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Cymbeline: Act 5 Scene 4

Scene IV A British prison.

[Enter POSTHUMUS LEONATUS and two Gaolers]

FIRST GAOLER

You shall not now be stol'n, you have locks upon you;

So graze as you find pasture.

SECOND GAOLER

Ay, or a stomach.

[Exeunt Gaolers]

POSTHUMUS LEONATUS

Most welcome, bondage! for thou art away,

think, to liberty: yet am I better

Than one that's sick o' the gout; since he had rather

Groan so in perpetuity than be cured

By the sure physician, death, who is the key

To unbar these locks. My conscience, thou art fetter'd

More than my shanks and wrists: you good gods, give me

The penitent instrument to pick that bolt,

Then, free for ever! Is't enough I am sorry?

So children temporal fathers do appease;

Gods are more full of mercy. Must I repent?

I cannot do it better than in gyves,

Desired more than constrain'd: to satisfy,

If of my freedom 'tis the main part, take

No stricter render of me than my all.

I know you are more clement than vile men,

Who of their broken debtors take a third,

A sixth, a tenth, letting them thrive again

On their abatement: that's not my desire:

For Imogen's dear life take mine; and though

'Tis not so dear, yet 'tis a life; you coin'd it:

'Tween man and man they weigh not every stamp;

Though light, take pieces for the figure's sake:

You rather mine, being yours: and so, great powers,

If you will take this audit, take this life,

And cancel these cold bonds. O Imogen!

I'll speak to thee in silence.

[Sleeps]

[Solemn music. Enter, as in an apparition,

SICILIUS LEONATUS, father to Posthumus Leonatus,

an old man, attired like a warrior; leading in

his hand an ancient matron, his wife, and mother

to Posthumus Leonatus, with music before them:

then, after other music, follow the two young

Leonati, brothers to Posthumus Leonatus, with

wounds as they died in the wars. They circle

Posthumus Leonatus round, as he lies sleeping]

SICILIUS LEONATUS

No more, thou thunder-master, show

Thy spite on mortal flies:

With Mars fall out, with Juno chide,

That thy adulteries

Rates and revenges.

Hath my poor boy done aught but well,

Whose face I never saw?

I died whilst in the womb he stay'd

Attending nature's law:

Whose father then, as men report

Thou orphans' father art,

Thou shouldst have been, and shielded him

From this earth-vexing smart.

MOTHER

Lucina lent not me her aid,

But took me in my throes;

That from me was Posthumus ript,

Came crying 'mongst his foes,

A thing of pity!

SICILIUS LEONATUS

Great nature, like his ancestry,

Moulded the stuff so fair,

That he deserved the praise o' the world,

As great Sicilius' heir.

FIRST BROTHER

When once he was mature for man,

In Britain where was he

That could stand up his parallel;

Or fruitful object be

In eye of Imogen, that best

Could deem his dignity?

MOTHER

With marriage wherefore was he mock'd,

To be exiled, and thrown

From Leonati seat, and cast

From her his dearest one,

Sweet Imogen?

SICILIUS LEONATUS

Why did you suffer Iachimo,

Slight thing of Italy,

To taint his nobler heart and brain

With needless jealosy;

And to become the geck and scorn

O' th' other's villany?

SECOND BROTHER

For this from stiller seats we came,

Our parents and us twain,

That striking in our country's cause

Fell bravely and were slain,

Our fealty and Tenantius' right

With honour to maintain.

FIRST BROTHER

Like hardiment Posthumus hath

To Cymbeline perform'd:

Then, Jupiter, thou king of gods,

Why hast thou thus adjourn'd

The graces for his merits due,

Being all to dolours turn'd?

SICILIUS LEONATUS

Thy crystal window ope; look out;

No longer exercise

Upon a valiant race thy harsh

And potent injuries.

MOTHER

Since, Jupiter, our son is good,

Take off his miseries.

SICILIUS LEONATUS

Peep through thy marble mansion; help;

Or we poor ghosts will cry

To the shining synod of the rest

Against thy deity.

FIRST BROTHER / SECOND BROTHER

Help, Jupiter; or we appeal,

And from thy justice fly.

[Jupiter descends in thunder and lightning, sitting

upon an eagle: he throws a thunderbolt. The

Apparitions fall on their knees]

JUPITER

No more, you petty spirits of region low,

Offend our hearing; hush! How dare you ghosts

Accuse the thunderer, whose bolt, you know,

Sky-planted batters all rebelling coasts?

Poor shadows of Elysium, hence, and rest

Upon your never-withering banks of flowers:

Be not with mortal accidents opprest;

No care of yours it is; you know 'tis ours.

Whom best I love I cross; to make my gift,

The more delay'd, delighted. Be content;

Your low-laid son our godhead will uplift:

His comforts thrive, his trials well are spent.

