grief.

Post. And, therewithal, the best; or let her
beauty

Look through a casement to allure false hearts,
And be false with them.

Lach. Here are letters for you.

Post. Their tenour good, I trust. luch. 'Tis very like.

Phi. Was Caius Lucius in the Britain court,

When you were there?

lach. He was expected then,

But not approach'd.

Post. All is well yet.

Sparkles this stone as it was wont? or is't not
Too dull for your good wearing?

lach. If I have lost it,

I should have lost the worth of it in gold.
I'll make a journey twice as far, to enjoy

A second night of such sweet shortness, which
Was mine in Britain; for the ring is won.
Post. The stone's too hard to come by.
Iach. Not a whit,

Your lady being so easy.

Post. Make not, Sir,

Your loss your sport: I hope, you know that we
Must not continue friends.

Iach. Good Sir, we must,

If you keep covenant: had I not brought
The knowledge of your mistress home, I grant
We were to question further; but I now
Profess myself the winner of her honour,
Together with your ring; and not the wronger
Of her, or you, having proceeded but
By both your wills.

Post. If you can make't apparent
That you have tasted her in bed, my hand,
And ring, is yours: if not, the foul opinion
You had of her pure honour, gains, or loses,
Your sword, or mine; or masterless leaves both
To who shall find them.

Jack. Sir, my circumstances,

Being so near the truth, as I will make them,
Must first induce you to believe: whose strength
I will confirm with oath; which, I doubt not,
You'll give me leave to spare, when you shall find
You need it not.

Post. Proceed.

Iach. First, her bed-chamber

(Where, I confess, I slept not; but, profess,
Had that was well worth watching), It was hang'd
With tapestry of silk and silver; the story,
Proud Cleopatra, when she met her Roman,
And Cydnus swell'd above the banks, or for
The press of boats, or pride: a piece of work
So bravely done, so rich, that it did strive
In workmanship, and value; which, I wonder'd,
Could be so rarely and exactly wrought,
Since the true life on't was--

Which you might from relation likewise reap;
Being, as it is, much spoke of.

Jach. The roof o' the chamber

With golden cherubins is fretted: her andirons
(I had forgot them), were two winking Cupids
Of silver, each on one foot standing, nicely
Depending on their brands.

Post. This is her honour!

Let it be granted, you have seen all this (and praise
Be given to your remembrance), the description
Of what is in her chamber, nothing saves
The wager you have laid.

Iach. Then, if you can,

[Pulling out the Bracelet.

Be pale; I beg but leave to air this jewel: Seel-
And now 'tis up again: it must be married
To that your diamond; I'll keep them,

And by a stranger?-No, he hath enjoy'd her:
The cognizance of her incontinency

Is this, she hath bought the name of whore thus
dearly.-

There, take thy hire; and all the fiends of hell
Divide themselves between you!

Phi. Sir, be patient :

This is not strong enough to be believed
Of one persuaded well of--
Post. Never talk on't;
She hath been colted by him.
Jach. If you seek

For further satisfying, under her breast
(Worthy the pressing), lies a mole, right proud
Of that most delicate lodging: by my life,
I kiss'd it; and it gave me present hunger

To feed again, though full." You do remember
This stain upon her?

Post. Ay, and it doth confirm

Another stain, as big as hell can hold,

Were there no more but it.

Iach. Will you hear more?

Post. Spare your arithmetic: never count the

turns ;

Once, and a million!

Iuch. I'll be sworn,-

Post. No swearing.

If you will swear you have not done't, you lie ;
And I will kill thee, if thou dost deny

Thou hast made me cuckold.

Iach. I will deny nothing.

Post. O, that I had her here, to tear her limb

meal!

I will go there, and do't; i' the court; before
Her father:-I'll do something—

Phi. Quite besides

[Exit.

The government of patience !-You have won:
Let's follow him, and pervert the present wrath
He hath against himself.

Jach. With all my heart.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.-The same.—Another Room in the same.

Enter POSTHUMUS.

Post. Is there no way for men to be, but women
Must be half-workers? We are bastards all;
And that most venerable man, which I
Did call my father, was I know not where
When I was stamp'd; some coiner with his tools
Made me a counterfeit: yet my mother seem'd
The Dian of that time: so doth my wife
The nonpareil of this.-O vengeance, vengeance l ́
Me of my lawful pleasure she restrain'd,

Ornamented iron bars which support wood And pray'd me, oft, forbearance: did it with

burnt in chimnies.

↑ Torches in the hands of Cupids.

• The badge; the token.

་