Wales. Before the Cave of BELARIUS. | |
| |
Enter BELARIUS, GUIDERIUS, and ARVIRAGUS. | |
| Gui. The noise is round about us. | |
| Bel. Let us from it. | 4 |
| Arv. What pleasure, sir, find we in life, to lock it | |
| From action and adventure? | |
| Gui. Nay, what hope | |
| Have we in hiding us? this way, the Romans | 8 |
| Must or for Britons slay us, or receive us | |
| For barbarous and unnatural revolts | |
| During their use, and slay us after. | |
| Bel. Sons, | 12 |
| 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 | 16 |
| Where we have liv’d, and so extort from ’s that | |
| Which we have done, whose answer would be death | |
| Drawn on with torture. | |
| Gui. This is, sir, a doubt | 20 |
| In such a time nothing becoming you, | |
| Nor satisfying us. | |
| Arv. It is not likely | |
| That when they hear the Roman horses neigh, | 24 |
| Behold their quarter’d fires, have both their eyes | |
| And ears so cloy’d importantly as now, | |
| That they will waste their time upon our note, | |
| To know from whence we are. | 28 |
| Bel. O! I am known | |
| Of many in the army; many years, | |
| Though Cloten then but young, you see, not wore him | |
| From my remembrance. And, besides, the king | 32 |
| Hath not deserv’d 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 promis’d, | 36 |
| But to be still hot summer’s tanlings and | |
| The shrinking slaves of winter. | |
| Gui. Than be so | |
| Better to cease to be. Pray, sir, to the army: | 40 |
| I and my brother are not known; yourself, | |
| So out of thought, and thereto so o’ergrown, | |
| Cannot be question’d. | |
| Arv. By this sun that shines, | 44 |
| I’ll thither: what thing is it that I never | |
| Did see man die! scarce ever look’d on blood | |
| But that of coward hares, hot goats, and venison! | |
| Never bestrid a horse, save one that had | 48 |
| A rider like myself, who ne’er wore rowel | |
| Nor iron on his heel! I am asham’d | |
| To look upon the holy sun, to have | |
| The benefit of his bless’d beams, remaining | 52 |
| So long a poor unknown. | |
| Gui. 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, | 56 |
| The hazard therefore due fall on me by | |
| The hands of Romans. | |
| Arv. So say I; amen. | |
| Bel. No reason I, since of your lives you set | 60 |
| So slight a valuation, should reserve | |
| 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, and there I’ll lie: | 64 |
| Lead, lead.—[Aside.] The time seems long; their blood thinks scorn, | |
| Till it fly out and show them princes born. [Exeunt. | |
