Imatges de pàgina
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Nay, to thy meer confufion, thou shalt know

I'm fon to th' queen.

Guid. I'm forry for't; not seeming

So worthy as thy birth.

Clot. Art not afraid?

Guid. Thofe that I rev'rence, thofe I fear; the wife:

'At fools I laugh, not fear them.

Clot. Die the death:

When I have flain thee with my proper hand,

I'll follow thofe that even now fled hence,

And on the gates of Lud's town fet your heads;

Yield ruftick mountaineer.

SCENE

[Fight and Exeunt.

IV.

Enter Bellarius and Arviragus.

Bel. No company's abroad.

Arv. None in the world; you did mistake him sure.
Bel. I cannot tell: long is it fince I saw him,
But time hath nothing blurr'd those lines of favour
Which then he wrote; the fnatches in his voice,
And burst of speaking, were as his: I'm absolute
'Twas very Cloten.

Arv. In this place we left them;

I wish my brother make good time with him,
You fay he is so fell.

Bel. Being scarce made up,

I mean to man; he had not apprehenfion
Of roaring terrors; for defect of judgment
Is oft the cause of fear. But fee thy brother.

Enter Guiderius.

Guid. This Cloten was a fool, an empty purse,

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There was no mony in't; not Hercules

Could have knock'd out his brains, for he had none:
Yet I not doing this, the fool had born

My head, as I do his.

Bel. What haft thou done?

Guid. I'm perfect what; cut off one Cloten's head,
Son to the queen, after his own report,

Who call'd me traitor, mountaineer, and swore
With his own fingle hand he'd take us in,

Displace our heads, where, thanks to th' gods, they grow,
And set them on Lud's town.

Bel. We're all undone!

Guid. Why, worthy father, what have we to lose,
But what he swore to take, our lives? the law
Protects not us; then why fhould we be tender,
To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us?
Play judge, and executioner, all himself?
For we do fear no law. What company
Discover you abroad?

Bel. No fingle foul

Can we fet eye on; but in all safe reason

He must have some attendants. Though his honour
Was nothing but mutation, ay and that

From one bad thing to worse; yet not his frenzy,
Not abfolute madness, could so far have rav'd,
To bring him here alone; although perhaps

It may be heard at court, that fuch as we

Cave here, haunt here, are out-laws, and in time
May make some stronger head: the which he hearing,
(As it is like him,) might break out, and swear
He'd fetch us in; yet is't not probable

To come alone, nor he so undertaking,

Nor they so suffering; then on good ground we fear,

If we do fear this body hath a tail
More perilous than the head.

Arv. Let ordinance

Come, as the gods forefay it, howfoe'er
My brother hath done well,

Bel. I had no mind

To hunt this day: the boy Fidele's sickness
Did make my way long forth.

Guid. With his own sword,

Which he did wave against my throat, I've ta'en
His head from him: I'll throw't into the creek
Behind our rock; and let it to the sea,

And tell the fishes, he's the queen's fon Cloten.
That's all It reck.

Bel. I fear 'twill be reveng❜d:

Would, Polidore, thou hadst not don't! though valour

Becomes thee well enough.

Arv. Would I had done't,

So the revenge alone purfu'd me! Polidore,

I love thee brotherly, but envy much

Thou'ft robb'd me of this deed; I would revenges

That poffible strength might meet, would seek us thro',

And put us to our answer.

Bel. Well, 'tis done:

We'll hunt no more to-day, nor feek for danger

Where there's no profit. Pr'ythee to our rock,
You and Fidele play the cooks: I'll stay

'Till hafty Polidore return, and bring him
To dinner presently.

Arv. Poor fick Fidele!

I'll willingly to him: To gain his colour
I'd let a parish of fuch Clotens blood,

And praise my self for charity.

VO L. VI.

+ care

[Exit.

[Exit.

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Bel. O thou goddess,

Thou divine nature! how thy felf thou blazon'ft
In these two princely boys? they are as gentle
'As Zephyrs blowing below the violet,

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Not wagging his fweet head; and yet as rough,

(Their royal blood enchaf'd,) as the rude wind,
That by the top doth take the mountain pine,

And make him ftoop to th' vale. 'Tis wonderful
'That an invifible inftinct should frame them

To royalty unlearn'd, honour untaught,

Civility not seen from other; valour,

That wildly grows in them, but yields a crop
As if it had been fow'd. Yet ftill it's ftrange
What Cloten's being here to us portends,
Or what his death will bring us?

Re-enter Guiderius.

Guid. Where's my brother?

I have sent Cloten's clot-pole down the stream,
In embaffie to his mother; his body's hostage
For his return.

Bel. My ingenious instrument!

Hark Polidore, it founds: but what occafion

Hath Cadwall now to give it motion? hark.
Guid. Is he at home?

Bel. He went hence even now.

[Solemn mufick.

Guid. What does he mean? Since death of my dear mother It did not speak before. All folemn things

Should answer folemn accidents.

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The matter?

*

Triumphs for nothing, and lamenting toys,

Is jollity for apes, and grief for boys.

Is Cadwall mad?

SCENE V. &c.

SCENE

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Enter Arviragus, with Imogen dead, bearing her in his

Bel. Look, here he comes!

arms.

And brings the dire occafion in his arms,
Of what we blame him for.

Arv. The bird is dead

That we have made fo much on! I had rather • Have skipt from fixteen years of age, to fixty; And turn'd my leaping time into a crutch, < Than have seen this.

Guid. Oh fweetest, faireft lilly!

My brother wears thee not one half so well,
As when thou grew'st thy self.

Bel. Oh melancholy!

'Who ever yet could found thy bottom? find

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The ooze, to fhew what coast thy fluggish care
Might eas❜lieft harbour in ? thou bleffed thing!

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Jove knows what man thou might'st have made? but ah! < Thou dy'dft, a most rare boy, of melancholy!

"How found you

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him?

Arv. Stark, as you fee:

Thus fmiling, as fome fly had tickled flumber,

'Not as death's dart being laugh'd at: his right cheek

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Repofing on a cushion.

Guid. Where?

Arv. O'th' floor:

His arms thus leagu'd; I thought he slept, and put

My clouted brogues from off my feet, whose rudeness

Answer'd my steps too loud.

Guid. Why, he but fleeps;

Cc 2

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