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Cymbeline: Act II, Scene 4

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Cymbeline
Act II, Scene 4

Rome. Philario’s house.

Junius Brutus Booth as Posthumus

Junius Brutus Booth as Posthumus

T. S., 19th century

  1. Enter Posthumus and Philario.

Posthumus

1 - 3
  1. Fear it not, sir. I would I were so sure
  2. To win the King as I am bold her honor
  3. Will remain hers.

Philario

4
  1.                   What means do you make to him?

Posthumus

5 - 9
  1. Not any; but abide the change of time,
  2. Quake in the present winter’s state, and wish
  3. That warmer days would come. In these fear’d hopes
  4. I barely gratify your love; they failing,
  5. I must die much your debtor.

Philario

10 - 16
  1. Your very goodness and your company
  2. O’erpays all I can do. By this, your king
  3. Hath heard of great Augustus. Caius Lucius
  4. Will do ’s commission throughly. And I think
  5. He’ll grant the tribute, send th’ arrearages,
  6. Or look upon our Romans, whose remembrance
  7. Is yet fresh in their grief.

Posthumus

17 - 28
  1.                              I do believe
  2. (Statist though I am none, nor like to be)
  3. That this will prove a war; and you shall hear
  4. The legion now in Gallia sooner landed
  5. In our not-fearing Britain than have tidings
  6. Of any penny tribute paid. Our countrymen
  7. Are men more order’d than when Julius Caesar
  8. Smil’d at their lack of skill, but found their courage
  9. Worthy his frowning at. Their discipline
  10. (Now wing-led with their courages) will make known
  11. To their approvers they are people such
  12. That mend upon the world.
  1. Enter Jachimo.

Philario

29
  1.                           See! Jachimo!

Posthumus

30 - 32
  1. The swiftest harts have posted you by land,
  2. And winds of all the corners kiss’d your sails,
  3. To make your vessel nimble.

Philario

33
  1.                             Welcome, sir.

Posthumus

34 - 35
  1. I hope the briefness of your answer made
  2. The speediness of your return.

Jachimo

36 - 37
  1.                                Your lady
  2. Is one of the fairest that I have look’d upon.

Posthumus

38 - 40
  1. And therewithal the best, or let her beauty
  2. Look thorough a casement to allure false hearts,
  3. And be false with them.

Jachimo

41
  1.                         Here are letters for you.

Posthumus

42
  1. Their tenure good, I trust.

Jachimo

43
  1.                             ’Tis very like.

Philario

44 - 45
  1. Was Caius Lucius in the Britain court
  2. When you were there?

Jachimo

46 - 47
  1.                      He was expected then,
  2. But not approach’d.

Posthumus

48 - 50
  1.                     All is well yet.
  2. Sparkles this stone as it was wont, or is’t not
  3. Too dull for your good wearing?

Jachimo

51 - 55
  1.                                 If I have lost it,
  2. I should have lost the worth of it in gold.
  3. I’ll make a journey twice as far, t’ enjoy
  4. A second night of such sweet shortness which
  5. Was mine in Britain, for the ring is won.

Posthumus

56
  1. The stone’s too hard to come by.

Jachimo

57 - 58
  1.                                  Not a whit,
  2. Your lady being so easy.

Posthumus

59 - 61
  1.                          Make not, sir,
  2. Your loss your sport. I hope you know that we
  3. Must not continue friends.

Jachimo

62 - 69
  1.                            Good sir, we must,
  2. If you keep covenant. Had I not brought
  3. The knowledge of your mistress home, I grant
  4. We were to question farther; but I now
  5. Profess myself the winner of her honor,
  6. Together with your ring; and not the wronger
  7. Of her or you, having proceeded but
  8. By both your wills.
William Smith as Jachimo

William Smith as Jachimo

J. Smith & R. Sayer, circa 1773

Posthumus

70 - 75
  1.                     If you can make’t apparent
  2. That you have tasted her in bed, my hand
  3. And ring is yours; if not, the foul opinion
  4. You had of her pure honor gains or loses
  5. Your sword or mine, or masterless leave both
  6. To who shall find them.

Jachimo

76 - 81
  1.                         Sir, my circumstances,
  2. Being so near the truth as I will make them,
  3. Must first induce you to believe; whose strength
  4. I will confirm with oath, which I doubt not
  5. You’ll give me leave to spare when you shall find
  6. You need it not.

Posthumus

82
  1.                  Proceed.

Jachimo

83 - 93
  1.          First, her bedchamber
  2. (Where I confess I slept not, but profess
  3. Had that was well worth watching), it was hang’d
  4. With tapestry of silk and silver; the story
  5. Proud Cleopatra, when she met her Roman,
  6. And Cydnus swell’d above the banks, or for
  7. The press of boats or pride. A piece of work
  8. So bravely done, so rich, that it did strive
  9. In workmanship and value, which I wonder’d
  10. Could be so rarely and exactly wrought,
  11. Since the true life on’t was—

Posthumus

94 - 96
  1.                               This is true;
  2. And this you might have heard of here, by me,
  3. Or by some other.

