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Cymbeline: Act III, Scene 1

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Cymbeline
Act III, Scene 1

Scene 1

Britain. A hall in Cymbeline’s palace.

  1. Enter in state Cymbeline, Queen, Cloten, and Lords at one
  2. door, and at another, Caius Lucius and Attendants.

Cymbeline

1
  1. Now say, what would Augustus Caesar with us?

Caius Lucius

2 - 10
  1. When Julius Caesar (whose remembrance yet
  2. Lives in men’s eyes, and will to ears and tongues
  3. Be theme and hearing ever) was in this Britain,
  4. And conquer’d it, Cassibelan, thine uncle
  5. (Famous in Caesar’s praises, no whit less
  6. Than in his feats deserving it), for him
  7. And his succession granted Rome a tribute,
  8. Yearly three thousand pounds, which, by thee, lately
  9. Is left untender’d.

Queen

11 - 12
  1.                     And to kill the marvel,
  2. Shall be so ever.

Cloten

13 - 16
  1.                   There be many Caesars,
  2. Ere such another Julius. Britain’s a world
  3. By itself, and we will nothing pay
  4. For wearing our own noses.

Queen

17 - 36
  1.                            That opportunity
  2. Which then they had to take from ’s, to resume
  3. We have again. Remember, sir, my liege,
  4. The kings your ancestors, together with
  5. The natural bravery of your isle, which stands
  6. As Neptune’s park, ribb’d and pal’d in
  7. With oaks unscalable and roaring waters,
  8. With sands that will not bear your enemies’ boats,
  9. But suck them up to th’ topmast. A kind of conquest
  10. Caesar made here, but made not here his brag
  11. Of “Came, and saw, and overcame.” With shame
  12. (The first that ever touch’d him) he was carried
  13. From off our coast, twice beaten; and his shipping
  14. (Poor ignorant baubles!) on our terrible seas,
  15. Like egg-shells mov’d upon their surges, crack’d
  16. As easily ’gainst our rocks. For joy whereof
  17. The fam’d Cassibelan, who was once at point
  18. (O giglet Fortune!) to master Caesar’s sword,
  19. Made Lud’s-Town with rejoicing fires bright,
  20. And Britains strut with courage.

Cloten

37 - 40
  1. Come, there’s no more tribute to be paid. Our kingdom is
  2. stronger than it was at that time; and (as I said) there is
  3. no more such Caesars. Other of them may have crook’d noses,
  4. but to owe such straight arms, none.

Cymbeline

41
  1. Son, let your mother end.

Cloten

42 - 47
  1. We have yet many among us can gripe as hard as Cassibelan. I
  2. do not say I am one; but I have a hand. Why tribute? Why
  3. should we pay tribute? If Caesar can hide the sun from us
  4. with a blanket, or put the moon in his pocket, we will pay
  5. him tribute for light; else, sir, no more tribute, pray you
  6. now.
Costume design for Caius Lucius

Costume design for Caius Lucius

From costume designs for the Viola Allen production of Cymbeline

Tom Heslewood, 1906

Cymbeline

48 - 63
  1. You must know,
  2. Till the injurious Romans did extort
  3. This tribute from us, we were free. Caesar’s ambition,
  4. Which swell’d so much that it did almost stretch
  5. The sides o’ th’ world, against all color here
  6. Did put the yoke upon ’s; which to shake off
  7. Becomes a warlike people, whom we reckon
  8. Ourselves to be. We do say then to Caesar,
  9. Our ancestor was that Mulmutius which
  10. Ordain’d our laws, whose use the sword of Caesar
  11. Hath too much mangled, whose repair and franchise
  12. Shall (by the power we hold) be our good deed,
  13. Though Rome be therefore angry. Mulmutius made our laws,
  14. Who was the first of Britain which did put
  15. His brows within a golden crown and call’d
  16. Himself a king.

Caius Lucius

64 - 71
  1.                 I am sorry, Cymbeline,
  2. That I am to pronounce Augustus Caesar
  3. (Caesar, that hath more kings his servants than
  4. Thyself domestic officers) thine enemy.
  5. Receive it from me then: war and confusion
  6. In Caesar’s name pronounce I ’gainst thee; look
  7. For fury not to be resisted. Thus defied,
  8. I thank thee for myself.

Cymbeline

72 - 80
  1.                          Thou art welcome, Caius.
  2. Thy Caesar knighted me; my youth I spent
  3. Much under him; of him I gather’d honor,
  4. Which he to seek of me again, perforce,
  5. Behooves me keep at utterance. I am perfect
  6. That the Pannonians and Dalmatians for
  7. Their liberties are now in arms, a president
  8. Which not to read would show the Britains cold.
  9. So Caesar shall not find them.

Caius Lucius

81
  1.                                Let proof speak.

Cloten

82 - 86
  1. His Majesty bids you welcome. Make pastime with us a day or
  2. two, or longer. If you seek us afterwards in other terms,
  3. you shall find us in our salt-water girdle. If you beat us
  4. out of it, it is yours; if you fall in the adventure, our
  5. crows shall fare the better for you; and there’s an end.

Caius Lucius

87
  1. So, sir.

Cymbeline

88 - 89
  1. I know your master’s pleasure and he mine:
  2. All the remain is “Welcome!”
  1. Exeunt.
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