Peer Reviewed
Cymbeline (Folio 1, 1623)
1553Scena Tertia.
1554Enter Belarius, Guiderius, and Aruiragus.
1556Whose Roofe's as lowe as ours: Sleepe Boyes, this gate
1558To a mornings holy office. The Gates of Monarches
1559Are Arch'd so high, that Giants may iet through
1560And keepe their impious Turbonds on, without
1561Good morrow to the Sun. Haile thou faire Heauen,
1563As prouder liuers do.
1564Guid. Haile Heauen.
1565Aruir. Haile Heauen.
1568When you aboue perceiue me like a Crow,
1570And you may then reuolue what Tales, I haue told you,
1571Of Courts, of Princes; of the Tricks in Warre.
1572This Seruice, is not Seruice; so being done,
1573But being so allowed. To apprehend thus,
1577Then is the full-wing'd Eagle. Oh this life,
1578Is Nobler, then attending for a checke:
1579Richer, then doing nothing for a Babe:
1580Prouder, then rustling in vnpayd-for Silke:
1581Such gaine the Cap of him, that makes him fine,
1582Yet keepes his Booke vncros'd: no life to ours.
1585What Ayre's from home. Hap'ly this life is best,
1589A Cell of Ignorance: trauailing a bed,
1590A Prison, or a Debtor, that not dares
1591To stride a limit.
1593When we are old as you? When we shall heare
1594The Raine and winde beate darke December? How
aaa 3 The
382The Tragedy of Cymbeline.
1596The freezing houres away? We haue seene nothing:
1598Like warlike as the Wolfe, for what we eate:
1599Our Valour is to chace what flyes: Our Cage
1600We make a Quire, as doth the prison'd Bird,
1601And sing our Bondage freely.
1603Did you but know the Citties Vsuries,
1604And felt them knowingly: the Art o'th' Court,
1605As hard to leaue, as keepe: whose top to climbe
1607The feare's as bad as falling. The toyle o'th' Warre,
1610And hath as oft a sland'rous Epitaph,
1611As Record of faire Act. Nay, many times
1614The World may reade in me: My bodie's mark'd
1615With Roman Swords; and my report, was once
1617And when a Souldier was the Theame, my name
1618Was not farre off: then was I as a Tree
1619Whose boughes did bend with fruit. But in one night,
1620A Storme, or Robbery (call it what you will)
1621Shooke downe my mellow hangings: nay my Leaues,
1622And left me bare to weather.
1623Gui. Vncertaine fauour.
1624Bel. My fault being nothing (as I haue told you oft)
1627I was Confederate with the Romanes: so
1628Followed my Banishment, and this twenty yeeres,
1630Where I haue liu'd at honest freedome, payed
1631More pious debts to Heauen, then in all
1632The fore-end of my time. But, vp to'th' Mountaines,
1633This is not Hunters Language; he that strikes
1636And we will feare no poyson, which attends
1637In place of greater State:
1638Ile meete you in the Valleyes. Exeunt.
1639How hard it is to hide the sparkes of Nature?
1641Nor Cymbeline dreames that they are aliue.
1642They thinke they are mine,
1643And though train'd vp thus meanely
1644I'th' Caue, whereon the Bowe their thoughts do hit,
1645The Roofes of Palaces, and Nature prompts them
1646In simple and lowe things, to Prince it, much
1647Beyond the tricke of others. This Paladour,
1648The heyre of Cymbeline and Britaine, who
1649The King his Father call'd Guiderius. Ioue,
1652Into my Story: say thus mine Enemy fell,
1653And thus I set my foote on's necke, euen then
1656That acts my words. The yonger Brother Cadwall,
1659His owne conceyuing. Hearke, the Game is rows'd,
1660Oh Cymbeline, Heauen and my Conscience knowes
1663Thinking to barre thee of Succession, as
1664Thou refts me of my Lands. Euriphile,
1665Thou was't their Nurse, they took thee for their mother,
1666And euery day do honor to her graue:
1668They take for Naturall Father. The Game is vp. Exit.