Jachimo

97 - 98
  1.                   More particulars
  2. Must justify my knowledge.

Posthumus

99 - 100
  1.                            So they must,
  2. Or do your honor injury.

Jachimo

101 - 106
  1.                          The chimney
  2. Is south the chamber, and the chimney-piece
  3. Chaste Dian bathing. Never saw I figures
  4. So likely to report themselves. The cutter
  5. Was as another Nature, dumb; outwent her,
  6. Motion and breath left out.

Posthumus

107 - 109
  1.                             This is a thing
  2. Which you might from relation likewise reap,
  3. Being, as it is, much spoke of.

Jachimo

110 - 114
  1.                                 The roof o’ th’ chamber
  2. With golden cherubins is fretted. Her andirons
  3. (I had forgot them) were two winking Cupids
  4. Of silver, each on one foot standing, nicely
  5. Depending on their brands.

Posthumus

115 - 119
  1.                            This is her honor!
  2. Let it be granted you have seen all this (and praise
  3. Be given to your remembrance), the description
  4. Of what is in her chamber nothing saves
  5. The wager you have laid.

Jachimo

120 - 123
  1.                          Then if you can
  2. Showing the bracelet.
  3. Be pale, I beg but leave to air this jewel. See!
  4. And now ’tis up again. It must be married
  5. To that your diamond, I’ll keep them.

Posthumus

124 - 126
  1.                                       Jove—
  2. Once more let me behold it. Is it that
  3. Which I left with her?

Jachimo

127 - 131
  1.                        Sir (I thank her), that.
  2. She stripp’d it from her arm. I see her yet:
  3. Her pretty action did outsell her gift,
  4. And yet enrich’d it too. She gave it me, and said
  5. She priz’d it once.

Posthumus

132 - 133
  1.                     May be she pluck’d it off
  2. To send it me.
Frank Cooper as Posthumus, Henry Irving as Jachimo

Frank Cooper as Posthumus, Henry Irving as Jachimo

Fred Pegram, 1896

Jachimo

134
  1.                She writes so to you? Doth she?

Posthumus

135 - 142
  1. O no, no, no, ’tis true. Here, take this too,
  2. Gives the ring.
  3. It is a basilisk unto mine eye,
  4. Kills me to look on’t. Let there be no honor
  5. Where there is beauty; truth, where semblance; love,
  6. Where there’s another man. The vows of women
  7. Of no more bondage be to where they are made
  8. Than they are to their virtues, which is nothing.
  9. O, above measure false!

Philario

143 - 147
  1.                         Have patience, sir,
  2. And take your ring again, ’tis not yet won.
  3. It may be probable she lost it; or
  4. Who knows if one her women, being corrupted,
  5. Hath stol’n it from her?

Posthumus

148 - 151
  1.                          Very true,
  2. And so I hope he came by’t. Back my ring!
  3. Render to me some corporal sign about her,
  4. More evident than this; for this was stol’n.

Jachimo

152
  1. By Jupiter, I had it from her arm.

Posthumus

153 - 161
  1. Hark you, he swears; by Jupiter he swears.
  2. ’Tis true—nay, keep the ring—’tis true. I am sure
  3. She would not lose it. Her attendants are
  4. All sworn and honorable. They induc’d to steal it?
  5. And by a stranger? No, he hath enjoye’d her.
  6. The cognizance of her incontinency
  7. Is this. She hath bought the name of whore thus dearly.
  8. There, take thy hire, and all the fiends of hell
  9. Divide themselves between you!

Philario

162 - 164
  1.                                Sir, be patient.
  2. This is not strong enough to be believ’d
  3. Of one persuaded well of.

Posthumus

165 - 166
  1.                           Never talk on’t:
  2. She hath been colted by him.

Jachimo

167 - 173
  1.                              If you seek
  2. For further satisfying, under her breast
  3. (Worthy her pressing) lies a mole, right proud
  4. Of that most delicate lodging. By my life,
  5. I kiss’d it, and it gave me present hunger
  6. To feed again, though full. You do remember
  7. This stain upon her?

Posthumus

174 - 176
  1.                      Ay, and it doth confirm
  2. Another stain, as big as hell can hold,
  3. Were there no more but it.

Jachimo

177
  1.                            Will you hear more?

Posthumus

178 - 179
  1. Spare your arithmetic, never count the turns.
  2. Once, and a million!

Jachimo

180
  1.                      I’ll be sworn.

Posthumus

181 - 184
  1.                No swearing:
  2. If you will swear you have not done’t, you lie,
  3. And I will kill thee if thou dost deny
  4. Thou’st made me cuckold.

Jachimo

185
  1.                          I’ll deny nothing.

Posthumus

186 - 188
  1. O that I had her here, to tear her limb-meal!
  2. I will go there and do’t, i’ th’ court, before
  3. Her father. I’ll do something—
  1. Exit.

Philario

189 - 192
  1.                                Quite besides
  2. The government of patience! You have won.
  3. Let’s follow him, and pervert the present wrath
  4. He hath against himself.

Jachimo

193
  1.                          With all my heart.
  1. Exeunt.
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