Our Jovial star reign'd at his birth, and in

Our temple was he married. Rise, and fade.

He shall be lord of lady Imogen,

And happier much by his affliction made.

This tablet lay upon his breast, wherein

Our pleasure his full fortune doth confine:

and so, away: no further with your din

Express impatience, lest you stir up mine.

Mount, eagle, to my palace crystalline.

[Ascends]

SICILIUS LEONATUS

He came in thunder; his celestial breath

Was sulphurous to smell: the holy eagle

Stoop'd as to foot us: his ascension is

More sweet than our blest fields: his royal bird

Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak,

As when his god is pleased.

ALL

Thanks, Jupiter!

SICILIUS LEONATUS

The marble pavement closes, he is enter'd

His radiant root. Away! and, to be blest,

Let us with care perform his great behest.

[The Apparitions vanish]

Posthumus Leonatus

[Waking] Sleep, thou hast been a grandsire, and begot

A father to me; and thou hast created

A mother and two brothers: but, O scorn!

Gone! they went hence so soon as they were born:

And so I am awake. Poor wretches that depend

On greatness' favour dream as I have done,

Wake and find nothing. But, alas, I swerve:

Many dream not to find, neither deserve,

And yet are steep'd in favours: so am I,

That have this golden chance and know not why.

What fairies haunt this ground? A book? O rare one!

Be not, as is our fangled world, a garment

Nobler than that it covers: let thy effects

So follow, to be most unlike our courtiers,

As good as promise.

[Reads]

'When as a lion's whelp shall, to himself unknown,

without seeking find, and be embraced by a piece of

tender air; and when from a stately cedar shall be

lopped branches, which, being dead many years,

shall after revive, be jointed to the old stock and

freshly grow; then shall Posthumus end his miseries,

Britain be fortunate and flourish in peace and plenty.'

'Tis still a dream, or else such stuff as madmen

Tongue and brain not; either both or nothing;

Or senseless speaking or a speaking such

As sense cannot untie. Be what it is,

The action of my life is like it, which

I'll keep, if but for sympathy.

[Re-enter First Gaoler]

FIRST GAOLER

Come, sir, are you ready for death?

POSTHUMUS LEONATUS

Over-roasted rather; ready long ago.

FIRST GAOLER

Hanging is the word, sir: if

you be ready for that, you are well cooked.

POSTHUMUS LEONATUS

So, if I prove a good repast to the

spectators, the dish pays the shot.

FIRST GAOLER

A heavy reckoning for you, sir. But the comfort is,

you shall be called to no more payments, fear no

more tavern-bills; which are often the sadness of

parting, as the procuring of mirth: you come in

flint for want of meat, depart reeling with too

much drink; sorry that you have paid too much, and

sorry that you are paid too much; purse and brain

both empty; the brain the heavier for being too

light, the purse too light, being drawn of

heaviness: of this contradiction you shall now be

quit. O, the charity of a penny cord! It sums up

thousands in a trice: you have no true debitor and

creditor but it; of what's past, is, and to come,

the discharge: your neck, sir, is pen, book and

counters; so the acquittance follows.

POSTHUMUS LEONATUS

I am merrier to die than thou art to live.

FIRST GAOLER

Indeed, sir, he that sleeps feels not the

tooth-ache: but a man that were to sleep your

sleep, and a hangman to help him to bed, I think he

would change places with his officer; for, look you,

sir, you know not which way you shall go.

POSTHUMUS LEONATUS

Yes, indeed do I, fellow.

FIRST GAOLER

Your death has eyes in 's head then; I have not seen

him so pictured: you must either be directed by

some that take upon them to know, or do take upon

yourself that which I am sure you do not know, or

jump the after inquiry on your own peril: and how

you shall speed in your journey's end, I think you'll

never return to tell one.

POSTHUMUS LEONATUS

I tell thee, fellow, there are none want eyes to

direct them the way I am going, but such as wink and

will not use them.

FIRST GAOLER

What an infinite mock is this, that a man should

have the best use of eyes to see the way of

blindness! I am sure hanging's the way of winking.

[Enter a Messenger]

MESSENGER

Knock off his manacles; bring your prisoner to the king.

POSTHUMUS LEONATUS

Thou bring'st good news; I am called to be made free.

FIRST GAOLER

I'll be hang'd then.

POSTHUMUS LEONATUS

Thou shalt be then freer than a gaoler; no bolts for the dead.

[Exeunt POSTHUMUS LEONATUS and Messenger]

FIRST GAOLER

Unless a man would marry a gallows and beget young

gibbets, I never saw one so prone. Yet, on my

conscience, there are verier knaves desire to live,

for all he be a Roman: and there be some of them

too that die against their wills; so should I, if I

were one. I would we were all of one mind, and one

mind good; O, there were desolation of gaolers and

gallowses! I speak against my present profit, but

my wish hath a preferment in 't.

[Exeunt]