Cymbeline by William Shakespeare
Act 2 - Scene 4
Rome. Philario’s house.
Posthumus Leonatus : Fear it not, sir: I would I were so sure
[p]To win the king as I am
bold her honour
[p]Will remain hers.
Philario : What means do you make to him?
Posthumus Leonatus : Not any, but abide the change of time,
[p]Quake in the present
winter's state and wish
[p]That warmer days would come: in these
sear'd hopes,
[p]I barely gratify your love; they failing,
[p]I must
die much your debtor.
Philario : Your very goodness and your company
[p]O'erpays all I can do. By this,
your king
[p]Hath heard of great Augustus: Caius Lucius
[p]Will do's
commission throughly: and I think
[p]He'll grant the tribute, send the
arrearages,
[p]Or look upon our Romans, whose remembrance
[p]Is yet
fresh in their grief.
Posthumus Leonatus : I do believe,
[p]Statist though I am none, nor like to be,
[p]That
this will prove a war; and you shall hear
[p]The legions now in Gallia
sooner landed
[p]In our not-fearing Britain than have tidings
[p]Of
any penny tribute paid. Our countrymen
[p]Are men more order'd than
when Julius Caesar
[p]Smiled at their lack of skill, but
found
[p]their courage
[p]Worthy his frowning at: their
discipline,
[p]Now mingled with their courages, will make known
[p]To
their approvers they are people such
[p]That mend upon the world.
Philario : See! Iachimo!
Posthumus Leonatus : The swiftest harts have posted you by land;
[p]And winds of all the
comers kiss'd your sails,
[p]To make your vessel nimble.
Philario : Welcome, sir.
Posthumus Leonatus : I hope the briefness of your answer made
[p]The speediness of your
return.
Iachimo : Your lady
[p]Is one of the fairest that I have look'd upon.
Posthumus Leonatus : And therewithal the best; or let her beauty
[p]Look through a casement
to allure false hearts
[p]And be false with them.
Iachimo : Here are letters for you.
Posthumus Leonatus : Their tenor good, I trust.
Iachimo : 'Tis very like.
Philario : Was Caius Lucius in the Britain court
[p]When you were there?
Iachimo : He was expected then,
[p]But not approach'd.
Posthumus Leonatus : All is well yet.
[p]Sparkles this stone as it was wont? or is't
not
[p]Too dull for your good wearing?
Iachimo : If I had lost it,
[p]I should have lost the worth of it in
gold.
[p]I'll make a journey twice as far, to enjoy
[p]A second night
of such sweet shortness which
[p]Was mine in Britain, for the ring is
won.
Posthumus Leonatus : The stone's too hard to come by.
Iachimo : Not a whit,
[p]Your lady being so easy.
Posthumus Leonatus : Make not, sir,
[p]Your loss your sport: I hope you know that
we
[p]Must not continue friends.
Iachimo : Good sir, we must,
[p]If you keep covenant. Had I not brought
[p]The
knowledge of your mistress home, I grant
[p]We were to question
further: but I now
[p]Profess myself the winner of her
honour,
[p]Together with your ring; and not the wronger
[p]Of her or
you, having proceeded but
[p]By both your wills.
Posthumus Leonatus : If you can make't apparent
[p]That you have tasted her in bed, my
hand
[p]And ring is yours; if not, the foul opinion
[p]You had of her
pure honour gains or loses
[p]Your sword or mine, or masterless leaves
both
[p]To who shall find them.
Iachimo : Sir, my circumstances,
[p]Being so near the truth as I will make
them,
[p]Must first induce you to believe: whose strength
[p]I will
confirm with oath; which, I doubt not,
[p]You'll give me leave to
spare, when you shall find
[p]You need it not.
Posthumus Leonatus : Proceed.
Iachimo : First, her bedchamber,--
[p]Where, I confess, I slept not, but
profess
[p]Had that was well worth watching--it was hang'd
[p]With
tapesty of silk and silver; the story
[p]Proud Cleopatra, when she met
her Roman,
[p]And Cydnus swell'd above the banks, or for
[p]The press
of boats or pride: a piece of work
[p]So bravely done, so rich, that
it did strive
[p]In workmanship and value; which I wonder'd
[p]Could
be so rarely and exactly wrought,
[p]Since the true life on't was--
Posthumus Leonatus : This is true;
[p]And this you might have heard of here, by me,
[p]Or
by some other.
Iachimo : More particulars
[p]Must justify my knowledge.
