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Rome. A Room in PHILARIO’S House. | |
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Enter POSTHUMUS and PHILARIO. | |
| Post. Fear it not, sir; I would I were so sure | |
| To win the king as I am bold her honour | |
| Will remain hers. | 5 |
| Phi. What means do you make to him? | |
| Post. Not any, but abide the change of time, | |
| Quake in the present winter’s state and wish | |
| That warmer days would come; in these sear’d hopes, | |
| I barely gratify your love; they failing, | 10 |
| I must die much your debtor. | |
| Phi. Your very goodness and your company | |
| O’erpays all I can do. By this, your king | |
| Hath heard of great Augustus; Caius Lucius | |
| Will do ’s commission throughly, and I think | 15 |
| He’ll grant the tribute, send the arrearages, | |
| Or look upon our Romans, whose remembrance | |
| Is yet fresh in their grief. | |
| Post. I do believe— | |
| Statist though I am none, nor like to be— | 20 |
| That this will prove a war; and you shall hear | |
| The legions now in Gallia sooner landed | |
| In our not-fearing Britain, than have tidings | |
| Of any penny tribute paid. Our countrymen | |
| Are men more order’d than when Julius Cæsar | 25 |
| Smil’d at their lack of skill, but found their courage | |
| Worthy his frowning at: their discipline,— | |
| Now winged,—with their courage will make known | |
| To their approvers they are people such | |
| That mend upon the world. | 30 |
| Phi. See! Iachimo! | |
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Enter IACHIMO. | |
| Post. The swiftest harts have posted you by land, | |
| And winds of all the corners kiss’d your sails, | |
| To make your vessel nimble. | 35 |
| Phi. Welcome, sir. | |
| Post. I hope the briefness of your answer made | |
| The speediness of your return. | |
| Iach. Your lady | |
| Is one of the fairest that I have look’d upon. | 40 |
| Post. And therewithal the best; or let her beauty | |
| Look through a casement to allure false hearts | |
| And be false with them. | |
| Iach. Here are letters for you. | |
| Post. Their tenour good, I trust. | 45 |
| Iach. ’Tis very like. | |
| Phi. Was Caius Lucius in the Britain court | |
| When you were there? | |
| Iach. He was expected then, | |
| But not approach’d. | 50 |
| Post. All is well yet. | |
| Sparkles this stone as it was wont? or is ’t not | |
| Too dull for your good wearing? | |
| Iach. If I have lost it, | |
| I should have lost the worth of it in gold. | 55 |
| I’ll make a journey twice as far to enjoy | |
| A second night of such sweet shortness which | |
| Was mine in Britain; for the ring is won. | |
| Post. The stone’s too hard to come by. | |
| Iach. Not a whit, | 60 |
| Your lady being so easy. | |
| Post. Make not, sir, | |
| Your loss your sport: I hope you know that we | |
| Must not continue friends. | |
| Iach. Good sir, we must, | 65 |
| If you keep covenant. Had I not brought | |
| The knowledge of your mistress home, I grant | |
| We were to question further, but I now | |
| Profess myself the winner of her honour, | |
| Together with your ring; and not the wronger | 70 |
| Of her or you, having proceeded but | |
| By both your wills. | |
| Post. If you can make ’t apparent | |
| That you have tasted her in bed, my hand | |
| And ring is yours; if not, the foul opinion | 75 |
| You had of her pure honour gains or loses | |
| Your sword or mine or masterless leaves both | |
| To who shall find them. | |
| Iach. Sir, my circumstances | |
| Being so near the truth as I will make them, | 80 |
| Must first induce you to believe: whose strength | |
| I will confirm with oath; which, I doubt not, | |
| You’ll give me leave to spare, when you shall find | |
| You need it not. | |
| Post. Proceed. | 85 |
| Iach. First, her bedchamber,— | |
| Where I confess I slept not, but profess | |
| Had that was well worth watching,—it was hang’d | |
| With tapestry of silk and silver; the story | |
| Proud Cleopatra, when she met her Roman, | 90 |
| And Cydnus swell’d above the banks, or for | |
| The press of boats or pride; a piece of work | |
| So bravely done, so rich, that it did strive | |
| In workmanship and value; which I wonder’d | |
| Could be rarely and exactly wrought, | 95 |
| Since the true life on ’t was— | |
| Post. This is true; | |
