Cymbeline
ACT IV SCENE IV | Wales: before the cave of Belarius. | |
Enter BELARIUS, GUIDERIUS, and ARVIRAGUS | ||
GUIDERIUS | The noise is round about us. | |
BELARIUS | Let us from it. | |
ARVIRAGUS | What pleasure, sir, find we in life, to lock it | |
From action and adventure? | 5 | |
GUIDERIUS | Nay, what hope | |
Have we in hiding us? This way, the Romans | ||
Must or for Britons slay us, or receive us | ||
For barbarous and unnatural revolts | ||
During their use, and slay us after. | 10 | |
BELARIUS | Sons, | |
We’ll higher to the mountains; there secure us. | ||
To the king’s party there’s no going: newness | ||
Of Cloten’s death–we being not known, not muster’d | ||
Among the bands–may drive us to a render | 15 | |
Where we have lived, and so extort from’s that | ||
Which we have done, whose answer would be death | ||
Drawn on with torture. | ||
GUIDERIUS | This is, sir, a doubt | |
In such a time nothing becoming you, | 20 | |
Nor satisfying us. | ||
ARVIRAGUS | It is not likely | |
That when they hear the Roman horses neigh, | ||
Behold their quarter’d fires, have both their eyes | ||
And ears so cloy’d importantly as now, | 25 | |
That they will waste their time upon our note, | ||
To know from whence we are. | ||
BELARIUS | O, I am known | |
Of many in the army: many years, | ||
Though Cloten then but young, you see, not wore him | 30 | |
From my remembrance. And, besides, the king | ||
Hath not deserved my service nor your loves; | ||
Who find in my exile the want of breeding, | ||
The certainty of this hard life; aye hopeless | ||
To have the courtesy your cradle promised, | 35 | |
But to be still hot summer’s tamings and | ||
The shrinking slaves of winter. | ||
GUIDERIUS | Than be so | |
Better to cease to be. Pray, sir, to the army: | ||
I and my brother are not known; yourself | 40 | |
So out of thought, and thereto so o’ergrown, | ||
Cannot be question’d. | ||
ARVIRAGUS | By this sun that shines, | |
I’ll thither: what thing is it that I never | ||
Did see man die! scarce ever look’d on blood, | 45 | |
But that of coward hares, hot goats, and venison! | ||
Never bestrid a horse, save one that had | ||
A rider like myself, who ne’er wore rowel | ||
Nor iron on his heel! I am ashamed | ||
To look upon the holy sun, to have | 50 | |
The benefit of his blest beams, remaining | ||
So long a poor unknown. | ||
GUIDERIUS | By heavens, I’ll go: | |
If you will bless me, sir, and give me leave, | ||
I’ll take the better care, but if you will not, | 55 | |
The hazard therefore due fall on me by | ||
The hands of Romans! | ||
ARVIRAGUS | So say I amen. | |
BELARIUS | No reason I, since of your lives you set | |
So slight a valuation, should reserve | 60 | |
My crack’d one to more care. Have with you, boys! | ||
If in your country wars you chance to die, | ||
That is my bed too, lads, an there I’ll lie: | ||
Lead, lead. | ||
Aside | ||
The time seems long; their blood | 65 | |
thinks scorn, | ||
Till it fly out and show them princes born. | ||
Exeunt |