Posthumus Leonatus : So they must,
[p]Or do your honour injury.
Iachimo : The chimney
[p]Is south the chamber, and the chimney-piece
[p]Chaste
Dian bathing: never saw I figures
[p]So likely to report themselves:
the cutter
[p]Was as another nature, dumb; outwent her,
[p]Motion and
breath left out.
Posthumus Leonatus : This is a thing
[p]Which you might from relation likewise
reap,
[p]Being, as it is, much spoke of.
Iachimo : The roof o' the chamber
[p]With golden cherubins is fretted: her
andirons--
[p]I had forgot them--were two winking Cupids
[p]Of silver,
each on one foot standing, nicely
[p]Depending on their brands.
Posthumus Leonatus : This is her honour!
[p]Let it be granted you have seen all this--and
praise
[p]Be given to your remembrance--the description
[p]Of what is
in her chamber nothing saves
[p]The wager you have laid.
Iachimo : Then, if you can,
[p][Showing the bracelet]
[p]Be pale: I beg but
leave to air this jewel; see!
[p]And now 'tis up again: it must be
married
[p]To that your diamond; I'll keep them.
Posthumus Leonatus : Jove!
[p]Once more let me behold it: is it that
[p]Which I left with
her?
Iachimo : Sir--I thank her--that:
[p]She stripp'd it from her arm; I see her
yet;
[p]Her pretty action did outsell her gift,
[p]And yet enrich'd it
too: she gave it me, and said
[p]She prized it once.
Posthumus Leonatus : May be she pluck'd it off
[p]To send it me.
Iachimo : She writes so to you, doth she?
Posthumus Leonatus : O, no, no, no! 'tis true. Here, take this too;
[p][Gives the
ring]
[p]It is a basilisk unto mine eye,
[p]Kills me to look on't. Let
there be no honour
[p]Where there is beauty; truth, where semblance;
love,
[p]Where there's another man: the vows of women
[p]Of no more
bondage be, to where they are made,
[p]Than they are to their virtues;
which is nothing.
[p]O, above measure false!
Philario : Have patience, sir,
[p]And take your ring again; 'tis not yet
won:
[p]It may be probable she lost it; or
[p]Who knows if one of her
women, being corrupted,
[p]Hath stol'n it from her?
Posthumus Leonatus : Very true;
[p]And so, I hope, he came by't. Back my ring:
[p]Render to
me some corporal sign about her,
[p]More evident than this; for this
was stolen.
Iachimo : By Jupiter, I had it from her arm.
Posthumus Leonatus : Hark you, he swears; by Jupiter he swears.
[p]'Tis true:--nay, keep
the ring--'tis true: I am sure
[p]She would not lose it: her
attendants are
[p]All sworn and honourable:--they induced to steal
it!
[p]And by a stranger!--No, he hath enjoyed her:
[p]The cognizance
of her incontinency
[p]Is this: she hath bought the name of
whore
[p]thus dearly.
[p]There, take thy hire; and all the fiends of
hell
[p]Divide themselves between you!
Philario : Sir, be patient:
[p]This is not strong enough to be believed
[p]Of one
persuaded well of--
Posthumus Leonatus : Never talk on't;
[p]She hath been colted by him.
Iachimo : If you seek
[p]For further satisfying, under her breast--
[p]Worthy
the pressing--lies a mole, right proud
[p]Of that most delicate
lodging: by my life,
[p]I kiss'd it; and it gave me present
hunger
[p]To feed again, though full. You do remember
[p]This stain
upon her?
Posthumus Leonatus : Ay, and it doth confirm
[p]Another stain, as big as hell can
hold,
[p]Were there no more but it.
Iachimo : Will you hear more?
Posthumus Leonatus : Spare your arithmetic: never count the turns;
[p]Once, and a million!
Iachimo : I'll be sworn--
Posthumus Leonatus : No swearing.
[p]If you will swear you have not done't, you lie;
[p]And
I will kill thee, if thou dost deny
[p]Thou'st made me cuckold.
Iachimo : I'll deny nothing.
Posthumus Leonatus : O, that I had her here, to tear her limb-meal!
[p]I will go there and
do't, i' the court, before
[p]Her father. I'll do something--
Philario : Quite besides
[p]The government of patience! You have won:
[p]Let's
follow him, and pervert the present wrath
[p]He hath against himself.
Iachimo : With an my heart.
Previous: Act 2 - Scene 3
Next: Act 2 - Scene 5