| And this you might have heard of here, by me, | |
| Or by some other. | |
| Iach. More particulars | 100 |
| Must justify my knowledge. | |
| Post. So they must, | |
| Or do your honour injury. | |
| Iach. The chimney | |
| Is south the chamber, and the chimney-piece | 105 |
| Chaste Dian bathing; never saw I figures | |
| So likely to report themselves; the cutter | |
| Was as another nature, dumb; outwent her, | |
| Motion and breath left out. | |
| Post. This is a thing | 110 |
| Which you might from relation likewise reap, | |
| Being, as it is, much spoke of. | |
| Iach. The roof o’ the chamber | |
| With golden cherubins is fretted; her andirons— | |
| I had forgot them—were two winking Cupids | 115 |
| Of silver, each on one foot standing, nicely | |
| Depending on their brands. | |
| Post. This is her honour! | |
| Let it be granted you have seen all this,—and praise | |
| Be given to your remembrance,—the description | 120 |
| Of what is in her chamber nothing saves | |
| The wager you have laid. | |
| Iach. Then, if you can, | |
| Be pale: I beg but leave to air this jewel; see! [Showing the bracelet. | |
| And now ’tis up again; it must be married | 125 |
| To that your diamond; I’ll keep them. | |
| Post. Jove! | |
| Once more let me behold it. Is it that | |
| Which I left with her? | |
| Iach. Sir,—I thank her,—that: | 130 |
| She stripp’d it from her arm; I see her yet; | |
| Her pretty action did outsell her gift, | |
| And yet enrich’d it too. She gave it me, and said | |
| She priz’d it once. | |
| Post. May be she pluck’d it off | 135 |
| To send it me. | |
| Iach. She writes so to you, doth she? | |
| Post. O! no, no, no, ’tis true. Here, take this too; [Gives the ring. | |
| It is a basilisk unto mine eye, | |
| Kills me to look on ’t. Let there be no honour | 140 |
| Where there is beauty; truth where semblance; love | |
| Where there’s another man; the vows of women | |
| Of no more bondage be to where they are made | |
| Than they are to their virtues, which is nothing. | |
| O! above measure false. | 145 |
| Phi. Have patience, sir, | |
| And take your ring again; ’tis not yet won: | |
| It may be probable she lost it; or | |
| Who knows if one of her women, being corrupted, | |
| Hath stol’n it from her? | 150 |
| Post. Very true; | |
| And so I hope he came by ’t. Back my ring. | |
| Render to me some corporal sign about her, | |
| More evident than this; for this was stol’n. | |
| Iach. By Jupiter, I had it from her arm. | 155 |
| Post. Hark you, he swears; by Jupiter he swears. | |
| ’Tis true; nay, keep the ring; ’tis true: I am sure | |
| She would not lose it; her attendants are | |
| All sworn and honourable; they induc’d to steal it! | |
| And by a stranger! No, he hath enjoy’d her; | 160 |
| The cognizance of her incontinency | |
| Is this; she hath bought the name of whore thus dearly. | |
| There, take thy hire; and all the fiends of hell | |
| Divide themselves between you! | |
| Phi. Sir, be patient: | 165 |
| This is not strong enough to be believ’d | |
| Of one persuaded well of— | |
| Post. Never talk on ’t; | |
| She hath been colted by him. | |
| Iach. If you seek | 170 |
| For further satisfying, under her breast, | |
| Worthy the pressing, lies a mole, right proud | |
| Of that most delicate lodging: by my life, | |
| I kiss’d it, and it gave me present hunger | |
| To feed again, though full. You do remember | 175 |
| This stain upon her? | |
| Post. Ay, and it doth confirm | |
| Another stain, as big as hell can hold, | |
| Were there no more but it. | |
| Iach. Will you hear more? | 180 |
| Post. Spare your arithmetic; never count the turns; | |
| Once, and a million! | |
| Iach. I’ll be sworn,— | |
| Post. No swearing. | |
| If you will swear you have not done ’t, you lie; | 185 |
| And I will kill thee if thou dost deny | |
| Thou’st made me cuckold. | |
| Iach. I’ll deny nothing. | |
| Post. O! that I had her here, to tear her limb-meal. | |
| I will go there and do ’t, i’ the court, before | 190 |
| Her father. I’ll do something— [Exit. | |
| Phi. Quite besides | |
| The government of patience! You have won: | |
| Let’s follow him, and pervert the present wrath | |
| He hath against himself. | 195 |
| Iach. With all my heart. [Exeunt. | |
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